In Crisis Counsels this week we begin a journey through Psalm 60, which is a so-called “psalm of lament.” A psalm of lament does not sound like something to read to cheer you up! Yet these psalms can be powerful when we find ourselves in times of trouble, because in them the Psalmist stands with us; the words resonate with what we are seeing in the world around us.

You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
Psalm 60:2

Our land is quaking right now, with riots in the cities added to the trouble of this pandemic. We are torn with division; everything is tottering. But the Psalmist, in the midst of such trouble, looks to God. He sees that God is at work in the midst of the troubles, and he trusts that God can “repair the cracks” in the society. We need God’s repairing power today! With the Psalmist, we look from our troubles to God, and trust in God’s saving help.

Prayer – Help us, O God, to be a part of Your healing work in the face of today’s troubles. Share on X

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About the Author

Dr. David A. Palmer has been the senior pastor at the United Methodist Church of Kent since 1995. He has a B.A. from Wittenberg University, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. A native of Wooster, Ohio, he has served three other churches in east Ohio before coming to Kent. He and his wife, Mavis, have three children.