"Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? why hidest thjou thyself in times of trouble?" — Psalm 10:1
Trouble in the life of a believer, when it comes, as it inevitably will, comes for various reasons and in various forms. The psalmist here was troubled by reason of the opposition of the ungodly ( v.2ff). Believers in the early church were troubled by persecution. Throughout history Christians have been troubled by the afflictions that are "common to man," illness, poverty, heartaches.
Sometimes we are troubled by others who oppose us. Sometimes we are troubled by our own weaknesses. Sometimes we are troubled by what men call "natural disasters." Sometimes we are troubled by the hand of the Lord Himself, when He must get our attention because of some sin in our lives. All trouble, of course, traces its roots to the catastrophe in the Garden of Eden when Adam chose to ignore God and destroyed divine order in this fallen creation.
The most troubling trouble of all is that which tempts us to conclude that God has abandoned us. Job's troubles were quite different from those experienced by the psalmist, but his reaction was similar: he lost the sense of God's presence in the midst of his affliction. "Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him [Job 23:8-9]." And here the writer says, "Why do You hide yourself in times of trouble?"
Most of us can recall some phase of our Christian experience when we could identify with these moments of despair. The soul longed for respite, and the heavens were silent. Where was/where is God? Such times demand that we recall and believe God's pledge to His own, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee," to which we made reference last week (Heb. 13:5b). Daniel, troubled, mourned and prayed for twenty-one days before he got a response from God, yet was assured, "Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before God, thy words were heard… [Dan. 10:12]." The heavens, indeed, were silent, but God was not indifferent to his cry.
The ultimate reason for unrelieved trouble, when the believing soul cries out in the darkness and God seems very far away, is the refining of our faith. Speaking of our salvation, the apostle Peter said, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ… [I Pet. 1:6,7]." There are reasons in the heart of God that make it "need be" that our testings continue, and the heavens seem as brass. It is in such circumstances that faith is affirmed and God is glorified.
We tend to live with the idea that a good God will not leave us to suffer alone, for long. Meditation on Calvary should correct our thinking. The Savior said with unwavering confidence, "The Father loveth the Son" (See John 3:35; 5:20), yet on the cross, His suffering unrelieved, He cried out, "my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" In God's eternal purpose and infinite wisdom, even the Son of God felt abandoned! That "abandonment" was the necessary precursor to our eternal salvation.
So in our case. Some purpose beyond our comprehension is being wrought in the counsel of heaven while we feel forsaken. Let faith rise to the test, and the enemy of our souls will suffer defeat, and God will get the glory, "at the appearing of Jesus Christ." Someone has suggested that "it is not what the trouble is, but where the trouble lies," that makes all the difference. If trouble lies between us and our Lord, we are in serious straits. But, if we stand between the trouble and the Savior, the heavier the burden, the more it will crowd us to Christ.
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me… Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." — John 14:1,23
For God's glory and our good,
"Pastor" Frasier
Trouble in the life of a believer, when it comes, as it inevitably will, comes for various reasons and in various forms. The psalmist here was troubled by reason of the opposition of the ungodly ( v.2ff). Believers in the early church were troubled by persecution. Throughout history Christians have been troubled by the afflictions that are "common to man," illness, poverty, heartaches.
Sometimes we are troubled by others who oppose us. Sometimes we are troubled by our own weaknesses. Sometimes we are troubled by what men call "natural disasters." Sometimes we are troubled by the hand of the Lord Himself, when He must get our attention because of some sin in our lives. All trouble, of course, traces its roots to the catastrophe in the Garden of Eden when Adam chose to ignore God and destroyed divine order in this fallen creation.
The most troubling trouble of all is that which tempts us to conclude that God has abandoned us. Job's troubles were quite different from those experienced by the psalmist, but his reaction was similar: he lost the sense of God's presence in the midst of his affliction. "Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him [Job 23:8-9]." And here the writer says, "Why do You hide yourself in times of trouble?"
Most of us can recall some phase of our Christian experience when we could identify with these moments of despair. The soul longed for respite, and the heavens were silent. Where was/where is God? Such times demand that we recall and believe God's pledge to His own, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee," to which we made reference last week (Heb. 13:5b). Daniel, troubled, mourned and prayed for twenty-one days before he got a response from God, yet was assured, "Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before God, thy words were heard… [Dan. 10:12]." The heavens, indeed, were silent, but God was not indifferent to his cry.
The ultimate reason for unrelieved trouble, when the believing soul cries out in the darkness and God seems very far away, is the refining of our faith. Speaking of our salvation, the apostle Peter said, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ… [I Pet. 1:6,7]." There are reasons in the heart of God that make it "need be" that our testings continue, and the heavens seem as brass. It is in such circumstances that faith is affirmed and God is glorified.
We tend to live with the idea that a good God will not leave us to suffer alone, for long. Meditation on Calvary should correct our thinking. The Savior said with unwavering confidence, "The Father loveth the Son" (See John 3:35; 5:20), yet on the cross, His suffering unrelieved, He cried out, "my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" In God's eternal purpose and infinite wisdom, even the Son of God felt abandoned! That "abandonment" was the necessary precursor to our eternal salvation.
So in our case. Some purpose beyond our comprehension is being wrought in the counsel of heaven while we feel forsaken. Let faith rise to the test, and the enemy of our souls will suffer defeat, and God will get the glory, "at the appearing of Jesus Christ." Someone has suggested that "it is not what the trouble is, but where the trouble lies," that makes all the difference. If trouble lies between us and our Lord, we are in serious straits. But, if we stand between the trouble and the Savior, the heavier the burden, the more it will crowd us to Christ.
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me… Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." — John 14:1,23
For God's glory and our good,
"Pastor" Frasier
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