Prepared for Psalms Group on Sunday, July 19, 2020
“Comfort Even When There Is No Assurance” is the title of Marva Dawn’s chapter on Psalm 39 in I’m Lonely, Lord—HOW LONG? To introduce this psalm, she shares a friend’s statement of trust in God: “I just believe that God is still in control and that he will bring good out of all things.” The friend, as it turns out, is a quadriplegic who was paralyzed by an automobile accident. (Dawn, p. 139)
A Stranger to Life and an Alien With God
What Is the Measure of My Days?
This is an individual lament.
More than 1/3 of the Psalms fall into the category of complaints to God in situations of limitation or threat. These laments were a form of prayer and praise based on the conviction that God is concerned about people and answers the human cry in ways surpassing human expectation or understanding. Israel’s laments out of distress were a way of praising God even when he seemed absent. The faith of the psalmists is founded on the good news that God intervenes in desperate situations to help those who are distressed. The psalmists share a deep confidence that God is compassionate, concerned, hearing his people and involved with them; God is faithful and trustworthy. A lament is an outcry to God from a responsive heart. Laments came from individuals or from the community.
Examples: Psalms 3-5, 22, 27:7-14, 42, 51, 69, 90, 130, 137 and many others
James 4:7-17
To the choirmaster: to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.