Summer of Psalms, week 5

Today, something a little different:

This morning I awoke to news of yet another shooting, this time against law enforcement officers in my own state.  My heart was/is so heavy and filled with sadness and fear and questions.  I turned to God and asked why?  and how?  and when?  When will you put an end to this hatred and animosity?  Lord, I believe you love all people.  Why do you continue to allow this hatred and mistrust?  And this was my answer:

An old journal that I bought several years ago on a beach vacation and filled with prayers and scriptures.  I opened it and read:

Isaiah 40:28-31

²⁸ Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Matthew 11:28-30

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Micah 5:4

He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

Psalm 37, selected verses

³ Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret—it leads only to evil.
⁹ For those who are evil will be destroyed,
    but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

¹⁰ A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
    though you look for them, they will not be found.
¹¹ But the meek will inherit the land
    and enjoy peace and prosperity

²⁷ Turn from evil and do good;
    then you will dwell in the land forever.
²⁸ For the Lord loves the just
    and will not forsake his faithful ones.

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;
    the offspring of the wicked will perish.
²⁹ The righteous will inherit the land
    and dwell in it forever.

³⁰ The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
    and their tongues speak what is just.
³¹ The law of their God is in their hearts;
    their feet do not slip.

³² The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
    intent on putting them to death;
³³ but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
    or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

³⁴ Hope in the Lord
    and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
    when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

Lord, we are weary.  I am weary.  Weary of the hate and the violence, weary of the senselessness of it all.  I want you to come back and fix it.  Lord, I hope and trust in you.  These days, my only hope is in you.  Your ways are not my ways and your timing is not my timing.  I can only pray and trust.

While we wait, let us pray for the fallen and the innocent.  Let us look for the good in our lives, hug our loved ones a little closer and linger in their embrace.  Do not give up on this world, despite its flaws and hardness.  Look for ways to show love to others, for we are all made in His image.