PSALM 109
21 But you, O Lord my Lord,act on my behalf for your name’s sake;
because your steadfast love is good, deliver me.
22 For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is pierced within me.
23 I am gone like a shadow at evening;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting;
my body has become gaunt.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.
Psalm 109 is a classic example of a lament psalm. In a lament psalm, there is a section which is a list of complaints or a description of the situation of what is going wrong in the writer’s life. We can read that this writer is struggling with poverty, physical ailments and relationships. As we think about our lives, we can often find things that are not going the way that we would want. What would your list of complaints look like? Some complaints might be big if you have a struggle, conflict, or weight on your shoulders. Some of our complaints are more minor and can almost seem trivial but can be stumbling blocks, nonetheless. In our faith journeys, we often think we have to only take the positive approach but sometimes a lament is an important part of finding strength. By identifying and naming the places that are hard, we can find comfort that we are not alone and find an outlet for the things that weigh us down.
One of our end of day activities when I worked at Cedarkirk was to talk with campers about the Pows and Wows of their days. The Pows were the hard, difficult or things they did not like about their days. Answers could be a food they didn’t care for or an activity ruined by rain. The Wows are the good things that happen such as a someone held the door open for you or a great canoe trip. This is a great practice of reviewing your day and look for places to celebrate God in your life both in the moments that are hard and the moments that are good. What would your Pows and Wows look like today?
Prayer
God of highs and lows, we take comfort that through it all that you are with us. You are with us in our struggles and times of our life of challenge. And, you are with us in the joyous times celebrating with us and rejoicing. Help us to come to you with all our thoughts and feelings knowing that you are rooting for us. Amen.