July 2020 - Pastor's Newsletter Article - Psalm 13

Pastor's Ponderings – July 2020

Psalm 13 New International Version (NIV) 
“A Psalm of David”
 1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?
 3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
 5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me.

How long, Lord?

How long indeed... we have now come to July of 2020. The world has shifted on its axis multiple times since the calendar flipped into this new year (figuratively speaking, let's hope my use of this metaphor doesn't indicate a prophecy of such...). None of us expected any of this and sadly I wish I could tell you that it's nearly to the end and that life will be normal very soon... I really wish I could type those words...

But we don't know “how long” the Lord will allow all of this insanity to reign. It indeed seems as David laments that the Lord has hidden His face from us and the worst part is of course the 'wrestling with our thoughts'. We don't know what lies ahead so as humans we tend to imagine the worst possible scenario. Repeatedly we see uncontrolled and seemingly uncontrollable mobs destroying so much and those that destroy and loot seem to be getting away with the destruction of so many good people's lives and livelihoods. We're greeted when we turn on the news that the numbers of infections for Covid 19 are continuing to grow... and grow, and we join David in his lament...

These are indeed trying times in which we live but we must remember that others have endured equally trying times. There has and will be social unrest, it's a part of the human condition which I fear will be with us always. In the past, our ancestors too suffered during pandemics and strange and baffling diseases. Ultimately, just like them, we will survive and the sun will shine on a 'normal' day once again.

How did those ancestors of ours manage? Well, for most of us here in Iowa our ancestors clung to their faith in God... their faith in the same God that David clings to in Psalm 13.

When the day seems dark and the world seems to be filled with uncertainty, you can rely on the God of David.

 5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.

God has not abandoned us, He is here with us always... we just have to have faith in His 'unfailing love'.

Before I sign off I want to let you know that I'm considering making a change in the Thursday Night Service as we move into July. There will still be a broadcast at 7 pm each Thursday night but it may well be 'different'... keep your eyes open and see. Scott, Kim, Kathryn, and I are discussing this possible change, tune in July 2nd.

God bless & be a blessing to someone today! Pastor Roy