Crying out to the Lord
With my voice I cry out to the Lord;
with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord,
I pour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him.
Bring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal bountifully with me. Psalm 142:1-2, 7
In 1 Kings we read of the adventures of the prophet Elijah, including the defeat of the prophets of Baal, Elijah’s flight from Jezebel, then the Lord speaking to Elijah whilst he was hiding in a cave.
'What are you doing here, Elijah?' (1 Kings 19:9 ESV)
The question could easily be understood as God asking Elijah why he might be hiding out in a cave, instead of doing the work for which he has been called.
In these weeks following the decision of the Lutheran Church of Australia to remove the barriers to ordaining women, we might be tempted to run from the challenges that are before us. Despite being told constantly that the changes to the LCANZ aren’t church divisive, many pastors, lay people, and congregations are feeling very unsure about the future, and how and where they might worship or serve. Like Elijah, many of us might feel like looking for a cave in which to hide.
Elijah’s answer to the Lord’s question was, 'I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, … and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away’ (v10).
It can be easy to feel self-righteous and as though we are all alone in making a faithful witness. Rather than being caught in a sinful cycle of self-pity, anger and despair (or a similar emotional pattern), let us turn to the Word of God.
The psalms are particularly valuable for shifting our attention from ourselves and back to what God has done for us. Psalm 142 encourages us to pour out our hearts in prayer to the Lord. Rather than bottling up anger and disappointment, with the psalmist we might say, ‘I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him’ (v2).
Having poured out our hearts to the Lord in the words of Psalm 142:1-6, we now reach the blessed good news. It is God who brings us out of the prison of our sinfulness, freeing us to give thanks to Him. We are not alone; the righteous will surround us (v7).
As the Lord pointed out to Elijah, we are not alone in our concerns. Just as God preserved the faithful of Israel (over 7000 of them – when Elijah thought he was the only one left!) there are many who remain faithful to God’s Word, the Lutheran Confessions, and the unaltered Theses of Agreement. LM-A exists to help gather the faithful remnant.
So, what do you do in this time of change, as new boundary lines are drawn, and new congregations are emerging?
God has called you to whatever vocation you are currently serving in. There are still fellow saints to serve, in the context or station in which God has placed you. None of us are alone, but we have the Lord by our side and there are many here working with you as we shine the light of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, into the time and place that God has put us.
In Christian friendship and service,
Pastor Mathew Ker
Vice President (Elect), LM-A