Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 7)

Day 7 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 35-36

Evening: Psalm 37

(Click here to print the reading plan)

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land. You will watch when the wicked are destroyed” (Psalm 37:34, CSB).

I haven't left the house in nine days now. Not to the grocery store. Not to work. I had to go start my car because my paranoia told me it's been sitting for too long. I have a lot of nervous energy and boredom that online video lectures, podcasts, and Animal Crossing: New Horizon do not seem to be satisfying. 
It's hard to just sit and wait, literally going nowhere. Sure, most of my anxiety is self-inflicted, but it really shows how much we need to move as people. Not move from one video game to another Netflix show; not even from one room to another. We need to get out and about. Cabin Fever is a real thing.

It's a whole other perspective when we look toward God. We want everything on our time table, and then we wonder why God isn't on board. We do first, pray later. We let our agenda dictate our horizon. God really has shown how fragile our lives are.

For the original audience of this Psalm, their central concern was one thing: stay in the land. God promises them this inheritance, not through conquering, but through faithful waiting. They receive security and prosperity when they wait for God.

We are busy people. We've already had a seemingly “apocalyptic” 2020, and we just want this event to end so we can move on to the next world-ending catastrophe of this year. But sometimes the best answer is to wait. Not lazy waiting; wait and see what God is doing.

We as a church are sympathetic toward Israel's anxiety. Paul tells us "our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20), or he uses more painful language of our hope: "we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits--we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies" (Romans 8:23). This really is the irony of Christian hope; it's painful. We place our hope in Christ's death and resurrection. Now what? We wait. This time of isolation illustrates what the church continually longs for. It's even the final words of the Bible: "Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20). During this time of COVID-19, let us come back to what gospel-centered waiting looks like:

O Come, O Come, Immanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appears

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall Come to thee, O Israel.

Ways to Pray:

  1. Father, help us to be faithful and willing to wait even in hard times.

  2. Adoration: You are faithful even when we are anxiously waiting.

  3. Confession: We are people that are often worried about tomorrow.

  4. Thanksgiving: Thank you for keeping your promise to redeem us for our heavenly home!