The first casualties of upheaval can be love, kindness, and patience. But crisis is also a moment when love for God & one another can spring up. For 150 days, starting on 17th March 2020, I will write 300 words based on one of the 150 psalms in the bible. How can I find and give love in the midst of coronavirus?
“Watson. Come at once if convenient. If inconvenient, come all the same.” Sherlock Holmes in a telegram to Dr Watson.
Sherlock & Watson have been my nighttime companions. If I wake at night, with thoughts racing, I stick my headphones in and listen to Conan Doyle’s stories to get me back to sleep. It works – and so I never do find out who poisoned Lady Worcester (or whoever it is).
This psalm at first glance appears to be a wonderful song and prayer of a man who is longing for God. But if you look a bit more closely, all is not well. In particular, we read:
6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. 7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. 8 I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.
What is David doing on his bed in through the watches of the night? He is awake. The king is not the watchman who needs to get up to make sure all is well – he should be asleep – but he’s not. And as you read all of the psalm you understand why. It says he is in the desert (in the intro line) – and then he prays:
1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
He goes on – he is hungry, and he is under attack. No wonder he lies awake. But, and it’s a big but – what he does on his bed in the middle of the night is to pray – and to pray that He would find God and know Him better. He longs to encounter and know God. He is not praying just for everything to be sorted out.
So, when you and I lie awake, with our minds full of concerns. Let pray that we would encounter God, that He would fill our souls, and that He would satisfy us.
It’s probably more helpful than listening to Sherlock Holmes!
Have a blessed day.
Love Matt