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1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. 2 Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! 3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? 4 But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. 5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. 8 It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities. (Psalm 130)
Happy Containment Day, dear Friend! It's not an official day, but reflects the reality of where we are. Yesterday, our son-in-law, Eric, and our granddaughter Saraí Evangelina, brought us a care package of extra TP and some BBQ pork that Eric made. We kept our distance and waved from afar. As he was saying his goodbye, he said, "Wait! Saraí (our daughter) wants a picture of you all!" And he took a picture and off they went. A few minutes later we received a text from our daughter saying the picture made her cry. I replied that some day (soon, hopefully!) we'll look back and say what interesting times those were. And interesting times indeed; I read where some pets are wondering why their owners are at home so much! One video showed a dog grumbling, in his own way, and walking towards the door as if to say, "Hey, this is the way out!" God grant His peace and patience to us all, and even our pets.
While we are not yet at the point of despair, some can see it from here. Others are being blessed by being home with family. Yet, the danger for many of us is to hit a point that is lower than we are used to being. That's been like the theme of this week's scriptures, and this psalm addresses that very issue, of being down and depressed. We can be down, but God does not want us to feel out. The psalmist was close to feeling at a point where he begins, "Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord." Some believe that this was written during the time David was hiding from Saul. You will remember that Saul was the king and David had been anointed as his successor. Saul wanted his son Jonathan to be king after him, but it was not to be. Jonathan and David loved each other and both were okay with the reality of one would become king, the other not. This did not stop Saul from wanting David dead. And who wants to be pursued to the point of death? And so David writes, "Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!" Guess what David was asking for? Deliverance from the pursuit of Saul! Yet, David kept his hope and faith in God, as should we as well. Hope is the fuel of endurance. It is what we need in the midst of this unsettling time of this deadly virus. He adds that his hope is like the night watchman on the city walls who looked forward to the coming of morning because once it arrived, they were off duty and that watchman could got home and get some sleep. And this is repeated twice. Such was his hope.
Friend, David said it best. With God there is never-failing, never-ending love for you and me. And along with that love is another force in play, and that is God's power to redeem. During this time of uncertainty that should give us hope. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Paul repeated that in Romans 8 and we should repeat it daily. We can have our own list of that which tries to separate us, but we end it just like Paul; "(38) For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Amen. Add God's power to destroy that which threatens us. Amen, again!
PRAYER: Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the kingdom, power, and the glory forever and ever, amen.
Many have been praying this prayer at noon everyday during this time. You are welcome to join us. It's a great teaching moment for your little ones.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Bless someone with a prayer just for them.
Receive my blessings of peace and love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
