2020 has been an intense year so far. We have been unsettled. We have been provoked. We have been tossed around and we’re all feeling the bruises.
A world on fire
Firstly it was Covid-19, which remains an ongoing challenge and continues to cause devastation to lives, communities and countries. Secondly, in the midst of the hurricane of Covid-19 as we are were all ‘locked down,’ we witnessed, on camera, the horrifying death of George Floyd, exposing much of the evil that exists in our world.
It has felt like our world has been on fire. The intensity and tension have been palpable. Many of us have not had to live through war, and this may be the closest thing to it that we experience in our lifetime.
A tsunami of emotions
And for all of us, with our own personal stories and challenges wrapped up in it all, we have experienced an intense mix of emotions – sadness, anger, loss, disappointment, frustration, despondency, hopelessness, despair, etc.
On the flip side, the darkness that we have witnessed, and are living through, has also made the light more beautiful to us. When justice, truth, kindness, certainty and love have shone through, our emotions have also been touched and our hearts warmed even more. The stars shine brighter against the dark sky.
An eruption of desires
The feeling of helplessness is not one that many (any?) of us deal well with. We cannot fix Covid-19. We cannot fix the economy or bring back to life those that have died. We cannot fix the systemic racism in our society or many prejudices our hearts. But we want to help and we want to do something. Our desires have been greatly aroused.
We want justice and revenge, we want rest and peace, we want restitution and harmony, we want equality and fairness. And when we focus on ourselves we often want a quick fix, an easy way out, a moment to escape, a smooth future. At our worst, we want to feel good and if others suffer for our gain, so be it. We want many things!
A flood of questions
As the emotions and desires rise to the surface, as Christian we have many questions that are often left unanswered:
- Is it wrong to have all these emotions and desires?
- Should Christians not be people of ‘peace’ and ‘serenity’ and be ‘untroubled’ by the things of this world?
- How should we process all these emotions and desires?
- How should I pray?
- Do I have to get all of this ‘sorted’ before I approach God?
- Can I really tell God what is in my heart…when I know so much of it isn’t good?
The Psalms – Prayers for all seasons of life
To help us with these questions, to process our emotions and to channel our desires, we turn to the Psalms. These are God-given words to help us through all of the above and more.
Over half of the Psalms were written by David – and from our recent series in 1-2 Samuel you’ll know that for him, much of his life was spent in a desert or on the run; hiding in a cave to avoid being killed by King Saul, dealing with rejection or betrayal by his advisors, or processing his own failures and sin. He too felt a tsunami of emotions, experienced an eruption of desires and was left with a flood of questions. The Psalms are the fruit of all this.
The Psalms teach us how to challenge God and to question God. They help us to run to God when we want to run away. They help us to keep talking to God when we want to give him the cold shoulder. They help us process those emotions of anger and frustration and hopelessness, and they help us channel those desires for justice, revenge, escape and equality.
Psalms under pressure
Every summer we look at the Psalms, to teach us to pray in all seasons of life and this summer we’re going to look at different Psalms David prays when under pressure, fitting 6 episodes that we have just looked at in our series in 1-2- Samuel. In each episode, David is under pressure:
- Psalm 34 (when David pretends to be insane – 1 Samuel 21)
- Psalm 51 (when David is confronted about his adultery – 2 Samuel 11-12)
- Psalm 52/54/56 (David & his enemies – 1 Samuel 21-23)
- Psalm 59 (when David is pursued by Saul’s men – 1 Samuel 19)
- Psalm 63 (when David is in the desert)
- Psalm 57/142 (When David is in a cave)
This series of talks will take place from 2nd August to the 6th September and will be available online and in-person, via our upcoming Hybrid Service Options –
Online via Zoom – https://www.christcitychurch.ie/sunday-gathering-online-via-zoom/