Scripture Reading:
Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in God’s word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with God is great power to redeem.
It is God who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Reflection
This morning’s scripture is from the book of Psalms, which is an entire book of songs and prayers written to God. Some of the psalms are really happy, but not all of them. In this song, the psalmist is deeply upset and looking for comfort and hope by crying out to God. The psalmist cries out to God from the depths - a place of grief, despair, and deep worry. But as we read on, we can hear how the psalmist has faith things won’t stay that way. The psalmist trusts God will listen to their cries and bring them up from the depths. It won’t be immediate, though. There will be waiting. Waiting is a hard thing to do. The psalmist tells us while they waited, they used that time to repent. Repentance means changing your mind. It’s letting how you see yourself and the world be transformed. It can involve saying good-bye to old things or old ways of living and being. Like the psalmist who wrote this whole song with hope from the depths of pain, we too are waiting.
When we’re struggling with the many challenges we are experiencing with COVID-19, we may feel different kinds of emotions. One thing we can do is pray — that is, talk to God and share all of what we feel like the psalmist did. God welcomes all of our emotions. God hears us when we’re upset, scared, sad, or mad, as much as when we’re happy, proud, and joyful. Take a moment to think about how you feel when someone you care about is hurting. If you’re in a group, share your responses. Just like you care when someone you love is hurting, happy, or scared, remember God also loves us and cares about how we feel. God feels it with us.
Discussion Questions
1. What is the hardest thing about waiting?
2. What do you do when you’re really, really happy?
3. What do you do when you feel upset? What makes you feel better?
4. Who do you talk to when you need to share how you feel?
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for always being with us and caring about us and our feelings. Thank you for always listening when we pray. Amen.
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