The Scripture reading for today is Psalm 42.
Why, my soul, are you so downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him. -Psalm 42:11 NRSV
How has the pandemic affected you? How has it affected your job? How has it affected your relationships?
I could cut and paste Psalm 42 for my own answers to those questions. Apparently, the psalmist used to be a worship leader in the house of God for a lot of people. Something happened, however, and that’s no longer the case.
As for me, I recall the days when I walked among large crowds of people on Sunday mornings at church, whether in the hallways before Christian education classes, in the narthex as we gathered for coffee and donuts, or as we worshiped together in the sanctuary. But the pandemic has affected all of that in significant ways.
So, I can definitely relate to the psalmist. But so can you, even if you’re not a worship leader. Your life, your job, and your relationships have all been significantly changed by the pandemic.
I don’t know about you but I appreciate the psalmist’s honesty. He or she is obviously grieving what once was…and it’s so important to grieve what has been lost.
But what I appreciate even more than the psalmist’s honesty is the psalmist’s outlook for the future. He or she may be down today but essentially, “I’ll be up again tomorrow. I’ll put my hope in God. I will long for God like a deer pants for water. I will claim the unfailing love of God. I will find the help that I need to get through this season of life.”
How’s your outlook today?
May God grant you the grace to longingly look with hope into the future today. This difficult season will pass.
