Great Plains Daily Devotional for 6/28/2020

Psalm 13

How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
How long will I be left to my own wits,
    agony filling my heart? Daily?
How long will my enemy keep defeating me?

Look at me!
    Answer me, Lord my God!
Restore sight to my eyes!
    Otherwise, I’ll sleep the sleep of death,
        and my enemy will say, “I won!”
        My foes will rejoice over my downfall.

But I have trusted in your faithful love.
    My heart will rejoice in your salvation.
Yes, I will sing to the Lord
    because he has been good to me.

How long . . .how long . . .how long . . .how long . . .(vs. 1& 2) Over the past 110 days of COVID-19 focus in the Great Plains Conference, I have asked how long more than once. I can almost guess that a lot of you have asked the same. That biblical cry has sustained us in various times of our lives when we could not find other words to express our souls. How long? With each new day, the situation remains the same, and again we are left in wonderment of when will we see the end?

Look at me! Answer me, Lord my God! (v.3a) And in His quiet way I see and hear His words through you. COVID-19 has not stopped us in the Great Plains! It has not closed our houses of worship! You, the people, who are most likely asking how long, are the church and the church is alive and making disciples in new and fresh ways.

I was talking to a friend of mine in south Georgia a few nights ago, and we were comparing notes on which worship services we are joining each Sunday via Facebook and livestream. We talked about the ways that ministry is happening, how the ability to spend much of Sunday in various worship settings is refreshing and providing much time of deep soul nurturing. After we hung up, I wandered through the conversation again, came back to this passage, and found that the words how long were not so restrictive after all.

How long has produced beautiful moments of new ways of connecting, meeting, praying and worshiping. How long reminds us that life is precious, and that we really will go to any measure to do what is necessary to do no harm and to keep individuals safe and well.

How long has reminded me of God’s faithful love, a love I cannot even imagine. It has reminded me of a steadfast relationship with Him, that is beyond what we live each day. How long is pretty short when my focus is on the One who loves me no matter what.

Prayer for Reflection

Genesis 22:1-14
Psalm 13
Romans 6:12-23
Matthew 10:40-42