HARD THINGS
1 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defences;
you have been angry; now restore us!
2 You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
3 You have made your people suffer hard things;
you have given us wine to drink that made us reel.4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
to rally to it out of bowshot.5 Give victory with your right hand, and answer us,
so that those whom you love may be rescued.6 God has promised in his sanctuary:
‘With exultation I will divide up Shechem,
and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet;
Judah is my sceptre.
8 Moab is my wash-basin;
on Edom I hurl my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.’9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
11 O grant us help against the foe,
for human help is worthless.
12 With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
There is a haunting song, “Beautiful Things” by Gundor that speaks to God’s ability to make beautiful things out of dust, out of hard things. That song plays in my head as I read this song and the words, ‘hard things,’ shimmer. The wonder of God to do miracles and change fortunes when we see only hard things and suffering. I cling to the truth of those words in that time.
Prayer
Ever Present Lord, we want to sing with confidence and assurance that you are a God of miracles. A God that when we experience hard things will make something beautiful. Amen.
