How Low Can You Go?

This week's lectionary Psalm is the 31st, and if you take a moment and read it now, its the voice of someone in the deepest of deep distress.

It makes me think of Jesus, a week on the other side of our upcoming Palm Sunday, suffering in the ultimate way for what he believed in.

It makes me think of our President now overseas, attempting to balance our urgent domestic needs with our precarious international position in a now-adversarial and destructing world.

It makes me think of many of us who are facing acute financial problems - people who've lost their job (or fear losing it) and are faced with a mountain of debt and dying dreams. Just this morning I was searching the classified ads of the Greenville News for used guitars and saw pages and pages of foreclosure filings as I thumbed through. Still that many - wow.

And it makes me think of those who face long term illness, and even those, like members of my own family, who are suffering from shorter term maladies.

But through all of his negative emotion, the Psalmist still sounds a hopeful note: he recognizes that God will work through the present situation and provide rescue and support for him in his affliction.

It all goes back to the Bruggeman quote from a few days ago:
The bible in two words? Fear Not.

Its a good thought in these times.