When I am most overwhelmed by what is going on in the world, I find myself turning on this song and dancing around the room. I confess that I am not sure that I believe in this joy enough. It feels far off right now.

As I read Psalm 27 and wondered about that fear that so consumes me, this song returned. I wanted there to be a song to sing in the wilderness of our fears that spoke of what kind of praise we claim in God. I was compelled by these words written by Beth L. Tanner on Working Preacher:

The psalms teach us that it is not only God’s responsibility to find us, sometimes we must also fight to stay in this relationship with God. We must go forward confident that God’s seeming absence does not equal abandonment. It is the fear talking. Instead this prayer invites us to contemplate, not the evil of the world but to believe in “the goodness of the LORD” and in the goodness I can wait and hope and be courageous until this storm too passes by.

I don’t know that these words quite lift up my hope and the courage we all need. But I pray it’s a start toward finding that goodness at the end of the psalm right here in the land that we are living.

My riff on Psalm 27 can be found here on Living Psalms as well as in the words below. I submit it in time for the deadline to my beloved United Church of Christ but completely forgot to post it here before Lent 2 this year. Alas.

There is another song of praise
that clings to the last note of faith
that there's no fear in love. 
Perfect love, that old song goes,
casts out fear. O Light of Love, what do we fear?

The list is too long and 
there is so much to grieve. 
That could be all we talk about when
we pray. We could expound upon our fears
and let them pile up: fear on top of fear,
grief upon grief.  Towering over
us so that it feels like there's 
nothing else in this world.

We lift our voices, together,
not just to despair but to praise. 
To see your face nodding,
revealing that perfect love,
whispering to us, ever so gently, 
"I know. I know."

Praise in the doubt.
Praise through the worry.
Praise in the midst of all that is uncertain.
Praise for what we will never understand
but we so want to believe.
Praise of the faith you find in us
and that love that might 
just cast our fears.

When so much is uncertain 
and fear overwhelms, we will praise
that you are not the root of our fears.
You are the courage in our hearts.
You are the goodness that
shines from within us.
You are the love
with which fear 
cannot abide.

Let this song of praise
echo through all the chambers 
of our hearts. Let us 
sing of your salvation
together. 

Blessings to you in claiming this praise, dear one.