THE world is too much with us; late and soon

William Wordsworth, the English Romantic poet, could have been describing this summer.

Tonight, I am watching a CNN report on the aftermath of Katrina as seen through the eyes of youth.

Yesterday, it was a news report that a local man had been killed in an ambush in Afghanistan. He was the third graduate of a relatively small local high school to die in the war on terror and the fourth resident or native of a rural county to die.

Last week, a local man was killed in a freak accident when a truck overturned on a highway overpass, dropping its load on the van he was driving on the highway below.

Before that, another local man died in a construction accident when scaffolding fell on him.

Did I mention that all three of the abovementioned men left behind families with young children?

Even before that there was the sudden death of a recent high school graduate who, in one way or another, touched nearly every member of the senior high youth group. And there was the accidental shooting death of a friend of another young man in our church.

Of course, we all watched the horror in Minneapolis as people drove across a bridge that suddenly wasn’t there.

And, back in the spring, our church lost a lovely elderly woman and a young man just about half her age within days of each other. Both loved the Lord and served him well in the time they had been given on earth.

Last week, with students reeling from the sudden death of the high school graduate and knowing that its been a tough couple of months, I shared with them the story of Habakkuk, who saw only violence and destruction around him and, in his desperation, called out to God:

How long, O LORD, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not save?

Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds.

Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted.

- Habakkuk 1:2-4

We are so much like Habakkuk. We question. We cry out. We beg for answers. God answered Habakkuk. He told Habakkuk the big picture. You can read about it here. With that knowledge, Habakkuk burst out in a song of praise that ends:

Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.

- Habakkuk 3:17-19

Well, you say, Habakkuk had answers. Of course, he could praise God.

So can we. We don’t know the answers yet. Maybe we never will. Yet we know that God has not let go of us. He never will. Even when we rage against him, he will be there, even if we don’t notice.

David Crowder Band, back before they were even dcb, recorded a song called All I Can Say. Sometimes, thoughts like these are all we can give when we worship.

Lord I’m tired
So tired from walking
And Lord I’m so alone
And Lord the dark
Is creeping in
Creeping up
To swallow me
I think I’ll stop
Rest here a whileAnd didn’t You see me cry’n?
And didn’t You hear me call Your name?
Wasn’t it You I gave my heart to?
I wish You’d remember
Where you sat it down

Chorus:
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give

Bridge:
I didn’t notice You were standing here
I didn’t know that
That was You holding me
I didn’t notice You were cry’n too
I didn’t know that
That was You washing my feet

I have nothing and I have everything. I have nothing in mind for Wednesday Worship Thoughts. I have everything in that I have the One I worship.

So, for kicks, let’s let Leeland handle the thoughts for today before leading a classic hymn.

How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

- Isaiah 52:7