Slices
Prepare
What are you hoping for? What are you disappointed in? Tell God about both.
Bible passage
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.
1 I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands,
and I would not be comforted.
3 I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.
4 You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.
5 I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;
6 I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
7 ‘Will the Lord reject for ever?
Will he never show his favour again?
8 Has his unfailing love vanished for ever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?’
10 Then I thought, ‘To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12 I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.’
13 Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?
14 You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
19 Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Explore
We should resist the temptation to rush to the second half of this psalm too quickly. The thought of miraculous intervention (v 11) should not displace the importance of praying our pain. We need to trust God to listen to the honest complaints of verses 1–9, for our disappointments and fears are the seedbed of honest prayer.
It is a large part of the gift of the psalms to move us towards this unflinching transparency in prayer. Does it feel like God’s love has somehow evaporated and that he’s given up on mercy (vs 8,9)? We should tell him that’s how it feels. Does it feel like we are painfully grasping after an absent and indifferent God (vs 1–4)? We should tell him what that means to us.
Let it out. Get real. If you’re in pain, let your pain pray. Then, with the honesty of the first part of the psalm laid out, the wisdom of verses 11–20 has somewhere real to settle. For all that God does not seem to be doing, we can turn our attention to remind ourselves of all that he has done (v 11), and therein lies our hope.
Respond
When our lives are all in order, it may seem that psalms such as today’s don’t connect. It’s almost certain, however, that you know someone experiencing the reality of verses 1–10. Pray for them now (or yourself if needed).
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Leviticus 19,20; Psalms 23,24
Pray for Scripture Union
Praise God that mission through sport has enabled churches to connect with children and young people who they might otherwise find it challenging to build a relationship with.
