Before preaching this morning I brought faces to mind of those in the pews who knew they were in trouble. I thought of the couple I spoke to not long ago contemplating divorce, another person recently diagnosed with cancer, another person unemployed for months, and another person facing eviction. Are their troubles of their own making? Are they simply victims of circumstance? Or, are they suffering for no known reason? The Psalms we surveyed today were written by people suffering for many reasons. Psalm 6 is one of seven Psalms in the Psalter first prayed by people suffering consequences of their own sin. What Psalms 3-7 have in common is that they were all written/prayed/sung by people well acquainted with trouble.
I was encouraged by the people who said they would take me up on the challenge to pray one Psalm a day. If you do that, by next Sunday you will be on Psalm 8 which is (finally) a hymn of praise. After praying a week of "trouble Psalms" it will be good to focus our attention on the Holy One whose name is majestic in all the earth. But before we get to the hymn of praise, we must deal with life as it is . . . and life in this world is trouble. But, as Jesus said, take heart, "I have overcome the world!"
1 comment:
The best part of an honest sermon on Psalms is the "realism" the psalters use in addressing how one prays. Not to long ago I didnt think one could yell at God, or say bad things, or be unthankful.
The Psalms show me people who love God but are honest about how they feel about any given situation. If my heart laments, let me lament to God. If my heart rejoices, let my heart rejoice to God.
I have no idea what God thinks, I'm a very finate being; however, in relationships the key to success is honesty. Even if that honesty happens to be uncertainty.
Thanks for leading us into more honest prayers.
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