I am not sure what to think about our current reality. I am not sure how I feel. I am not sure what to talk about. I am not sure where to go or what to do. I am not sure how to plan for the future. I am not sure how to pray. I could go on and on….
I have felt this level of uncertainty before; most memorable on 9/11 and during my dad’s death. During these times, I turned to the Psalms. And, as crazy as it seems, King David helped me make sense of planes flying into skyscrapers and the deep pain of losing a parent. Maybe he could help me once again during these unsettling times.
I found in Psalm 103 help for my uncertainty. In this Psalm, David declares his confidence in some of the things he is sure of in life. He starts out by praising God for all his blessings. Then he proclaims God’s power over sin. Next, David praises God’s gentle care of us. Finally, he invites all on heaven and on earth to praise God.
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion (vv. 1-2).
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (vv. 8-12).
From everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children — with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts (vv.17-18).
Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion (v. 22).
This has made me sure.
