Help/Strength/Comfort
Preaching
Life Everlasting
The Essential Book of Funeral Resources
Object:
I lift up my eyes to the hills -- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip -- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you -- the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm -- he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
In the midst of a dark time, we need reminded of the eternal presence and care of God. It may feel that we are alone, but our God does not sleep, our God always watches over us, our God provides what we need. We need to be careful in preaching this psalm that we do not say that everything is okay. Everything is obviously not okay. We are standing with people in grief. But this passage does not say that. What it says is that while things may be painful right now, God is here. While things may be far from what we want them to be, God will not allow us to come to ultimate harm. Shade is still being provided in these times when the heat of life has been turned up. The shade is there if we will step into it. Strength will be provided.
One of our tasks in preaching such a passage is to put some meat on those bones. Okay, so if strength is going to be provided, how is it going to be provided? Will God just magically take away my pain? Unlikely, but God may provide a new closeness in a family that has been disconnected. God may lift up some hands from the body of Christ and we may find our way back into the church from which we had fallen away. We may sense the need to reconnect with God, a need that might drive us to a deeper relationship with God than we have ever had before, and maybe there we will find a new comfort. Let's not just offer this psalm as a pious platitude. Instead, let us offer guidance that will help the grieving to find the help that God offers.
In the midst of a dark time, we need reminded of the eternal presence and care of God. It may feel that we are alone, but our God does not sleep, our God always watches over us, our God provides what we need. We need to be careful in preaching this psalm that we do not say that everything is okay. Everything is obviously not okay. We are standing with people in grief. But this passage does not say that. What it says is that while things may be painful right now, God is here. While things may be far from what we want them to be, God will not allow us to come to ultimate harm. Shade is still being provided in these times when the heat of life has been turned up. The shade is there if we will step into it. Strength will be provided.
One of our tasks in preaching such a passage is to put some meat on those bones. Okay, so if strength is going to be provided, how is it going to be provided? Will God just magically take away my pain? Unlikely, but God may provide a new closeness in a family that has been disconnected. God may lift up some hands from the body of Christ and we may find our way back into the church from which we had fallen away. We may sense the need to reconnect with God, a need that might drive us to a deeper relationship with God than we have ever had before, and maybe there we will find a new comfort. Let's not just offer this psalm as a pious platitude. Instead, let us offer guidance that will help the grieving to find the help that God offers.
