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Singing the Chorus

             Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack. My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride many are attacking me.  When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? (Psalm 56:1-4)

          Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:2-6)

          If you read the rest of the psalm, you’ll find that it follows this pattern: the verses are about when the going gets rough and I am afraid, then the chorus about trusting in God. The thing is a new verse follows every chorus. In Hebraic poetry, repetition shows emphasis. David may have been describing the same incident to drive the point home, but to my eyes, it reads like a seesaw. In other words, it is precisely what I wrote about yesterday: I’m afraid…I’m not afraid. I believe… I don’t believe. It may not all be at the same time, but it’s in such quick succession that it may as well be.

          Keep in mind, this was David, the man after God’s own heart. He wasn’t some insignificant nobody like you or me. If he suffered from the same double-mindedness that I find in myself, then perhaps it’s not so horrible if I suffer it, too. This doesn’t mean we should welcome it with open arms and “shout our double-mindedness” but that we should remind ourselves that it’s part of the struggle of being human. We’re not abnormal because we face it, but since we do face it, we should look for victory, which may come, at least in part, but making the decision to sing the chorus one more time.

 

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