Crisis Intervention

     Psalm 27 is our Scripture lesson for Sunday.  David wrote it, in a time of crisis in his life.  We do not know exactly when.  It might have during the days before he came to the throne, when King Saul was actively hunting him.  It might have come later in his reign, when the kingdom was practically in a civil war during the rebellion of his son Absalom.  But his words cry out to those moments in life when things are just too much.
     It is a hard truth that crisis intervention is all too often the root of prayer.  Until "it" hits the fan, so many people are comfortable enough in their lives that the thought of the involvement of the divine is, at best, in the background.  But, sooner or later, something happens and the idea of prayer becomes the only option.
     The twist of this Psalm is that even by the end, David seems to be waiting.  He trusts, but he is still waiting on the intervention of the divine.
     The obvious takeaway is that we need to prepare for the crisis.  We need to be in healthy relationship with Jesus so that when the moment comes, we will not feel left in the cold, wondering how to "call up heaven". 
     But there is a more subtle takeaway.  In the preparation, in making our lives more in tune with the work and call of Jesus, the grace and wonder, the richness and depth of the great things of life, love and trust and grace and forgiveness, they are deepened in our lives.  It is what gave David the confidence to come to the Lord with his needs.  It is the confidence we can each build in our own lives as well.