Scripture
46O Lord, how long will this go on?
Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your anger burn like fire?
47Remember how short my life is,
how empty and futile this human existence!
48No one can live forever; all will die.
No one can escape the power of the grave.
Interlude
Psalm 89:46
Observation
I love the honesty of the Psalms. Praising God and recounting His promises one minute and then getting gut honest about what a lousy situation they are in the next minute. This is a “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mk. 9:24) reality. It’s the now and the not yet. It’s toggling between faith and fear while choosing to focus on God in both. The Psalmist includes some interludes in his song, but really he is living in the interlude, the in-between. After bemoaning the mockery, disgrace, and insults of the current situation he turns his upward once more and gives this command, “Praise the Lord forever! Amen and amen!” This Psalm is the journey we must make each day, sometimes multiple times per day. The distance between the two sides is different for each one of us. All of us must learn to move from “How Long Oh God?” to “How Great Is Our God!”. We must resolve to trust our God in the middle of the unresolved. We can’t let the lack of time-table keep us from the communion table. We can’t let our praise be predicated upon having the whole picture. If this current Covid-19 Pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that I can’t save myself, but I’m glad I know The Savior! God never did fit in a box no matter how hard we tried to put Him there. Now that the box has been obliterated we can finally move forward in the freedom of knowing the One who knows the future. The Divine Delay, detours, and apparent dead ends have led me, just like the Psalmist, to what could very well be a whole new beginning!
Application
This morning I was in the car with the three younger boys as we were venturing out to get some food. When I told them that it was highly unlikely that school would be back in session before the Fall there was a collective sigh in the vehicle. Then, Ben confessed, “I never thought I’d say this, but I really wish we could go back to school.” Instead of taking this as an abject rejection of their current Home School teachers (we really are trying our darnedest here), I took it as a way to process with them how hard it is to wait. “How long is this going to take?” is the question on everyone’s minds and everyone’s lips and will continue to grow to a crying crescendo as the weeks turn into months. For a person who likes to have everything planned out all my plans are out and the only plan in place is to wait. To wait for what? The President? The Scientists? The Lawmakers? They are all working hard to figure this thing out, but I’m not going to put my trust in man because they moment they make a plan it has to change. No, Im going to take this delay, detour, and dead-end to stop and take a good long look at my Savior. I’m reminded of a precious time I had with Him at the end of 2019 during a hike. I was frustrated with some unresolved situations as I looked out at the ocean. In that place of crying out to God He dropped some wisdom into my soul that I’ve been coming back to over and over again during this Pandemic. He said, “There’s a difference between waiting on circumstances or situations and waiting on the Savior. The first is about results the second is about relationship. The first is about testing the timing and the second is about trusting His timing. The first is figuring it out in the head and the second is finding peace for the heart.” The bottom line is that situations change but our Savior never does! I had no idea then how I’d be living that out now but it’s a choice I’m making on the daily. Along with the Psalmist I’m moving from “How Long Oh God?” to “How Great Is Our God!”. I used to be defined by the events on my calendar but now I am refined by fresh surrender to my calling. I am called, first and foremost, to love God and enjoy Him forever. “Praise the Lord forever! Amen and amen!”
Prayer
In the middle of the financial, spiritual, societal, physical, emotional, relational upheaval all around me I choose to seek the Savior instead of trying to be one. I choose to wait on You and not on my circumstances. I choose to trust Your love rather then test Your love. I choose the interlude while living in the interlude.
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