Tuesday, March 24th, 2020
By Chris Holmes
Psalm for the Day: Psalm 146:5-7
During this season of Lent, the daily lectionary invites us to sit with an individual Psalm for several days, slowly digesting a few verses at a time. It is, of course, difficult to separate today’s selection (vv. 5–7) from what precedes or follows. This is, after all, one Psalm, one hymn of praise. But verse 5 offers an important focus point: “Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.”
With this verse, the Psalmist implicitly asks us, “Who is your help? Who is your hope?” If anything, the coronavirus crisis has revealed all the false or inadequate helps and hopes in which we have trusted. Maybe it was our bank account. Or our control over our schedule. Or our own freedom and ability to move about. Whatever these false hopes might have been, the events and anxieties of the last two weeks have shown their inadequacy. The Psalmist’s declaration about those who are “happy” in verse 5 echoes the exhortation in verse 3. Both verses insist that God, and God alone, is our source of help and hope.
God’s help and hope show up in tangible ways. First, the Psalm reminds us that God is the creator. More than a single moment thousands of years ago, the Bible witnesses to God’s creation at every moment. All of life depends on God’s live-giving and life-sustaining power. Second, the Psalm reminds us that God is faithful, forever faithful. God makes covenants and stays true to them. Granting justice to the oppressed and giving food to the hungry (v. 7) are just two examples of God’s faithfulness.
Right now, many find themselves in a place of disorientation. Anxiety and fear are palpable. Established patterns and rhythms have been seriously disrupted. We worry about our own health or the health of our loved ones. In this season of disorientation, Psalm 146 offers us two points of orientation. First, it reminds us of God’s nature as creator and covenant-maker. God is in the business of always creating new, surprising things, and God is forever trustworthy. Second, it creates the very space we need to lament, to cry out to God for help. It is because of our deep trust in God as creator and covenant-maker that we are able to name those places in life where we ache for God’s grace to show up in clear and powerful ways.
Let us pray: Loving and Living God, meet us in this time of anxiety and uncertainty. Surprise us with the new things that you are bringing into existence and comfort us with the assurance of your promises. We pray for those who are oppressed and hungry in this time, whether literally or figuratively. We pray for medical professionals and first responders who put themselves at risk to heal and help others. We pray for those who have been isolated from family and friends. Help us find creative ways to connect with and care for one another in this time. Use this time to shape us, somehow, more and more into your own image. Amen.
