In Crisis Counsels this week we are journeying through a psalm of lament – Psalm 60 – which is very appropriate for the times we are experiencing right now. Yesterday we considered the second verse –– You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering. (Psalm 60:2) Today we continue with verse 3:

You have made your people suffer hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us reel.

In the present circumstances, of course, it is we ourselves who have caused many of the “hard things” that we suffer. We have tolerated a culture of racism, and we have gotten ourselves into a climate of division. The coronavirus has added greatly to our stress, and as a society we are not responding especially well. We are “reeling” under it all. The psalms of lament are gloomy because they look squarely at our human trouble. We may feel gloomy when we look at the news! But the whole thrust of a Biblical lament is to look from our trouble to God – to recognize the reality and saving power of God. In these troubled times, we can find vision and hope when we lift our spirits to the Lord.

Prayer – Inspire us, O God, to find the answer to our trouble as we place our faith in You. 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.