Phil On ... 

Faith and Action in Times of Despair
A recent ‘Word Live’ daily bible reading encouraged me to paraphrase the opening lines in Psalm 13. The aim was to make it more relevant to our lives today.
Psalm 13 is essentially a cry to God, asking how long he will allow suffering to continue in this world. I think we all go through times of despair when watching the news. Recently I found footage of the explosion in Beirut caused by poor storage of ammonium nitrate especially harrowing. It’s heart-wrenching to see such destruction and injury. Equally, despair can arise closer to home when we find ourselves facing unwelcome personal situations such as family illness. Sometimes we feel that God isn’t listening. It’s encouraging to know that God is keen for us to bring this frustration to him in prayer – it’s okay to be angry and state our feelings! However, once we’ve off-loaded our concerns on God, it’s good that we follow the procedure set out in the remainder of Psalm 13.
The middle part of the Psalm that follows the list of “How long?” questions is clearly an affirmation from the author that God is listening (even if we’ve acknowledged it doesn’t seem like it!) and will act according to his timing. It’s often very easy to get frustrated at the wrong and injustice in this world but we would do well to remember that we are so insignificant compared to God that it’s best to simply trust he’s got it covered. The greatest love that anyone can give is free-will: allowing people we love to take their own route (even if we don’t agree with it) but continuing to love them unconditionally. Such love in its purist form has been shown to us by God ever since Adam and Eve decided to go their own way, rather than listen to God. The result is sin in the world and all the suffering and unfairness that goes with it. This does not mean that God is indifferent to the suffering but, actually, if he directly intervened, he would not be exercising free-will. Rather God acts through people’s conscience in ways we cannot hope to understand. It is also worth remembering that the simple faith we can show during hard times (even if it’s based on just a tiny grain of faith) will help us grow to know and love God more.
The final paragraph encourages us to do our bit to alleviate the frustrations and concerns we have. So, trusting that God is listening and acting should be backed up with giving money or time to support the causes that mean the most to us. It could also mean having the courage to speak up in support of the Christian viewpoint when discussing current affairs with friends and colleagues. Finally, it might mean offering practical help when the worries relate to those closest to us.
So, here is my take on Psalm 13. Feel free to have a go at creating your own version!
How long, O Lord, can we hide our faces from the TV headlines announcing violence and tragedy?
How long, O Lord, will the people of Beirut suffer from war and the consequences of poor government?
How Long, O Lord, will the plight of the Rohingya people driven out from Mayanmar to live a miserable existence in temporary camps in Bangladesh continue?
How long, O Lord, will we ignore the fact that the way we live causes global warning and so suffering from the resultant weather extremes?
How long, O Lord, will white people, either intentionally or unintentionally, preserve a world where BAME citizens are not treated equally?
How long, O Lord, will less fortunate people in rich countries suffer from unemployment and feelings of worthlessness and shame?
How long, O Lord, must the soul of humanity bear the pain of trauma and loss,
and have sorrow in its heart all day long?
Consider and answer us, O Lord our God!
Give protection to all those living in fear of death.
Give strength to endure so tragedy will not prevail.
Give guidance to decision makers who are on the ground.
Give compassion to hearts weary with fatigue.
We trust in your steadfast love,
our hearts will rejoice in your salvation,
as we participate in your kingdom restoration praying,
acting and giving bountifully
with all those preparing and repairing
what violence, hurricane, earthquake and flood is destroying.
How long, O Lord,
will we bring our prayers of lament to you?
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord we pray.
Amen.