Readings for today: 2 Samuel 19-21, Psalms 5, 38, 42
Human beings just seem hardwired to divide. Perhaps I’m just jaded from what I see happening in our community and country and around the world today. People arguing over whether or not to wear masks. People arguing over the proper response to viral outbreak. Politicians taking advantage of the moment to pus their own agendas. The ubiquity of fake news and false reporting that spreads like wildfire of social media. Our ideologies seem impenetrable. Our tendency towards confirmation bias unchangeable. Our partisan commitments unshakeable.
The same is true for Israel. The civil war is over. Absalom is dead. David is grieving. The nation is mourning. They face an uncertain future together. What will David do? How will the king respond to the betrayal? How will Israel deal with its national shame? It’s not clean or neat or easy. There is more violence. More rebellion. More division. More suffering. More pain. Political enemies are assassinated. Tribal tensions exploited. Israel’s enemies sense weakness and attack. David is almost killed. It’s a reminder of how brutal and unforgiving this life can be. Small mistakes can lead to devastating consequences especially when you are a person of power and influence. Furthermore, today’s reading reminds us that even people who have a heart for God are fallen. Broken. Sinful human beings who often make mistakes.
So where can we find hope? Where do we find our unity amidst all the divisions? Is there a force powerful enough to bring us together? Yes. It is God. “Let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exalt in you.” (Psalm 5:11) “But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer…Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!” (Psalm 38: 15, 21-22) David looks to God in the midst of his crisis. David looks to God for strength to face his enemies both within and without. David looks to God for hope as he seeks to re-unite Israel and lead the nation back on a path to peace and prosperity. David recognizes his desperation for God. “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” (Psalm 42:1-2)
I don’t know your unique circumstances. I know some of you are struggling with your health right now. Some of you are struggling with the loss of a job. Some of you are struggling in your marriage. Your relationship with your children is coming apart. Some of you just got news you will have to move to stay employed. Some of you may be in danger of losing your homes. Some of you will have to put off retirement. For others of you, the stay at home orders have put your life at risk either because of abuse or starvation or something just as dangerous. And perhaps the hardest part of all this is we don’t know when it will end. We don’t know when a vaccine will be developed. We don’t know when the virus will mutate and run its course. We don’t know how long herd immunity will take and the very real human costs involved. There are so many unknowns still out there and that causes fear and anxiety in our hearts. We too are becoming desperate for God. Like a deer pants for water. Thankfully, when we come to the end of ourselves, we find God. “Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and waves have gone over me. By day, the Lord commands His steadfast love, and at night He sings over me…Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.” (Psalm 42:7-8, 11) May you find your hope renewed in Christ today and may it bring you closer to those you love and live among!
Readings for tomorrow: 2 Samuel 22-23, Psalms 57