(Editor’s note: In an editorial on Monday, March 30, the Enterprise invited local religious leaders to share sermons with the community through the newspaper’s Opinion page, since they are not allowed to hold services in person. This is one of the responses.)

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From Psalm 31: “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress. … My times are in your hand. … Let your face shine upon your servant.”

There’s a collage picture going around the internet that shows the “now” Times Square on one side and the “before COVID-19” Times Square on the other. The “before” picture shows a city with lights, crowded with people; the “after” picture” shows a city with lights … but almost no people. We can almost hear those few people in Times Square voicing similar words we find in Psalm 31: “In you, O Lord, I seek refuge. … Incline your ear to me. … You are indeed my rock and my fortress. … Into Your hand I commit my spirit” (verses 1, 2, 3, 5).

The 20th-century Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann has written extensively that the psalms provide us with a roadmap for the human condition. Since time immemorial, people have experienced recurring cycles of what he termed orientation (secure times), disorientation (times of disruption and chaos) and reorientation (times of readjustment to a changed world).

While psalms of orientation suggest the normality of life, life rarely stays normal and comprehensible. At times, life can be harsh and seem totally irrational. At one time or another, we have all experienced our world collapse without warning, and we are dragged down into a dark valley. In those times of disorientation, we sense despair and abandonment: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Ps. 22:1) We often respond to this rupture of our stability through denial. We want to believe that things are really OK, but even if we know they are not, we certainly do not want anyone else to know. Our denial forces us to cover up. We put on a happy face, and our isolation and despair can become more intense.

And in case you didn’t know it, we are now in “disorientation,” and things are not all right.

I’ll use the analogy of driving down the highway. For us in the North Country, let’s say we’re heading south on the I-87 Northway toward Albany. It’s a long stretch of road, usually not heavily travelled. Even in winter, it’s usually clear of snow and ice. But today is a nice, sunny spring day, and we’re moving along smoothly. Getting to Albany at this point takes less than two hours (“orientation”). Then we start to see those dreaded square orange signs telling us to slow down, and the road narrows to one lane. And then the big arrow pointing right, labelled “DETOUR.” We entering uncharted territory (“disorientation”).

We turn off the highway onto a side road we have never been on and proceed at half the speed we were driving on the interstate. How far does the detour go? Where will it take us? How long will it take us to get to Albany now? We have no idea. What choices do we have? None. Can we turn around and go another way? No. We’re stuck in unknown territory.

I feel like that these days. Some days I’m relaxed and content on this unknown route. Other days … not so much. When I listen to the news or read the papers, I see people just as confused and uneasy as I am. Yet, as people of faith, we have support to go to. Brueggemann reminds us we are not alone: God is with us, and all those who have gone before us are with us … and, thankfully, they recorded their journeys in the psalms.

There are many psalms to turn to, but I’d like to recommend a few:

¯ Psalms of orientation, a confident belief that the world (ultimately) is well: Psalms 1, 8, 24.

¯ Psalms of disorientation, the brokenness of life, but bold acts of faith: Psalms 22, 23, 143.

¯ Psalms of reorientation, new possibilities out of the darkness: Psalms 27, 100, 124.

No, we are not alone. God is with us, and we are in community. All around us are signs of neighbor helping neighbor. Scripture and conversations can help in times when we may seem alone. Be well, and stay in touch with your neighbors! May it be so. Amen.

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The Rev. Vance Mortensen lives in Saranac Lake and is pastor of Raquette Lake Chapel in Raquette Lake.