Day Three
Read Psalm 5
A common experience in the faith are moments when we wonder if God is paying any attention. We ask, “God are you out there?” We sit in silence and pray and wonder if we’re in the room all by ourselves. Every believer would admit to these kinds of moments in their life. And for many they are more numerous than the moments when we really sense God’s presence.
The Psalmist in Psalm 5 appears to be familiar with this type of feeling, and so he begins by asking God to listen to him. “Give ear to my words, O LORD; give heed to my sighing. Listen to the sound of my cry.” He’s pleading with God to listen, to hear, to comfort. One of the things we’ll see as we use the Psalms during Lent is that the writers of the Psalms were not afraid to express their true feelings before God. It has been said that every human emotion ever felt is described somewhere in the Book of Psalms. Whether it is joy, happiness, disappointment, frustration, anger, all of the emotions are laid before God in the Psalms. And this is quite liberating. This Psalm is attributed to King David, and if the “man after God’s own heart” shows his fears and his doubts and his struggles, then we too can bear our emotions before God.
Here in Psalm 5 the Psalmist appeals to God’s justice. He says this is not the way it is supposed to be, the wicked and the bloodthirsty are not supposed to be winning because God is not a “God who delights in wickedness” (verse 4).
This is where prayer often begins. We recognize that what is going on in our lives or in our communities or in our world is broken. Often our response is to brood, or to escape into a television series or a box of thin mint cookies or a can of pringles. We seek refuge from somewhere. Psalm 5 (and about a 100 other Psalms) shows us how to begin to seek refuge in God.
Both times the Psalmist begins to despair he also demonstrates great faith. In verses 7-9 and again in verses 11-12, the writer is comforted by God’s steadfast love. He remembers who God is and declares it out loud. The act of turning to God brings comfort. And the more we get into the habit of turning to God in those moments instead of other places of refuge the more we begin to trust the reality that no matter how unbearable things get, God is our refuge and our protection.
Prayer
Spend some time thinking through some of the emotions you felt today. Exhausted? Angry? Disappointed? Frustrated? Joy-filled? Excited? Then, pray those emotions to God. Then, listen in silence.
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