“Where are you God?” - A
Series from the Psalms
Psalm 90
(Use the link below to
read the verses.)
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
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 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”.
