8-21-2020

 Good Morning All, 

         Psalm 6:2; “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.”

      Psalm 6 is generally viewed as the first of the seven penitential psalms.  It was written by King David.  We are not sure what the circumstances surrounding the psalm were; it may have been associated with the rebellion of David’s son Absalom, but no one is certain.  There is one thing that most everyone agrees with and that is that David is dealing with a mental and emotional torment that is causing him to experience doubt and despair.  This is as ugly a pair of emotions to deal with as there is.  Many people experience this sense of despair and doubt. 

    I was recently talking with a young man who has made a few bad decisions over the past few months.  He is trying to crawl back up, but he is experiencing the old “two steps forward and then one back” mode of life.  He tries to get a job, but he has some things in his past that make it difficult to get a job.  He can get some day laborer work but those are few and hard to get sometimes.  He has lost a home, a vehicle, a couple of apartments and a lot of self-respect.  He experiences doubt and despair.

    I visited with parents who have seen their children get in trouble with the law and now the parents can only sit and watch as the judicial system moves forward.  They have at times experienced despair and doubt.  So have parents whose children no longer come to church.  They are unsure how to proceed so they sit and feel forlorn, filled with despair and doubt.

   People, who lose a job, lose a farm, have health issues, have family members with health issues; pretty much everyone has at one time or another experienced this type of pain.  Sometimes it lasts just a little while and sometimes it lasts for days and days and for some it seems to last a lot longer.

     The pain of life in a sinful world can come crashing down on us at any time.  We need to always remember that doubt and despair are powerful on their own but immensely more potent when combined.  Both are the result of losing sight of God and of not hearing his Words.  God loves us and he tells us this over and over.  He showed us this love by sending Jesus to remove our sins and to destroy our past failures so that they can no longer pull us down.  God empowers us to look up and to see his love and our future with him.  It is the certainty of that promise that lets us live forward and not backwards.

    If your despair or doubts last longer than a few days; be sure to talk to someone, a friend, a pastor or some other professional.  The devil can cause a lot of pain if we let it run wildly in our heart or mind.  God loves you and he wants you to live a life that is full of peace and contentment.

Father, at times I feel lost.  Help me by keeping me focused on what I know for certain, and that is your love for me.  The love you pour over me because of Jesus washes away my fear.  Be with those who are struggling with doubt and despair.  Send them your healing.  Give them the comfort they need and the peace to give them rest.  In the name of Jesus, we pray, amen 

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret