Psalm 103

The Church Can Do Better

LEAH FARISH|GUEST On Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, many churches call us to contemplate the issue of unwanted pregnancy. As Christians, we must be conscious of the importance of tiny creations who are weak, dependent, still developing, yet loved by God and full of potential. But more than just babies in the womb, I am also describing their mothers and fathers, social workers, judges, politicians, abortionists, and pastors—all mere humans who may grapple with what some may view as “problem” pregnancies. It’s doubtful that sin is the only problem with our ineffectiveness; our limitations also hamper us. It may seem there aren’t enough hours in the day to minister to everyone. We can lack imagination to believe that someone in our midst may be agonizing over an unplanned pregnancy. Or we may not know how to empathize in that situation. Perhaps some are immobilized by the fact that they themselves chose abortion in the past, or secretly cling to that option for the future. Maybe we aren’t equipped with a biblical basis to engage with someone on the issue. It is with our own limitations that we all encounter the anguish of abortion, and now that the subject is legally in the hands of the 50 states, it is helpful to acknowledge that the decision-makers, doctors, and families involved are also frail and incomplete images of God. Covenant College professor Kelly Kapic makes this point in You’re Only Human—my favorite Christian book in 2022. He taught me that limitations are something different from sin and that if we try to handle problems without allowing for limitation, the solutions we find won’t be durable. With the empowering of the Holy Spirit, the church can do better for women who are deciding about abortion. God’s Word is the sure foundation for addressing all problems. Let’s look at some statistics on the needs, and a passage from Psalm 103 addressing each one...

The Grass Withers: Not Losing Heart in our Momentary Afflictions

This month, our last child is getting married. And while I am thrilled with my son’s choice for his wife, and anxious to welcome his new bride into our family, it is a bittersweet time of change. This milestone is also a reminder that my parenting years are now officially over. It is another season of change. Only recently, I retired. The job that I so enjoyed and the accomplishments that went with it are now behind me. On top of that my body is beginning to betray me. My arthritic joints and myopic eyes often combine to remind me of what I could once do. PEach week after our Bible reading. the pastor of our church concludes with the words from Isaiah that “The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Every time I hear these words, I think of how my life is withering. Withering is hard to face – and not much fun! We don’t like change, yet change is one of life’s constants. It is guaranteed. The Psalmist wrote about it clearly, though darkly in Psalm 103:15-16; “As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.”I could be discouraged with the Psalmist’s words if I did not continue to read the words that follow in verse 17: “But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children.”