in These Difficult Times March 21

March 21, 2020

Beloved,

We greet you today with verses from Psalm 20, the New Living Translation

Psalm 20

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

¹ In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.    May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.² May he send you help from his sanctuary    and strengthen you from Jerusalem. ³ May he remember all your gifts    and look favorably on your burnt offerings. 

Interlude

⁴ May he grant your heart’s desires    and make all your plans succeed.⁵ May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory    and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.
May the Lord answer all your prayers.

In reading scripture, we often ask for a word to provide direction to us. We sing, “open the eyes of our heart, Lord,” or pray that the Lord would open our eyes, ears, and minds to what we need to hold onto for today. In Psalm 20, my word is the one tucked inside the Psalmist’s  poem, the word “interlude.” Defined as an intervening or interruptive period, space or event, it can also be described as music between other parts of a worship service. As a child in the Presbyterian Church, it was typically the Gloria Patri: “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As is was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen, Amen.”

Can today possibly be an interlude for you? Is there a time when you can pause, to breathe deeply, walk by the water, nap, hold your children close, pray without being interrupted? Praying for an interlude for you, one that gives you the promise of Ralph Carmichael’s song from the late 60s: “There is a quiet place, far from the rapid pace, where God can soothe my troubled mind.” 

Down in the River to Pray

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FBumCkswUUDA%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0Hsp-jmOsZEofO4T3itm9MLaVxUzMrATZfBSCglXPhxgYCQ-nTrjWSb_M&h=AT3r6YUiIDjV3pWIo5gtIRTtSVlwlBbWh5NLMMCTpOfG_vetAPq7Bn3CjtUi1HJw14Qsg9CKIu7cM3wgS1-eGLiCtwJD71conumBYJWjRcaSguKCL3ZGg_WRIwQnfjrxmShRNxMKCfcJmZ7fALesQg

Resources

I’ve found the Sojourners daily e-mail to be of encouragement, with its gift of scripture, quotation and prayer. Sign up at https://sojo.net/daily-wisdom

While the Search Institute is best known for its 40 Developmental Assets, they posted a helpful article this week about families working from home. 

https://www.search-institute.org/families-working-from-home/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Blog%20post%2031920&utm_content=Blog%20post%2031920+CID_1b1a1e977ccf836e437ed2494a5f625a&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=Click%20here%20to%20read%20more

And one for the kids. On-line dance class.

https://www.risingstarsnj.com/index.php/classes/free-online-classes

A Bit of Whimsy for Today

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Andrew Lloyd Weber

https://twitter.com/Lin_Manuel/status/1240838352015949830

The Act of Remembering

Keith McLaughlin speaks to the act of remembering: 

Over the past several months, my wife Michelle and I have met with individuals searching for an awareness of God in their lives. As we have ministered with those in distress, there is a phrase that we have returned to time and time again, “remember in the darkness what you have seen in the light.” The act of remembering can be holy as we recall the character and work of the Lord in our ancestry and in our lives.  

When we remind ourselves of God’s presence in our celebrations and struggles of the past, we can gain courage for today and all that is happening in our world. We can also be assured that God is alive in active in our present circumstances as we reflect on His presence in the past.

 “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.” Psalm 77:11

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.