In the midst of a turbulent world, humans often feel fragile. Economic crises, political polarization, social conflicts, and natural disasters make it easy to lose our power. Life feels like a lily in the field that can wither at any time. But it is precisely in that fragility that the most honest prayers and the purest hopes are often born. Psalm 60, which from the beginning is annotated "according to the song Daffodils", invites us to reflect, is there faith that actually blooms in the midst of ruins, like a lily that still grows in a barren field?

Psalm 60 was born in bitter times, most likely during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem (589 & 587 BC). At that time, Judah's allies were treacherous, Egypt was reluctant to help, and the Babylonian forces with their archers were sowing terror. Military defeat is described as bitter, "You have given us dizzying wine" (verse 5). It was as if God Himself gave the cup of bitterness. However, behind the bitterness, there is a promise of protection, "But to those who fear you you have given a sign, that they may flee from the arrows" (verse 6). Then God's own voice resounds, confirming that Israel and the surrounding land remain under His sovereignty. This psalm, therefore, contains a tension: on the one hand, the people feel abandoned, on the other hand, they are convinced that God remains King over history. They are like daffodils, seemingly fragile, but rooted in deep soil, so that they can remain upright in the heat of the sun. In ancient Near Eastern culture, daffodils often symbolized fragile beauty as well as faithfulness and fragrance. Perhaps this psalm was meant to be sung to the melody known as the "Daffodil", a symbol that this prayer is not just a bitter complaint, but a cry of hope. Like the fragile-looking daffodil, Israel's faith is fragile, but it still blooms with its own beauty before God.

Friends of the Bible, today's psalm reminds us that the life of a believer is often somewhere between hurt and hope. We can feel fragile, even shaky, but that is where faith is tested. Like the daffodil, we are called to keep blooming even when the soil on which we grow feels dry and cracked. Therefore, let us always be honest in our prayers, even our complaints; keep our hope in God even when the situation seems dark; and see fragility as strength, because the beauty of faith is born from the realization of our helplessness.