Faith in a Time of Pandemic – Forsaken

LXXV.
Forsaken!
(6/10)

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? O God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night but find no rest. (Psalm 22:1-2, read Psalm 22 in its entirety.)

Many of us feel God forsaken these days. We don’t know the social and personal context of Psalm 22. Some commentators believe it was written during a time of national upheaval, when David’s future as a leader was in doubt and his soul was plunged into despair due to the revolt and then death of his son Absalom. These words, of course, are best known as Jesus’ cries from the cross, when the powers of darkness threatened to overwhelm him, when his life was ebbing away.

God is ever present but can also seem absent. We want to be delivered from our trials. We want the Coronavirus to magically disappear. We are tired of being careful and want to get back to normal. We want to throw off our masks and go out to dinner. But the death tolls rise, and no certain end of the virus is in sight.

The Psalmist takes everything to God in prayer. His cry of absence is also an affirmation of faith. There is a Personal Presence to whom we can cry out. There is a Love which cares for us. There is Someone listening. Though the world is dangerous, we are not lost in a meaningless cosmos. The One who was our “help in ages past” will be our “hope in years to come.”

God will return. We will experience God’s nearness once more. Hope will return. We will make plans for a positive future again. The moral and spiritual arc of history will outlast the Coronavirus and the hatemongers. Be patient in your impatience. Embracing the fullness of your concerns and taking everything to God in prayer, for on the darkest night, the eye begins to see.
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In my doubts, give me faith. In my loneliness, give me presence. In my fear, give me courage. In my uncertainty, give me light. For you are with me, and you guide me even when I don’t know the way. Amen.
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Bruce Epperly is a Cape Cod pastor, professor and author of over fifty books including FAITH IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC and GOD ONLINE: A MYSTIC’S GUIDE TO THE INTERNET.