Dear one,
I wonder how often we have heard, or have in fact voiced: “Are we there yet? How much longer?” Often we as parents have found these questions irritating, particularly on a relatively long, hot, summer trip; but such are the questions we as children have asked when experiencing uncertain emotions: Will the destination prove as exciting or as dreadful as we anticipate? Or, as likely, will our plea be heard: I’m fatigued—when can I rest?
In these days of coronavirus—days which are becoming months—we find ourselves somewhere in a muddled middle, and yet, even of this we cannot be certain: Are we in the middle, or still within the pandemic’s opening moments?
In the first week or two of the virus—that is, for those of us not providing frontline care and/or not witness to its grievous powers—we sensed a novel disbelief. For some of us the novelty provided relief and/or pleasure; for others of us the novelty portended a disquieting, darkening shadow. But whatever our initial sense—increasingly we are raising that childhood question: How much longer?
Of course, the child’s question is equally the adult’s question, found frequently in the psalms of David. For instance, he penned:
“How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?” (Psalm 13:1-2)
Here he explicitly asked how long?, but in many of his psalms this question underlies his anguished cries for help. So too, in the psalms attributed to Asaph (Psalms 73-83), to Ethan, and to Moses (respectively 73-83, 89, 90), if not explicitly voiced, that haunting question nonetheless lingers: “How long, O’ LORD?”
In light of this very human question, Jesus offered a parable regarding a judge who respected neither God nor anyone else—including a woman who repeatedly demanded justice. For a while, the judge refused her plea, but eventually he granted her justice—because of her dogged determination. In summarizing this parable, both underscoring life’s difficulties and God’s ultimate justice, Jesus asked: “[When] the Son of Man (i.e. Jesus) comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8). This too is a haunting question, especially for we of the West, who tend to believe that life should be an exhilarating jog rather than an arduous, exhausting marathon.
What question are you asking? What answer are you expecting?
Stan