Instant Godliness - Rev. Wendy MacLean - June 28, 2026

Psalm 13 teaches the long work of prayer in the wait. Its cry, “How long,” stretches from David’s cave to the headlines, pulling the ache of Indigenous women who lost status, the vigil of grandmothers during AIDS, the longing of same sex couples for vows that count, and the COVID groans of a world watching the clock. The Spirit is asked to give true words and faithful understanding, then the old line lands with a twist. There is no instant godliness, yet there is constant godliness, a spark set in creation that does not leave. The anxiety and fear that cloud the heart do not erase it, but they do make it easy to forget.

The psalm opens with complaint that is not polite, “How long will you hide your face,” and it names the enemy, the pain, the long day that feels like forever. That frank speech stands on absolute trust. Lament is not unbelief, it is faith sturdy enough to argue. Cultures have known this. The keening women, mourners who were also midwives, howl grief into the open so that a community can hold it together. The crying at the grave and the crying at birth meet in one ministry. Praying these psalms puts a single voice inside a chorus that has been singing for millennia, so that a personal plea can carry a mother in Venezuela, a doctor in Gaza, a farmer in Ukraine.

David, running from a jealous and unstable king, cries “How long,” then the poem turns. “I trusted in your steadfast love,” he says, and “my heart shall rejoice.” The hinge is a request, “Give light to my eyes.” From the cross, Jesus prays Psalm words, “My God, why have you forsaken me,” and then the turn comes, the move from lament to resurrection that shapes Christian hope. Paul’s prayer asks that the eyes of the heart be enlightened to see the hope of this call. Even the medicine for failing eyes writes the parable, healing arriving by light, guarded and then welcomed, moving sight from dark to bright.

God’s steadfast love, chesed, moves like a current, an energy running through creation, constant and everywhere for those with eyes to see. Kindness makes it sparkle. So does a fledgling robin on a sill, chest still speckled, ready to leap. That little joy is instant godliness, not a shortcut to holiness, but a sudden recognition of the spark that has been there all along. When that current runs through, song rises. “I will sing to the Lord, for God has dealt bountifully with me.”

Key Takeaways

• 1. Lament dares to speak plainly [34:45] Lament names the wound without varnish and takes it straight to God. The boldness is not disrespect, it is evidence of relationship strong enough to bear truth. Honest prayer keeps the heart from hardening into silence and readies it for the turn that comes. [34:45]
• 2. The turn begins with new sight [40:29] “Give light to my eyes” is the hinge between complaint and praise. Illumination does not erase the problem, it reorients the person within it. In that light, trust can speak in past tense, and joy can promise itself in the future. [40:29]
• 3. Chesed moves like a current [43:07] God’s steadfast love is not static sentiment but a steady flow through creation. Attentiveness aligns a life to that movement, so that kindness received becomes kindness given. The current is quiet, yet it carries real power to heal and hold. [43:07]
• 4. Prayer widens into shared grief [37:41] Personal petitions are gathered into a communal cry that spans centuries and continents. The keening of one voice opens space for many to breathe and to bear what would crush them alone. In that shared lament, consolation begins to take shape. [37:41]
• 5. Instant godliness is sudden recognition [45:28] Holiness is rarely instant, yet recognition sometimes is, a flash when the deep constant breaks the surface. A robin on the ledge, a small kindness from a stranger, and the soul remembers its origin. Those moments are not the goal, they are signs that the current is running. [45:28]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [28:22] - How long across generations
• [30:28] - Prayer: Spirit of love and truth
• [31:13] - No instant godliness
• [33:04] - The constant divine spark
• [33:58] - Psalm 13: the complaint
• [34:45] - How lament actually works
• [36:07] - Keening women, communal grief
• [37:41] - Praying with the world’s pain
• [38:48] - David hunted, crying how long
• [39:35] - The turn toward trust
• [40:29] - Give light to my eyes
• [40:42] - Cross, lament, resurrection turn
• [42:50] - Chesed: love like a current
• [45:44] - Singing the bounty of God

1. Psalm 13 begins with repeated cries of “How long?” (vv. 1-2). What specific struggles does David name in his lament?
2. In Psalm 13:5, David shifts from complaint to trust. What phrases indicate this turn, and what does he declare about God’s character?
3. The sermon connects Jesus’ cry on the cross (Psalm 22:1) to the “turn” toward resurrection hope. How does this shape Christian understanding of lament? [40:42]
4. What examples of communal lament (e.g., keening women, modern global struggles) were given to illustrate shared grief? [36:07]

1. Why might David use past tense (“I trusted”) and future tense (“my heart shall rejoice”) in Psalm 13:5-6, even while still in crisis?
2. The phrase “Give light to my eyes” (Psalm 13:3) is called the “hinge” between lament and trust. What does “light” symbolize here, and how does it reorient perspective?
3. How does the practice of communal lament (like keening women or praying with global suffering) guard against isolation in grief? [37:41]
4. The sermon describes God’s chesed (steadfast love) as a “current.” How does this metaphor contrast with static or conditional views of divine love?

1. When have you hesitated to pray with raw honesty, like David’s “How long?” What fears or assumptions hold you back from lamenting openly?
2. The sermon mentions “instant godliness” as sudden recognition of God’s spark in creation (e.g., a robin on a windowsill). What ordinary moments have recently reminded you of this “current” of chesed? [45:28]
3. How could you intentionally join your personal struggles to the “chorus” of global lament (e.g., praying for Venezuela, Gaza, Ukraine)? What step would help you engage this practice? [37:59]
4. Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:18 asks for “enlightened eyes” to see hope. What areas of your life feel “dim” right now, and how might you seek God’s light there?
5. The sermon notes that lament is “faith sturdy enough to argue.” How might embracing this kind of prayer deepen your relationship with God during unanswered questions?
6. David’s trust in God’s steadfast love (Psalm 13:5) sustained him during King Saul’s persecution. What ongoing struggle in your life requires this kind of “constant godliness” rather than an instant fix? [33:04]