Coping During Uncertain Times
Robyn Black • June 13, 2020
Psalm 100 (NRSV), 14th June 2020
Do you ever wonder what it would have been like to grow up in a village in some Pacific Island? I mean, I know there’s terrible diseases, and awful poverty, but some of those cultures really seem to have something. I watched a show a couple of months ago, where a couple from Sydney went to live in a village in Vanuatu or somewhere near that.
It was quite a remote village, with a lot of traditional life still occurring. He was really into it straight away. He’d been stressed out in Sydney and couldn’t wait to get his shirt and trousers off and hop into a little grass number. He spent his days gardening, and from the early afternoon, all the men would gather together and drink Kava all evening.
The women on the other hand, also spent the day gardening, but then they had to start the fire, and make dinner… without any modern utensils, no refrigerator, no stove. Then the women would take the evening meal over to the men, who were still drinking Kava, and leave them to eat alone. Men and women ate separately. Then the women cleaned up. The men drank Kava and talked until about 10.30pm at night, making decisions about the village life. The woman in the show wasn’t all that impressed… there’s no light from 7pm or so, and she’s hanging around waiting for her partner.
The guy, of course wants to live there forever… but his wife has a 10 yr old son from a previous relationship. She was worried about schooling and her husband kept saying ‘we’ll home school him’. She was worried about their elderly parents, and he’s saying ‘well, they can visit any time they want’. Eventually, they went back to Sydney to live…. Not all that happy about being back in hustle and bustle of life here.
What was it that appealed to that man about living in a remote village on an island? Do you know, there were many things he loved. He loved the sense of community, the sense of eating the food that you cultivate yourself. He loved that people you walked past would say hello, and I think he loved the lack of clothing… but what he loved most was the lack of stress. He loved not being regimented by a clock, not having to compete in the work place, not having to worry about money.
I think some of those things are appealing to most of us, at some time. And those times are usually when we’re stressed, and feeling anxious. Have you ever been in a stressful situation, feeling anxious or worried and thought ‘I could really just give it all up and go live in the bush, away from all of this’.
2020 has been a year like no other. We’re almost half way through the year, and we’ve barely left the house for 3 months – a quarter of the year.
A Wollongong psychiatrist this week spoke with the ABC and she said that she’d seen an increase in domestic violence, anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. People are stuck at home and for many, things are not good. I’m sure there’s a LOT of people dreaming of Pacific Islands or going bush!
Some people cope with stress by watching TV, or you may go for a run, or you may get onto the internet, or perhaps you eat a lot, or maybe you play a computer game compulsively or drink to much or sleep or day dream. Or lay awake at night thinking. And some of those things are helpful…but a lot can lead to more complications.
So here’s the thing. As I read Psalm 100 this week I thought it gives some really practical ideas for coping with life and stress and the myriad of things outside our control. To be clear, I’m not talking about clinical depression or anxiety or PTSD – you need professional support for those things.
But for coping with bushfires, COVID-19 and isolation…these things may help!
Psalm 100:1-2 say “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.”
I can hear you from here saying ‘But I’m not a singer!’. Or ‘religious music is not my thing!’
I’ve got bad news for you. I did a quick search of “Praise the LORD” in the Bible and found 70 verses of scripture. So worship and praise is something that God requires of us. Of course, worship is much more than just singing, so if singing is not your thing, then find other ways to worship God.
But when I read these verses, they really spoke to me about being mindful of what we surround ourselves with, what we fill our environment with.
You know, if you’re feeling a bit down, turning on the country radio station and listening to sad songs is bound to be a downward spiral! Years ago we had a young woman staying with us and she wore her heart on her sleeve. She was sensitive, and prone to tears. Bob always has music going in the house, and sometimes we’d all be talking, and Bob and I would hear some mournful tune come on to the radio. We’d catch each others eye, and one of us would silently go over and turn the radio off!
Because our environment influences us. God tells us to praise him, to worship him, and the amazing thing is, that we benefit from it. Sometimes we need to walk away from the negative influences - some days face book can be a negative influence on us, or particular TV shows, or cynical and sarcastic people. Fill your mind with things that are true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise…and I think worshiping God and focusing on God, fits the bill!
Be mindful of your environment. Next
Psalm 100:3, “Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Very simply, remember that God is God and we are not. There’s an awful lot in life we can’t control…as this year has shown again!
I actually think that in our Western Society, we kind of take on board that we can make things happen, if we want to. You know, ‘the harder I work, the luckier I become’. Without even thinking about it, I think we believe that whatever outcome we want, we can get. And in our culture, there’s a lot we can make happen through sheer hard work. It’s not like we’re in a developing country with no access to food or water or education. But I also think that it makes it more difficult for us, when we suddenly realise that we cannot control everything in life.
But these verses remind us, that God is our shepherd, he made us, we are the sheep of his pasture. That is, he directs us, guides us, provides for us. We won’t understand everything, and we can’t control everything, but God is still in control.
Be mindful of your environment. When everything is spinning out of control, remember God is still God.
And although we can’t control our environment very well, we can control how we personally respond in that environment. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name” (Psalm 100:4). Be grateful. You know that a psalm was originally a song, and this is called a Psalm of Thanksgiving. But it’s way more than a psalm or a song, living thankfully, living with gratitude is an orientation to life. It’s a way of living.
I absolutely know that there are times when it’s hard to be thankful to God, but having an attitude of gratitude, counting our blessings, is good for us. Gratitude lowers your blood pressure, helps you sleep longer, and makes you better able to deal with stress. It’s also helpful to others around you. And sometimes it’s being grateful for the tiniest thing. A crunchy apple…a decent lamb chop…the sun shining through the window, maybe write 3 things down each night if that helps. And thank God.
1. Be mindful of your environment. 2. When everything is spinning out of control, remember God is still God. 3. Practice gratitude to God.
You and I may find this difficult – we have a life time of habits and a particular personality to work with! But the truth is Jesus died and rose again, and nothing is impossible...
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Luke 1: 26-33
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Ruth 2
Commitment from Love, Ruth 1: 1-18
This is an interesting Psalm – another psalm of ascent. We spoke about these Psalms of Ascent a few weeks ago. They were songs the Jewish people sang as they made their way to Jerusalem to go to the temple, through the forest, along the tracks, camping by the roads. And I believe songs like this kept them focussed and kept their spirits up. I can imagine days of walking together, tiring, boring, hot and dusty. And singing some of these Psalms keep them focussed on the faithfulness of God. Much better then eye spy for the kids. Journeys are not all their cracked up to be even if the destination is worth it. As you know, when I was growing up we always holidayed at Bawley Point past Ulladulla, and in those days it was about a 4 hour drive from Sydney. We always left later than we meant to…and the last 20 mins was on a dirt road. One year when I was probably about 4 years old it was dark by the time we got to the dirt road, and half way along the dirt road, was a dodgy wooden bridge over a river. I think part of the bridge had been damaged and we had to wait a bit in the pitch black darkness before we could proceed. Dad was out with a torch ensuring the bridge was safe to drive on and mum and us 4 kids were sitting in the darkness – no street lights, no moonlight. Of course, you might be able to guess what I said to mum in that car, with fearful crying…you’ve probably heard it from kids before. I said ‘I want to go home’. Mum said to me, ‘we can’t go home Robyn, we’re almost there’. In truth, after the bridge we had the last 10 minutes of a 4 hours journey left. We safely crossed the bridge and we were OK. But I remember it. I remember the feeling of being scarred in the darkness. I remember not liking this journey at all. Even though I always loved the destination. Well this psalm celebrates the end of the journey and the arrival at the destination. Psalm 126:1-3, “When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!” Before we can understand the laughter and joy of the Israelites, we have to understand their journey. This Psalm looks back to when they arrived back in Jerusalem after 70 long years in Babylon. The captives had experienced great sorrow and mourning in exile. We read these heartbreaking words in Psalm 137: “Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem. We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of poplar trees. For our captors demanded a song from us. Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: “Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!” But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land?” (Psalm 137:1-4). Their tormentors demanded they sing joyfully, but they were like – that’s impossible, it doesn’t come from our heart. So they just sat by the waters of Babylon and wept. But now by an amazing work of God they were suddenly back in Jerusalem. And so their joy came from their heart. The wait was over, the journey was complete. “We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy.” The journey is the hard bit though isn’t it? I was reminded of this, this week. An Officer couple I was speaking to, said that their teenager said some very hurtful things to them. Stuff like, ‘you make my life worse’. As they spoke to me, I did very little but listen and pray with them. They do have other supports in their life as well, already seeing a psychologist. But what I was thinking in my head as they were speaking was ‘oh the teenage years, I’d forgotten them’. Though we have 2 wonderful young adults in P and K, they were times when it was more than tense. K wears her heart on her sleeve, and to this day apologises for some of the things she said to me. And P, you wouldn’t know what he was thinking, and then all of a sudden all his thoughts and feelings for the last 3 years would come out like molten lava everywhere. A few days later I checked in to see how the couple and their teenager were going. I mentioned in passing about teenage years and very briefly about our experiences. I didn’t want to make it all about me. But I said teenage years can be painful and those years can really hurt everyone in the family. Teenager included. They know that we have a good relationship with P and K and they said to me, you know, this is helpful. It gives us hope. I was like, yep, this too shall pass. Because when you’re in the midst of the journey of pain and sorrow, you sometimes wonder if there’s light at the end of the tunnel. If you’ll laugh again or experience joy again. You begin to wonder, “Is this all that God has for me? Will I ever be happy again?” And here’s the promise in Psalm 126:4-6, “Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert. Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.” When you are going through a time of deep sorrow, Psalm 126 is strong medicine for your soul. It carries a powerful message of hope. It tells you that times of trouble and sorrow do not last. It tells you that God will turn your sorrow to joy and your tears to laughter. If you are going through a challenging time right now, I pray that this psalm will speak to your heart this morning. Let me tell you right up front, whatever you’re going through, it will get better. God will change your tears to joy. This week I found something I wrote about 10 years ago. I had written it on a piece of paper and there was a whole reflection about my life. At the time we had my mum living with us, she had dementia, and mostly I remember the good times and the fun times with her. I was also the Corps Officer at Glebe and Bob was the manager at William Booth House. After a page of writing I had written something like this “I’m often anxious, I’m usually stressed, I have eczema on my eyelids and ulcers in my mouth. I always feel pressed.” I went out to Bob in the lounge room and I’m like, ‘oh my goodness, eczema on my eyelids and ulcers in my mouth’, often anxious, usually stressed. The thing is, my life feels a long way from that now, and I’d forgotten what that part of my journey felt like. I’m sure when I was there I couldn’t look ahead and see a time of joy…but the truth is that “Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.” This too shall pass. ‘Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!’ says verse 3. God is faithful – he does the healing, the restoring, he brings the streams in the desert that renews and brings fruitfulness. I don’t need to tell you – it takes time. Today, I’m praying for a work of healing in your life, a gradual restoration of joy, of laughter. Like me as a kid, sometimes we don’t like parts of this journey at all. Even though we know our destination is good. And ultimately, we have a destination like no other and that’s the promise of God. A home in heaven made possible through Jesus. May God bless you this week as you look to Him, listen to Him, find your hope in Him and find courage and healing in your journey.