The Mask

A series on the Psalms - the voice of emotions
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
When you’re feeling lonely.
Psalm 25 

[Life is filled with emotions… anger and love; fear and courage; anxiety and peace. The Book of Psalms is also filled with emotions. They help us to validate our feelings and understand ourselves better; to grow in our faith and our relationship with Jesus; to understand the character of our Lord and how He works in our life.]

  

During COVID, everybody wore a mask! They were one of the many things that people adapted to during the pandemic, but never liked.

 

In addition to wearing a mask, you kept six feet apart in public; you couldn’t visit family or friends; you couldn’t enjoy the camaraderie of your coworkers; you couldn’t visit your grandparents in a nursing home. The result was loneliness. But when life returned to normal… people were still lonely.

 

David, who wrote Psalm 25, knew what it felt like to be lonely. Even though Samuel had anointed him the king of Israel, he ran for his life from King Saul. He spent years living in the wilderness and hiding in caves. At one point, he even pretended to be insane in order to escape his enemies.

 

Not only was he lonely then, but when he finally did take his rightful position as king, he quickly fell into sin. Because he didn’t go to war with his troops, he was alone and watched Bathsheba bathing on the rooftop. Loneliness took a toll not only on David, but also on his family, as well as the kingdom of Israel.

 

¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    for I am lonely and afflicted.
¹⁷ Relieve the troubles of my heart
    and free me from my anguish.
¹⁸ Look on my affliction and my distress
    and take away all my sins.       NIV

 

Despite his intense feelings, David put his hope and trust in the Lord.

  

¹ O Lord, I give my life to you.
^2b I trust in you, my God!      NLT

⁴ Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
⁵ Lead me by your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God who saves me.
    All day long I put my hope in you.      NLT

During COVID, a mask was a sign of the times. It could both protect you and those near you. But a mask can also harm you by leading to loneliness. However, even during your difficult times, the Lord is at work.

 

⁸ The Lord is good and does what is right;
    he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
⁹ He leads the humble in doing right,
    teaching them his way.
¹⁰ The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
    all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.              NLT

 

Copyright 2023 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

COVID: Public Enemy # 1

A Series from the Psalms
God is my… Light
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Psalm 27

 [God is many things to many people. In this series, we will be looking at various Psalms that completes the statement “God is my…” Maybe ultimately it answers the question that we all ask at some point in our life, “Who is God to me?”.]

  

COVID seems to be public enemy # 1 right now! Since 2019, it has roamed the globe at will, moving freely across oceans from one continent to another; country to country; person to person.

 

It has disrupted lives and taken them; caused economic chaos and inflation. Businesses have closed, individuals have lost jobs and declared bankruptcy. Lives have been broken and destroyed.

 

He has adapted from his original form to the Delta variant and now to the Omicron variant. But he is still pernicious, looking for new victims while bringing sickness, pain and sometimes death. He is not our friend. He does not desire to bring us good will. He is public enemy #1.

 

David often wrote about his enemies. Saul was a constant threat to David before he became king. After that, David always seemed to be at war fighting one enemy after another. And if he wasn’t fighting on the front lines, he was fighting the enemy within; the enemy of temptation and the consequences of his sin.

 

How did David battle his enemies?

 

⁴ The one thing I ask of the Lord—
    the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
    delighting in the Lord’s perfections
    and meditating in his Temple. NLT

 

This was home for David. It was a place where he felt safe and secure from his enemies. Where he knew that his Heavenly Father was always with Him. Where he could seek His face, know His will and wait for Him.

 

⁸ You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
    “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”      ESV

 

¹¹ Teach me how to live, O Lord.
    Lead me along the right path,
    for my enemies are waiting for me.     NLT

 

¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!            ESV

 

No matter what enemies we might face, we know as David did, that “the Lord is my light” and the light brings life. This is not just something that we can “hope” is true, but we can “know” is true. 

Here is what John wrote about the light.

 

⁴ The Word gave life to everything that was created,
    and his life brought light to everyone.
⁵ The light shines in the darkness,
    and the darkness can never extinguish it.    NLT

 Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

 

 

New Year, Same Mask

 

Continuing a Series on “Living by Faith”
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Judges 4:1-24; Hebrews 11:32

 [Hebrews 11 is a recounting of the Heroes of the Faith. Even though they never saw what they had been promised, each person is commended for living “by faith”. Following these commendations we read, “Therefore, because you are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses… throw off sin; run with perseverance; fix your eyes on Jesus”. In other words, continue to live “by faith”.]

 

As the calendar year turned to 2021, the Ohio Department of Transportation posted the following on their electronic signs across the state:

New Year, Same Mask

Mask up, Ohio

Do you remember when COVID started? Didn’t you think that it might all be over by summer time? Granted, it was inconvenient when the isles were bare and you couldn’t find any toilet paper. Yes, it was stressful to have your kids home 24-7. But, you knew it wouldn’t last forever. Right?

 

We’re coming up on a year of COVID, and the numbers are growing. We are strongly encouraged to wear masks, social distance and wash our hands regularly. There are also many restrictions such as a 10:00 pm curfew. People are tired of it!

 

But what would it be like if this went on for more than one year? How would you feel if it went on for twenty years?

 

After Ehud died, the people of Israel sinned against the Lord again. ² So the Lord let them be conquered by Jabin, a Canaanite king who ruled in the city of Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived at Harosheth-of-the-Gentiles. ³ Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots, and he ruled the people of Israel with cruelty and violence for twenty years. Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help.                    GNT

 

During this time, Deborah was a prophet and judge, while leading Israel. She called on Barak to organize and lead 10,000 men to fight against Sisera.

 

We don’t know much about Barak. He did answer God’s call, albeit with some hesitancy. He organized the men to rebel against King Jabin; to fight against Sisera and his 900 iron clad chariots. Amazingly, they won! And for his efforts; for his faith; he is mentioned in Hebrews 11 as a Hero of the Faith.

 

Think of Sisera as a metaphor. A metaphor of any of those things that might be oppressive to you; those things that you have struggled with for a month; for a year; maybe even for a lifetime. It might be anger, anxiety, depression, an addiction or fear of failure. Remember that with faith, there is hope.

 

²³ So on that day Israel saw God defeat Jabin, the Canaanite king. ²⁴ And from that time on Israel became stronger and stronger against King Jabin until they finally destroyed him.                NLT

 

“New Year, Same Mask”. 

This slogan indicates that there is an ongoing struggle. Like Barak, we are called by the Lord into the struggle; into the battle with our spiritual enemies. And like Barak, the Lord is with us. It is his battle. It is his victory. All we need to do is to take the first step of faith. 

 

Highs and Lows

 Personal reflections on Advent: Hope
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 2:1-20

 

Life is full of highs and lows!

 

For the past several years, I’ve been making an annual list of my own personal “highs and lows”. Typically, a high might include a vacation or singing in choir or visiting friends or family. Whereas, a low could include losing a job or putting our kitty down.

 

In the year of 2020, the number of lows is significantly more than the highs. On a macro scale, my lows include the COVID pandemic, racial unrest and a contentious presidential race. On a more personal level, my wife had a stroke; I had reconstructive foot surgery; and a decades-long family friend passed away.

 

Indeed, 2020 has been a tough year for all of us. And now we come to the Christmas season. Earlier in the fall, I noticed Christmas trees and outdoor decorations going up; maybe in an effort to change the momentum of the year.

 

But truthfully, can the “HO, HO, HO” of Santa Clause bring you true hope? Can the melodious voice of Bing Crosby singing White Christmas, bring you lasting hope? Can buying and wrapping presents for your children, grandchildren or spouse bring you hope that endures?

 

Mary found true hope that first Christmas. She must have experienced some profound highs and lows in that season of her life. Read about her response to the shepherds.

 

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.        NIV

 

True hope starts with the baby in the manger, continues with the man dying on the cross and culminates with the empty tomb. Maybe in the year of 2020, with all the craziness and chaos, we can find and experience the true hope of Christmas now and throughout the year.