Psalm 69:1-3, 30-33

The post-Katrina devastation along the Gulf coast is a shock, but it isn’t a surprise. Just as we in Texas don’t pay a whole lot of attention to the blizzards that hit up north, so many people live outside of the awareness of what “hurricane season” means when you live down here.

Each August and September we watch as storm clouds gather and Doppler radar warns us about tropical depressions and the possibility of disaster. We know that it can happen any time. And when it comes, it is a shock but not a surprise.

The painful reality of this particular storm lies in its widespread utter devastation. We see images on television that are incomprehensible. While we know that the time for rebuilding will come, but for now it is still a time of shock as the full extent of the loss remains to be seen.

Psalm 69 is another of the lament psalms. It begins with the deepest expression of heart felt pain. It lashes out against the enemies who bring the pain. It implores God to deal harshly with the enemies. And, having finally gotten those feelings out in the open, it ends with words of praise and trust in God’s continuing care and protection.

Hundreds of thousands of people are living the lament psalms each day. We all do.

What can you say about the rising waters of a flood? What can you say about friends and relatives separated, some of them separated for the rest of their lives? You don’t explain it. Explanations don’t help. At least not at first. Never for those who have lost loved ones. Explanations and investigations don’t help. All that matters is clinging to life and pouring our hearts out to God.

We are so conditioned to seeing life an hour at a time. We watch television shows that “wrap up” stories one at a time, most with happy endings. Life isn’t like that. Life doesn’t happen so quickly and cleanly. All of our endings are not happy ones.

Yet again and again and again, we can draw strength from the truth of the scriptures – that despite what happens to us along the way, we need not despair over God’s absence or lack of care. No matter what our future holds, we know who holds the future. No matter what flood waters rise and threaten to choke us, we know that we live in the hands of the One who walked on the water and stilled the storm. Nothing can separate us from the love of God poured out for us in Jesus.

Let us pray: Dear Jesus, there are still those who awaken this morning with the gnawing pain in their stomach of the flood waters still rising. They are desperate to hear from those they might never hear from again. There are still others caught in the shock of not knowing what to do next. Come to them. Fill them. Sustain them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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