Beauty in brokenness

Jane Denniston October 16, 2024 4 2

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Psalm 67: 4 (NRSVA)

4 

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you judge the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

‘Let the nations be glad and sing for joy!’ As we look around the world today that seems like an impossible dream. Sometimes it seems that never in the history of humankind has the world seemed so broken. Not only do we have wars and rumours of wars, we have poverty, oppression, abuse. Our political systems are broken and there is no trust in politicians or the media. And as if all that wasn’t enough, we have an environmental and ecological crisis. How can we sing for joy in these circumstances? 

Perhaps we need to take a lesson from the Psalmist who so often ends on a note of faith and praise — or at least the hope of praise! For example, Psalm 42:11: 

“Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Saviour and my God.”

Or perhaps we can take our cue from Robert Browning who says, in his poem, ‘Pippa Passes’, “God's in his heaven. All's right with the world”. This is not to say that all is well on earth, nor that nothing on earth matters. Rather, like the Psalmist, Browning is expressing the belief that God is still God and can be trusted and loved even when everything around us is going wrong. There is still beauty, even in the midst of brokenness. 

Prayer:

Loving God,

help us to trust your judgement

and your grace.

Help us to open our hearts and minds

to your wisdom and guidance.

Give us the strength and commitment to 

‘pray without ceasing’

for this world 

for our political leaders

and for all those who stand in the way of healing for the nations. 

Help us to see the beauty in the brokenness

and may we guide others to see it too

until the nations are glad and sing for joy

because whatever else fails

you never will, Amen