Bible Reading: Psalms 62:1-8
My soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
How long will all of you assault me?
Would you throw me down, this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
Surely they intend to topple me from my lofty place; they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honour depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge
A Reflection:
The concept of time varies from person to person and, to many of us, seems to get much shorter with age. Time, for children, is often measured in sleeps, ‘How many sleeps ‘til my birthday? How many sleeps ‘til Christmas?’ when the grandchildren ask ‘How long until we cam and stay?, for us, four weeks seems quite short; for them ‘twenty-eight sleeps’ seems like an eternity.
King David, who wrote many of the Psalms, often cried out ‘How long, Lord?’ as his life was under threat, first from King Saul, then from the surrounding nations as well as from some of his army generals and even from some of his own sons. Here in Psalm 62 he cries out ‘How long will all of you assault me?’
As we watch the situation in Ukraine unfold, we may cry out to God ‘How long, Lord?’ as I am sure the Christians in Ukraine are doing.
‘How long, Lord’ may not find an answer from God in terms of days, weeks or months, but it is never-the-less a prayer as it brings before God our heart-felt concerns for Ukraine. ‘How long, Lord’ is also a prayer that recognises our ultimate dependence on God.
David knew that amidst all the troubles he faced, God was his rock, his fortress and his salvation, and with that understanding his soul found rest and he had hope.
As the people of Ukraine face great difficulty, let us cry out with them, ‘How long, Lord?’ And let us pray that they will know God as their rock, their fortress and their salvation, and that they find their hope in him.
For us too, whatever difficulties we are facing, let us cry out to God ‘How long, Lord?’ And as we wait, may we know God as our rock and our salvation, our rest and our hope.
Pray:
Lord God, we cry out to you ‘How long?’ for the people of Ukraine.
We also pray that you would be their rock, their salvation and their hope.
Amen
How Long?