Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Psalm 80:3
Psalm 80 is a hymn calling for Israel’s restoration. The refrain, in verse 3, is repeated in vss. 7 and 19. The message is clear. A desperate people, presumably in exile, want God to remember his covenant with the people of Israel. God is held responsible for the bad times the people are now experiencing. God is felt to be inattentive, absent. We, too, have times when we feel abandoned by God--times when we feel vulnerable, exploited, weak, with death and/or destruction on our heels. We wonder if God is still with us. But like the Psalmist, even though we may wrongly hold God responsible for our troubles, we recognize that God is the only reliable solution for our problems.
Jesus on the cross understood what it feels like to be abandoned. He cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me from the words of my groaning?” (Psalm 22) But Jesus knows that on the other side of his misery and destruction lies liberty and eternal life. Jesus also knew (and taught) that true freedom exists only in and through our relationship with God. When I feel God is absent, I have to listen carefully for God’s voice and ask myself, “How does God want me to serve others in these present circumstances.” As Jesus spoke to the thief suffering next to him on a cross, I believe Jesus wants us, out of our weakness, to reach out to fellow sufferers and be a caring presence.
Prayer: Dear Lord, our God, even when we feel forsaken we are not. Grant us discernment to see your activity among us and give us courage to be part of it, even and especially in our weakest moments. Amen
Ernest Krug (2014)
No comments:
Post a Comment