Readings for today: Psalms 6, 9-10, 14, 16, 21
I was born in Columbus, IN. One of my dreams as a young kid was to go to an amusement park outside of Cincinnati called King’s Island and ride a famous rollercoaster there called the “Beast.” When the Beast first debuted in 1979, it broke all existing records for the longest and fastest wooden rollercoaster in the world. The ride lasts more than four minutes and soars over 35 acres of wooded terrain. It has drops of 137 feet and 141 at extreme angles and has a 125 foot long underground tunnel. It reaches speeds of up to 65 MPH and has eight banked turns, some at 45 degrees. You can see why riding it would be every young boy’s dream! Sadly, we never went to King’s Island and I never got to fulfill my dream but I’ve loved rollercoasters to this day.
Reading the Psalms feels a bit like riding a rollercoaster. Today’s selection begins in grief with David “flooding his bed” with tears. It moves to praise as David recounts all the “wonderful deeds” of the Lord. Back down to despair as David experiences the absence of God and feels abandoned in his “time of trouble.” From there, David experiences conviction, realizing it is only the fool that says in his heart, “there is no God.” And then to hope as David clings to faith, trusting God to be his “chosen portion and cup.” Finally, David finishes with praise for who God is and what He has done. It’s quite a ride.
Life can often feel like a rollercoaster and that’s why the Psalms continue to resonate after all these years. They express the full range of human emotion and give us permission to approach God authentically and honestly and openly with our feelings. David approaches God with anger, frustration, hopelessness, fear, anxiety, depression and despair. He also approaches God with joy, excitement, trust, hope, deep faith and confidence. He never seems to be anyone but Himself before the Lord. This is perhaps what I love the most about him. I used to struggle to be “real” before God. I used to worry that if I didn’t have the right words to say or approach God with the right attitude in my heart that I would be rejected or worse. But as I’ve traveled the rollercoaster that is my life and experienced all the ups and downs, the high peaks and low valleys, the sharp turns and drops that make me catch my breath; I’ve realized God has been sitting in the seat next to me the whole way. He knows my every thought and every feeling and He embraces me as I am.
It’s two days post-Easter. If you’re like me, the joy of that beautiful morning has already been challenged. Arguments at home. Family members in and out of the hospital. Dogs tearing up my backyard. Changes in carefully laid plans. The pressure of preparing for another Sunday. All of these things can stack up on me if I’m not careful. And the temptation I face in my own life is to stuff the feelings, put my head down, and plow forward. But that ignores the invitation of the Psalms. God wants me to bring all that I am feeling to Him. He wants me to continuously lay whatever burdens I may be carrying at His feet. Each and every morning I have the opportunity to come before Him to receive the strength I need for that particular day. Each and every evening, I have the opportunity to reflect back and thank Him for His provision. The key is approach Him honestly. Authentically. Openly. Holding nothing back. Let the One whose name is Faithful and True provide you with grace to meet your every need.
Readings for tomorrow: 1 Chronicles 1-2, Psalms 43-44