Psalm 13 is a lament. The author of the Psalm either feels like God is ignoring his pleas for help, or actually working against him. He starts a couple of verses with the words, “how long”. The words, “how long”, began the sentence, and they are followed by the complaint, or by the accusing question.

In Psalm 13, verse one reads, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” The author of this Psalm is accusing God of ignoring him. Apparently he has made his complaint known to God, and God hasn’t acted on the complaint. That is the style of a lament.

I’ve been hearing laments from the people in our community for well over a year. I suspect I will continue to hear these laments for at least another year. They have to do with road construction.

I thought it would be fun to write down some of the things that I’ve heard in the form of a lament. I’ll call it a road construction lament.

How long O Lord must I drive through mud and ruts? I wash my car in the morning and it looks like a wreck by afternoon. How deep can a rut actually get? Will the tow trucks also get stuck up to the axles?

How many times will the surveyor’s stakes rot in the ground before some useful work is actually accomplished? How long will the dust from the road seep into my home. I cover my furniture and wear a dust mask when I sleep.

Before the pavement is finished in the north, they tear up the road to install culverts in the south. Then stakes appear to the east and the west, and the pavement is gone once again.

How many windshields will my insurance company pay for before they raise my rates again? What color is my car anyway?

Many of the laments in the Bible actually end on a good note. The last two verses of Psalm 13 are positive verses. The last verse reads, “I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.”

Road construction eventually comes to an end, at least on one section of road at a time. When construction ends, the new section of road is usually smooth, and free of potholes. Road construction laments ought to end on a positive note. The stretch of Highway 4, that has been a mess for so long, has improved in the last week. I can end the lament to road construction on a positive note. I wasn’t sure I would be able to a month ago, but now I’ve actually seen pavement. The lament continues.

Thank you Lord for the gift of patience. The pavement we hoped for last August is finally appearing in May. Now I can cruise down the smooth highway, and soon I’ll be able to ride my bike down the wide shoulders.

Lord, you have looked with favor upon your people. Even some driveways are covered in smooth pavement. I can drive to Duluth even if it rains, and I know now that my Tempo is green.

May God watch over you and bless you as you travel life’s highways, and may all your laments have positive endings.

Sincerely,

Pastor Birk