Advent Prayer Challenge Day 19 - December 15
Advent Extremes
Read Psalm 30
Light three candles and say together
Come, my Helper. Turn my mourning into dancing.
(from Psalm 30:10-11)
Reflection
If you hit shuffle on my phone’s custom-made Christmas music playlist, you may feel a bit of whiplash after a few songs. They range from synth-soaked 1980s Christmas pop hits to silly-yet-joyful contemporary bops to beautiful, sincere compositions. I could divide it into several smaller playlists, perhaps, but all of those songs still feel like Christmas to me, even if they focus on different aspects of the celebration. I’m happy to embrace the back-and-forth nature of my playlist.
Today’s Psalm (which is itself a song) has a lot of back-and-forth movement in it, too. You lifted me up! I cried to you for help. I will never be shaken! When you hid your face, I was terrified. That’s the beauty of this Psalm: it’s so real. It is a series of ups and downs. Life is filled with victories, but there are also days where (as it is said in 2022) you take the L.
You can read this Psalm like a letter from a helpful older sibling or mentor, someone who is trying to share their experience of God in a helpful and encouraging way. You can clearly see how it can be broken up into sections that make it easier to understand:
- God has been good to me. [verses 1-3]
- Hey, listener: with God, everything will work out in the end. [verses 4-5]
- I remember a time when things were bad, but I reached out to God. [verses 6-10]
- God answered and helped me. [verses 11-12]
Like a good mentor, the Psalmist shows us both their humility and their wisdom. In verse 6, they talk about their confidence: “When I was secure, I said, ‘I will never be shaken.’” But by the end of the next verse, they say, “When you hid your face, I was terrified.” Hey, what got you so freaked out, Mr. ‘I will never be shaken’? Did trusting in yourself not work out so well?
In verse 9, at rock bottom, the Psalmist finds the right way to ask for God’s help: “What gain is there in my death… Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your truth?” Our older sibling in faith shows us how to offer yourself to God when you’ve tried and failed to make it on your own.
God can take the moments when we’ve been humbled and turn them into moments of grace, times when we can see how God has transformed us and loved us. The Christian life is truly a series of ups and downs, being humbled and being raised up.
Advent can feel like going from one extreme to another, like a playlist going from Jingle Bells to In the Bleak Midwinter then back to Carol of the Bells. We can feel the joy of Christmas’ impending arrival, but in an instant, we can be snapped back to the stress and our responsibilities during this season. This Psalm shows us how to live our lives, and how to live out this Advent season: by honestly recognizing how God has worked in our lives up and thanking him.
Reflect and Discuss
- Do you remember a time when you were humbled? How did it feel?
- Do you have an ‘older sibling’ in faith that helped you through difficult times, or who taught you how to live out your faith? How can you express gratitude toward them?
- What’s one way you can better navigate the ups and downs of Advent?
Pray
Hear us, O Lord. Turn our mourning into dancing and clothe us with joy. May we forever praise you and not be silent.
Amen
Advent in Action
Write down three things you are grateful for today.
More information about our Advent Prayer Challenge can be found here.
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Advent Prayer Challenge Day 18 - December 14
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