God is our ever-present help in time of trouble, and when we face adversity, even catastrophe in our lives, we can trust in Him not necessarily to bring us out, but to give strength to sustain us and even a greater sense of His presence. Here is what James 1 says:
2My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,3knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
I think we can all think back on times in our lives that became "defining moments" for us. Some of those bring great joy - our day of salvation, our wedding day, the birth of a child or children, maybe a new job, moving into a new house - there are numerous ones like that. And, I think it's helpful to rejoice in those times.
But, there are also those times that change the course of our lives that seem at the time to be catastrophic for us - the loss of a family member or close friend, the cessation of a relationship, the termination of a job. But God is with us in all of it, and when we encounter those trials, we can press in closer to Christ and experience His joy - we can even have a thankful heart, not necessarily for trouble, but for what God will do in the midst of it. As He develops patience in us, we can see His perfect work taking place, as He develops character in the refining fire of affliction.
Psalm 32 begins with a passage that can provide comfort and hope when we encounter tragedy and suffering:
(1) I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me.2O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.3O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.4Sing praise to the Lord, You saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.5For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
I can't say exactly what I was doing when the news came in 1963 - 50 years ago today - that President Kennedy had lost his life at the hands of an assassin in Dallas, Texas. I was really too young to understand a whole lot - just a young lad of 4. I do remember the wall-to-wall coverage and I think I felt it was an imposition on my regular TV-watching schedule. But, in the years to follow, I've learned a bit more about the Kennedy assassination and its significance in our history.
There is definitely a "before" and "after" story here - while history has characterized the death of Kennedy as being the end of Camelot, truth is, the short Presidency of John F. Kennedy was anything but smooth. The nervousness of the Cuban missile crisis, the botched invasion, the seeds of Vietnam, the shifting tides of civil rights - it was a challenging era. And, there were some political challenges that Kennedy faced - he wasn't particularly well-liked in Texas, and his political strategists thought that trip there would be helpful to his pending re-election campaign.
But, all in all, to me it seems that Kennedy was a larger-than-life character, or so history has defined him, and through his rhetorical skills and ability to connect with people, there was a sense of hope that seemed to circulate around him.
So, on November 22, 1963 - for some, hope died. Things did change in America after the death of Kennedy - and not for the better, in some cases. Vietnam was a big part of that, but the next few years brought a new morality, more of an "anything goes" mentality, and while we may not be talking about cause-and-effect necessarily, there was a marked shift that proceeded after that day. But, I believe there was another mitigating factor in a decline of American morality in the 60's and since - I would contend that what took place on June 17 of that same year - the Supreme Court's decision that prevented school officials from conducting prayer and Bible reading in public schools. That was a huge defining moment, as well.
I've been an observer of my share of those tragic and traumatic events throughout the years - we all have. I was on the air when President Reagan was shot in Washington, attempting to bring information and clarity into a frightening situation. And, I vividly remember the morning when I was informed in the Faith Radio studio that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. It was just a matter of minutes until I had to communicate to our listeners in light of the tragic events of that day. I remember watching a huge tornado ravage Tuscaloosa and Birmingham just a few short years ago.
We have been observers of some of catastrophic events in our times. And, while some would question God's hand in these unfortunate occurrences, we recognize that we live in a fallen world and tragedy will come. We place our trust in a sovereign God who, even when we may not see His hand or understand, is present with us in times of trouble, and we can take comfort in that.
And, we have times of adversity that will take place in our own lives, sometimes even catastrophic. I believe that God's nature is to bring hope and restoration in the midst of tragic circumstances, and He will work in and through His people in the aftermath. When we face those defining events in our lives, we can trust in the power and love of Almighty God, who will sustain us and remind us that He is there with us. As we trust in His redemptive capabilities, we can experience God in a more powerful way.
Finally, we recognize that even though we may have encountered hardship in our lives, that we can learn from our trials, and as James promises, the trying of our faith will produce patience. Through it all, God will strengthen us and develop character in us as we reflect on what He would have us to learn in trials. James goes as far as to say, "count it all joy" - really? When the burdens of loss, brokenness, and oppression come into our lives, Jesus wants to meet us there - not necessarily to remove the negative circumstances, but to walk with us and bring us through. That's through, but He may not bring us out. But, we can know that He is there with us in the storms of life, and He has promised to provide peace. When we suffer, we can run to God and experience His faithfulness as we trust in what He can do.
No comments:
Post a Comment