Read: Psalm 27
One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and inquire in his temple.
-Psalm 27:4
In this psalm, David is lamenting that he is not able to worship the Lord as is his custom while he is waging warfare. His adversaries are surrounding him, his enemies are plotting against him. But he knows that “the Lord is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear? This Lord is the stronghold (refuge) of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” His wish at this exceedingly difficult time is to be able to have a room in the house of the Lord where he could worship every day.
I think of us in 2020 and 2021 waging warfare against the COVID-19 virus. We are hunkered down in our homes, isolated from our friends and family, taking all precautions necessary to not contract the virus. As humans, we are social beings who want to spend time with our friends whether it is a walk together, sharing a meal, or just sharing that hug.
But most of all, we are missing that chance to “live” in the house of the Lord as we are accustomed to. Instead of being able to go to church and sit in a pew with the rest of the congregation, we are at home on Zoom! I miss the awe of feeling God’s presence in the church, the singing of the hymns, and the choir anthems. I miss hearing your celebrations of life and being able to support you in your joys and sorrows. I miss being able to extend God’s peace to you with a handshake or a hug. But most of all, I miss sharing Holy Communion at the Lord’s Table with all of you – that special time to commune with God.
But, like David, we are here keeping the faith. We are fighting the virus knowing that this too shall pass, and the time will come when we can go back to some form of “normalcy”. Circumstances change but God is faithful and steadfast in His love toward us and He will give us the strength to persevere until we can worship together again.
Lord, thank you for your promise to be with us even during COVID-19. Help us to keep the faith!
-Marilyn Allen