01/23/2022
We Christians are not immune to the trouble that is in the world, and we experience the hatred of men, just as Jesus did. Jesus told us this would happen, and that not only would we be hated, but killed as well. Yet our hope remains in the Lord, and although we are perplexed by His allowing suffering to continue in our lives, we do praise Him in its midst, and see the good lessons that come from each one. David understood that earthly trouble would come, and he asked the Lord the same question that many of us continue to ask Him today… “Why do you stand far away?”
“Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”
Psalm 10:1 ESV
We are told that God is with us always; we know that Jesus abides in us, and that we abide in Him, just as we know that He abides in the Father, and the Father abides in Him, so why is it that we are tempted to ask God why He has hidden himself from us when in fact He is not only with us, but in us through Christ? It is because, in this our moment of weakness, suffering, persecution, and heartache, we are set upon by the lies of Satan as he tells us that God who we once called our Loving Father, has left us, forgotten us, and no longer sees what is happening in our lives. It is because, in our tribulation, when we should be turning towards Our Father in fervent prayer, and resolving ourselves to wait patiently on Him, that we fall prey to our own inabilities, and give up on hope.
“He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.””
Psalm 10:11 ESV
There is a similar lie that Satan tells the lost souls who are persecuting us, and doing us harm. Listen as David speaks of the false reasoning used by these souls, who have been ensnared by evil, and now rage about encouraged by Satan. Listen as David says that they renounce God, and think that they will not be judged or held accountable for their sins. In this way, they apply the lie of Satan to justify their lives…
“Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?”
Psalm 10:13 ESV
When I was in my late teens, I always had an old car that I was constantly working on. I went to school in the day, and worked at night as a dishwasher, so I didn’t have much money. Needless to say, I couldn’t take a car to a shop to have it repaired. I would pull it up on my parent’s gravel driveway, and regardless of the weather I would read a repair manual, and attempt to fix it. In the heat of summer, or the freezing cold of winter, I worked on it; in the rain, or snow, I would endure the elements as I figured out what was wrong, and fixed it.
My father was a good mechanic, but he would watch me from the window, and occasionally come out to ask me how it was going. I would tell him if I was stumped, and he would give me a hint as to what was wrong, then he would go back into the house. He never actually fixed it, or told me specifically what was wrong. There were times that I grumbled rather loudly about his lack of involvement, but eventually I would figure out the problem, and repair it. Sometimes thinking to myself “No thanks to Dad!”
Then I got older, took a wife, had children, and found that life was harder yet, and that my cars still broke down. One day when our car quit running I came to the conclusion that “It isn’t getting fuel; that is probably a bad fuel pump.” So I walked to the parts store, bought a new one, installed it, and the car was running again in no time… I could drive to work the next morning. It was then that I realized what my father had done during my teen years by not just doing the work on my old car, or simply telling me what the problem was. I was standing on my own two feet.
God does similar things with us when it comes to our faith. He teaches us how best to avoid temptation, and deal with trouble, by being with us always, but not by just miraculously fixing all our problems. He teaches us how to pray when our life is sputtering or coasting to the side of the road, and He is always there when we are facing life’s hardships. He takes the terror out of life, and its many troubles, and He teaches us how to use our faith to change them into hope, and promise.
“O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.”
Psalm 10:17-18 ESV
Are we facing trials in life today? Are we grumbling under our breath because God is watching from the window and not simply rescuing us? Well it is hard to see the smile on His face from where we stand, but one day, just after we are raised from the water, and before we walk into the wilderness to be tempted, we will hear Him say…
“and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.””
Matthew 3:17 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for being with us always, and for teaching us to be men and women of faith. Thank you Lord for the example we have in Jesus, and for watching Him grow into a man who could successfully face the wilderness, and the temptations of Satan. Be with us in the storms of life Father, and teach us how to endure them by calling out to you in prayer, and with complete confidence that you hear us over their roar. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who will not allow us to be overcome, but who strengthens our roots of faith as we face the strong winds, and who watches our roots grow deep to find water in the droughts of life. Praised be your name for the good times, and the easy days, but thank you too for the hardships from which we learn the lessons of faith, and to seek you always. Merciful are you in good and bad times, and your grace is sufficient as we walk with you down every road of life. Cleanse us in the blood of Jesus, and call us your children in whom you are pleased. Seat us at your table, and feed us your Word forevermore. Then show us the view from the window from which you watched over us as we laughed and cried during our upbringing.
Rich Forbes