A Present Help

The Lord is my light and my salvation;

   whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

   of whom shall I be afraid? 

—Psalm 27:1

This sentiment is so much easier said than done. There are simply too many things that are beyond us and above us, looming. We watch the wave of Syrian refugees sweep across Eastern Europe seeking solace, escape, and redemption, met with violence, uncertainty, and horrific, sometimes fatal, danger. We watch the parade of presidential candidates, already worn out from the cycle a full year ahead of the elections. We watch the economy lurch along, wondering where it is going to find stability. It is all overwhelming. 

Then we look at our church.

The community with the message of God being a refuge, rock, and fortress looks as uncertain, unsure, and unable to meet the needs of the world around us. The cracks are showing in the “mighty fortress.” Writers and observers like Deborah Bass, a contemporary theologian, actually see the full demise of the institution known as the Church in its final hour—something new is coming, but no one is quite sure what it will be, so what of us here and now?

We hear David’s astounding confidence and fearlessness in the opening line of the psalm and wonder how on earth anyone could be so confident and so full of hope as this. 

Well, the truth of the matter was that David really wasn’t all that sure or confident—reading the whole psalm reveals a prayer from someone beset on all sides—relationally, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually—his enemies are too numerous to number. After this opening line comes a complete confession of doubt, worry, and angst. How will he survive? How will he see another day? That opening line becomes the voice of someone frightened trying to shore themselves up by repeating a mantra they have no real confidence in. Remember, maybe from when you were little, doing the same thing? Maybe it is before you had to speak in front of the whole class, so with knees knocking, you repeated, “I am not afraid; I am not afraid…” Everyone saw the truth.

But…

Every good sermon revolves on a powerful “but,” wherein the sure, certain hope of sound theology takes over…

But…

Despite his fear, David actually does profess a profound truth—God is present; God is a help; and God will redeem—or, as I so often intone, God is good and grace abounds. 

David knew the hand of God upon him. He felt it pluck him from among his brothers when Samuel came to call. He felt it guiding him in the transition from Saul to David’s own reign over Israel. 

But that road of change was bumpy indeed. Saul did not simply step aside, but fought tooth and nail to hold his place. Murderous rage often led the way in his response to David, despite the fact that David cared deeply for Saul, seeking even to soothe his troubled soul with music. Still, David knew it was God directing all that was happening. A new direction, a new way was dawning over God’s people. David had a vital role to play in that dawn, even if the old regime was doing everything in its power to hold onto yesterday. 

Which brings us to our time and place as a congregation. Are we awakening to a new dawn, or are we hiding under the covers, praying yesterday isn’t over yet? There are so many unknowns. There is so much left uncharted. But the hand of God is on us. It really and truly is.

Where is God taking us?

That has yet to be seen. We are still in the discerning stage. We are still seeing the development of whatever will be. The Bible does nothing if it does not reveal that God works in God’s time. It took forty years for the Hebrews to become Israel traversing the desert. It took a couple centuries for God to choose a way for reforming Israel, then another generation in Exile to bring them home. We are 2000 years into the great Jesus experiment! Our task then is the great practice of patience. We will wait. We will watch. We will listen. We will open. We will see. 

Such waiting takes faith. It takes a continual building and rebuilding of our confidence, trust, and hope in God. That is one of our primary works in this given moment. We are to walk with each other, reminding each other of the presence of God. We are to work for the kingdom of God, doing what we can to bring glimpses of its fruition in our lives and presence within our neighborhoods and communities. Most of all, we are to believe.