Staff blogger: Rev. Dr. Charles Yoost, Director of Religious Life & Church Outreach
Read Psalm 30
We have often heard it said, “God will not give you more than you can handle.” Mother Theresa is reported to have said, “I know God will not give me more than I can handle. I just wish God didn’t trust me so much!”
We who have been coping with quarantines, ‘Stay at Home’ orders and all that these directives imply can relate to Mother Theresa’s statement. Add to that the constant concern we have about those on the front lines, family members and friends diagnosed with the virus, mounting statistics on deaths worldwide, and the fact that decisions in so many areas of our lives are seemingly beyond our control. Frustration, irritation, discouragement and depression are very real for most of us these days.
The Psalmist must have been through a similar “dark night of the soul” when he or she penned the words of Psalm 30. But instead of looking only at the problems he is dealing with, he praises God, for God has been faithful in the past, and therefore the Psalmist trusts that God will be faithful in the future.
Most of us have endured more than our share of Northeasters at Lakeside. We have seen storms come across Lake Erie and do serious damage to trees, boats and cottages. Did you know that Lake Erie claims one of the highest concentrations of shipwrecks in the world? We know about storms at Lakeside!
Yet, devastation and loss were not the end of the story for the ancient writer. Nor is it for us. “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Rose Kennedy, who endured much heartache and loss in her life, once said, “The birds sing after a storm, why shouldn’t we?”
This, too, shall pass. Like a beautiful sunrise following a stormy night, God promises “joy in the morning” for our weary spirits. “You have turned my mourning into dancing,” reports the Psalmist. God will do that for us as well! Like the Psalmist, let us “not be silent,” but give thanks for God’s faithfulness that gives us hope for every tomorrow.
Prayer: Thank you Lord, for not giving us more than we can handle! Help us to look to tomorrow with confidence and hope. Amen.
