Dreams that Disappear

“Where are you God?” - A Series from the Psalms

Psalm 90

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2090&version=NIV;NLT

 

⁵ You sweep people away like dreams that disappear…
¹⁰ Seventy years are given to us!
    Some even live to eighty.
But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble;
    soon they disappear, and we fly away.           NLT

 

Losing someone is painful and irreversible. Over the past three years I’ve lost two friends who played a significant role in my life. Lynn was my best friend growing up. He was my steady rock who I depended on for security, support and guidance. He died at the age of 66.

 

Bob was the primary person that led to my family moving to Columbus, Ohio. We didn’t know anybody, but Bob and his wife Linda helped us to adjust to this major life change by being our best friends. He died at the age of 62.

 

In this Psalm, Moses paints a gloomy picture of the crucible of life. Because it is filled with pain and trouble, and then we die, life can expose you, your short comings, your sins and your warts; life can be out of control, and your dreams can quickly disappear.

 

In the middle of his melancholic reflection, Moses called out to God asking for wisdom by understanding the brevity of life; to satisfy him with God’s unfailing love; to see God’s work in his life; and to gain God’s approval.

 

Horatio Spafford was also a man familiar with dreams that disappear. In 1871, following the great Chicago Fire that destroyed his real estate investments, his four year old son died of scarlet fever. Then, on November 22, 1873, his four young daughters died as they were crossing the Atlantic and their ship was struck by an iron sailing vessel.

 

He knew what it was like to experience a sudden, tragic loss. He knew what it was like to experience the pain and struggle of daily living. He knew what it was like to experience life out of control. He knew what it was like to feel exposed and helpless.

 

But he found solace in the unfailing love of God, and wrote the lyrics to It Is Well With My Soul.

 

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

 

When your dreams disappear; whatever your lot is; whatever your struggles are; the unfailing love of God is always waiting for you to embrace it, so that you too might be able to say, “It is well with my soul”.