Wednesday, December 09, 2020
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Psalm 130:56
Where do I encounter God? As I write, I am hunkered down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making it difficult to encounter anyone, let alone God. It is hard to see God on TV or the internet. Reporters and social media influencers, with little historical perspective, pronounce as if it were fact that we’ve just been through the most tumultuous election in history. The political parties, to keep their bases stirred up, tell us we must vote their way in the run-offs to avoid dire consequences. To make things gloomier, a grocery chain is running a TV ad showing holiday meal scenes, accompanied by music that, though it has its own lyrics, sounds to my ear too much like Simon and Garfunkel’s haunting “The Sound of Silence,” a song with lyrics such as “ People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening.”
So, where do I encounter God? Of course I see God in the works of those helping in the COVID crisis. But in my social isolation, I also encounter God in the Scriptures. Countless verses remind me that humans have been fearful across the centuries, but God has always remained there.
Take a second look at the verses written above. They are from Psalm 130, the same Psalm that begins, “Out of the depths,” meaning in part, Out of the chaos, and we know about chaos. However, Verses 5 and 6 use the image of an ancient watchman on the city walls. Put yourself in the watchman’s sandals. You are weary and apprehensive as you try to discern what may lurk in the darkness. You yearn for the clarity daylight will bring. The weary and apprehensive Psalmist likewise hopes and waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning. He then sighs deeply and repeats for emphasis, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Although written more than two millennia ago, the sentiment is ours, especially in 2020.
Prayer: As a new Church year begins and calendar 2020 ends, thank you for your Scriptures, giving us hope and reminding us that God is always with us. Amen.
Carol Bloomquist
