Email preparing for May 10, 2020
Thanks be to God that we don’t have to fake “fine.” Life in Christ includes suffering and pain of all kinds and also includes resources to get through it.
Sunday morning we will be discussing Chapter 6, “Sadness,” of Open and Unafraid, and Psalms 12 and 13, two psalms of lament.
Jesus put his stamp of approval on lamenting by modeling it. He risked using the words of a biblical lament to interrogate God: “Why have you forsaken me?” he pleaded, even as he was on the way to becoming the firstborn from the dead. Jesus used the “edited language” of the Psalms to give expression to his “unedited emotions” (See Open and Unafraid, p. 69 in this week’s chapter.).
Check out the bottom half of p. xxv in Open and Unafraid to read David Taylor’s description of the beginning and end of The Psalter. Starting another trip through the Psalms last Sunday, we’ve been reading, meditating on, and praying psalms from Book 1 of the five books of the Psalter.
Psalms 1 and 2 are an introduction, not only to book 1, but to the whole book. YHWH blesses those who trust Him and His way of life revealed in Torah. YHWH rejects those who refuse this life of trust in Him. Psalm 2 gets more specific with YHWH setting his king in power and defeating rebellious kings/nations. Blessed is the person who lives a life of trust in YHWH and His Torah, and blessed are all who “kiss the Son,” the heir of David and “take refuge in him.” ( See Ps 1:1 and Ps. 2:12.) Father, Son and Holy Spirit rejoice in our trust and obedience. The Psalms is a training manual for the ongoing dialogue with our Triune God required for this life of faith.
In spite of ultimate assurance of victory, Book 1 is full of enemies and trouble for the Davidic King, with a preponderance of psalms of lament. Of course, our lives also have enemies, especially the Big Three: the world, the flesh, and the devil. So it’s no surprise that 1/3 of the Psalms are laments, complaints to God in situations of limitation or threat. A lament is an outcry to God from a responsive heart, counting on God to be faithful and trustworthy. Laments came from individuals or from the community. Psalm 12 is a community lament. Psalm 13 is an individual lament. These laments show us that God is willing to be a full participant in an intimate, authentic dialogue with those struggling in distress to trust him.
Look for these conventions of prayer often found in laments in Psalm 12 and 13: address to God, initial appeal, description of distress, complaint against God, petitions, motivation for God to hear, accusations, call for redress, claims of innocence, confessions of sin, professions of trust, vow to praise for deliverance, calls to praise, motivations for praise.
Listen to a young Christian mom in the current epidemic: “I don’t know who to believe or what to do to care for our 4 children. Today my husband and I, who usually agree about parenting, are arguing about what to let our children do.”
Consider the great sadness of the damaging words in our current public discourse as you read Psalm 12.
Reading Psalm 13, consider the great sadness in your own life or other individual’s lives as people endure agony, come to the end of themselves as health or finances deteriorate, or addiction and abuse increase, or isolation and loss darkens hope.
I look forward to our time together on Sunday.
In the love and faith of our Savior,
Toni