Contrasts

Psalm 31:3-13


Yea, thou art my rock and my fortress; for thy name's sake lead me and guide me,  take me out of the net which is hidden for me, for thou art my refuge.  Into thy hand I commit my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God. 


Thou hatest those who pay regard to vain idols; but I trust in the LORD. 


I will rejoice and be glad for thy steadfast love, because thou hast seen my affliction, thou hast taken heed of my adversities,  and hast not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; thou hast set my feet in a broad place. 


Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief, my soul and my body also.  For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away. I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.  I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel.  Yea, I hear the whispering of many--terror on every side! --as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. 


But I trust in thee, O LORD, I say, "Thou art my God."


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Here we are on Holy Saturday.  Easter is champing at the bit.  Already some sanctuaries have been transformed from the darkness of Tenebrae to the banners of Easter Alleluia.  


Dark/Light. 


Silence/Trumpets. 


It is finished/He Lives! 


Here's the reality of the world -- Wars are continuing.  People are dying.  Evil is walking around, invading hearts and minds....  even today.  


It is sobering to realize that vast numbers of people are trapped TODAY in the grip of hopeless affliction.  The weight of oppression or the basic fact that human suffering is ongoing can cast a pall of darkness, even as many are already donning the New Life garb of Easter.  


We shouldn't ignore the contrast between what many are experiencing -- Death -- and what we are proclaiming -- the Cross defeats death.  If we ignore that contrast we miss the blessed privilege and responsibility we have as God's children to be both cross bearers and light bearers.  We can acknowledge the burdens of human suffering without allowing them to have the last say.  Sometimes we need to walk with suffering and ever so gently whisper:  Thou Art My God.  Sometimes we need to gently incline the head of pain toward the hope of Christ.  


What might you do today to fan the flame of hope or trust in the heart of someone who is in a pit of despair? How can your voice be one of gentle hope and encouragement to a person or place that may be blinded by darkness or sorrow?  


Link to my reflection on The Harrowing of Hell.