Joy from the Struggle

Psalm 43

¹ Vindicate me, my God,
    and plead my cause
    against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are
    deceitful and wicked.
² You are God my stronghold.
    Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
    oppressed by the enemy?
³ Send me your light and your faithful care,
    let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
    to the place where you dwell.
⁴ Then I will go to the altar of God,
    to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
    O God, my God.

⁵ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.

While speaking with others about the anticipated joy of events coming up in the life of the church – Advent Services through Christmas, Upcoming Children’s Program in December, Potlucks, Serve Project here next summer – we see that we have concerns about how things will work out, but certainty that we are being led to serve God well in what we are doing.  We see that even as we move into these areas of ministry with confidence, we also have people coming along with us who are seeing the other sides of life, with pain, suffering, grief and loneliness.

This is one of the reasons we gather each week in worship, or at other times in the week.  We gather from a variety of places, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually.  One may come with much confidence, another with their doubts.  One may enter with great joy, another with sadness.  One may enter with certainty, another with questions.  One may enter with a sense of belonging, another feeling on the edge or on the outside looking in.  We gather from many places.  But we are all given the same place to end up.  We are all promised the same place as we see in Psalm 43 today.

Seeing others who have walked harder roads than mine, yet coming out in faith and praise, builds faith and certainty for our future.  Although we see struggles and uncertainty, we are reminded that God says he holds us always.  He says his church will be okay.  Not because we will be in total agreement at all times, or will figure out all things, but because he is faithful and will hold us as his people.  Close to where I grew up we could watch the tensions in society over the years, the violence that ravaged a place like Detroit.  Yet there the churches remain strong in faith, seeing that the hope they have is that God sees them through the storm to the place of peace.  (Detroit Mass Choir singing: The Storm is Passing Over).  I have been encouraged as I hear the Brooklyn Choir sing: Psalm 34.  Words we have sung as well.

In all things we know that God is walking with us to the place of peace in his hands.  Even if we feel the pain of the struggles today, we rest in him and know that he brings us to a place where we can return to his praises, the hallelujahs of the Psalms.  As we see the time of gathering in worship approach again, we will come in our joys and struggles, yet see the God of our salvation welcome us in and send us out in his blessing and assurance.  Check out the songs above as we are encouraged in life and prepared to gather this week.

Prayer

Lord, we see life as hardness and struggle too often.  We realize that many are in more difficult places.  Driving past their tents, tarps and carts.  For all of us, help us to see your hand in whatever life has brought to us.  Help us to see you walking before us, behind us, alongside of us.  May our lives be praise to you, in all we experience and all we do.  Amen.