Messy Times/Times of Grace

Why is life so hard at times? Is there anything for us to learn when turmoil is all around us? It is heart breaking for me when people tell me bad test results they receive from their doctor or when another friend or former classmate passes from this life. Life is messy and difficult, and we are often left feeling uncertain and powerless.

Psalm 38 is an ancient prayer for help amid anguished waiting. It is a plea of one who is both sick and penitent, abandoned by friends and taunted by enemies. As we read it, we can sense that the psalmist feels very vulnerable.

It seems that far too often we...