October 11
Psalm 39

Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not hold your peace at my tears.

You know what makes me cry? Videos of other people crying. The “worst” for me are not sad videos, but happy ones: owners reunited with pets, parents returned from deployment, teachers surprised by grateful students. A lump in my throat forms as these people (strangers, mind you) find themselves incapable of containing joy. And as they give up on words and wipe their eyes, so too I reach for the tissues.

There is plenty to be sad about, the 700,000+ Americans dead from COVID included. Despite (or maybe because of) all this loss, I have seen an uptick in “good news” circulating online. People want to share in the comebacks, recoveries, and answered prayers. It’s exciting for everyone when needles in the haystack are found.

Psalm 39 is not joyful. The psalmist begs God to reveal the worth of this life, or at least how it ends. Then comes the verse I love. The psalmist stops seeking answers and asks God for presence: “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not hold your peace at my tears.” Perhaps when we let our own tears fall in witnessing another, we glimpse what it feels like to answer a prayer.