Weekly Devotion no 53
30 July 2021
Bible reading – Psalm 13[1]
Lord, how long must I wait? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you turn your face away from me?
2 How long must I struggle with my thoughts?
How long must my heart be sad day after day?
How long will my enemies keep winning the battle over
me?
3 Lord my God, look at me and answer
me.
Give me new life, or I will die.
4 Then my enemies will say, “We have beaten him.”
They will be filled with joy when I die.
5 But I trust in your faithful
love.
My heart is filled with joy because you will save me.
6 I will sing praise to the Lord.
He has been so good to me.
Reflection
For many this lockdown has been harder than the ones preceding it. Maybe it’s because we are fatigued and find it hard to keep motivation. Not being able to see friends and family can give us the false perception that maybe they have forgotten us. And when we don’t have contact with others, we can often also think that God feels distant too.
In this psalm, David feels alienated from God. He focusses on himself. He wrestles with his own thoughts and has sorrow in his own heart. There is a deep loneliness about his sufferings. He laments and shares his distress with God.
But David knew from experience that God is faithful, and so even though he feels that God is far away, he still puts his trust in God and in his love. He is filled with joy as he reminds himself of God’s salvation. We too, in the midst of our loneliness and isolation, can remind ourselves of the salvation we have in Christ, and rejoice. David is drawn to praise God as he considers the goodness of God. As we consider the mercies that God bestows on us each day, we too can give thanks to our gracious and generous God and sing his praises. It is possible to have hearts that are both sorrowful and joyful at the same time.
If you are struggling
right now and feel that God is far off, in your prayers let him know your
struggles, be reminded of how he has been with you in the past, and consider
God’s goodness in Christ. It is through challenge that we are reminded of the
significance of our salvation through the cross of Christ and in his resurrection
we are given hope. For this reason, like Paul, we can be ‘sorrowful, yet always
rejoicing.’[1]
Hymn
Verse 1
Abide with me: fast
falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
Verse 2
Swift to its close
ebbs out life's little day;
earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away.
Change and decay in all around I see.
O thou who changest not, abide with me.
Verse 3
I need thy presence every
passing hour.
What but thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who like thyself my guide and strength can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.
Verse 4
I fear no foe with
thee at hand to bless,
ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me.
Verse 5
Hold thou thy cross
before my closing eyes.
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee;
in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
Prayer
Almighty
God,
whose
beloved Son for our sake
willingly
endured the agony and shame of the cross:
give
us courage and patience
to
take up our cross daily and follow him;
who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one
God, now and for ever. Amen.
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