Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
~PSALM 90:1-2 (ESV)
In the year since my mother-in-law passed, I have found myself drawn to Psalm 90. Perhaps that is because it is a psalm of lament. Early on, someone wisely pointed out the reality that the only way to grieve is to keep going through it. As I keep going through it, I have wondered where it is I am going. Are all these emotions taking me somewhere? On my good days, I move toward surrendering my sorrows and savoring the joys of our 33 year relationship. On my not so good days, I do my best to stand still and plead with God to use all these emotions and gently nudged me onward.
Then the other day, I stopped wondering. In one sacred moment, I realized God is graciously leading me home. Psalm 90 describes this home as our dwelling place. It has taken time to notice where I am going because the sights, sounds and emotions are unfamiliar. God is taking me home a different way. And I am learning to trust that God’s way of going through grief is better than the way I would have gone.
Blessed are You, O Lord, who is our dwelling place.
Psalm 90 is not only a psalm of lament; it is also a psalm of inspiration. Isaac Watts captured this inspiration when he wrote the hymn, O God, Our Help in Ages Past, which brings comfort anytime or anywhere it is sung.
O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.
Under the shadow of thy throne, still may we dwell secure;
sufficient is thine arm alone, and our defense is sure.
Before the hills in order stood, or earth received her frame,
from everlasting, thou art God, to endless years the same.
A thousand ages, in thy sight, are like an evening gone;
short as the watch that ends the night, before the rising sun.
Time, like an ever rolling stream, bears all who breathe away;
they fly forgotten, as a dream dies at the opening day.
O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come;
be thou our guide while life shall last, and our eternal home.
Blessed are You, O Lord, who is our dwelling place…Amen and Amen!
Come Learn Rest Ministries 