Hope

Sight Unseen

When faced with difficult situations, its not uncommon for us to utter words that we know are untrue but that bring us comfort. For example, the parent tells the child that their dog didn’t die, but that it is enjoying a scenic farm community. Or the coach tells the team that is brutally behind in points that they can come back and win the game. We say these things without thinking of their falseness. Our intention to bring comfort overrides are commitment to utter truth.

The same is true when our life gets tough. In Christian circles, we frequently comfort ourselves or others with the words “someday we’ll understand and see why God is allowing this trial.” We want to believe that we will understand why we are being challenged and stretched. Now, in the strictest sense this is true for Scripture teaches us that “then [we] will fully know” (I Corinthians 13:12) and in the light of God’s glory the insignificance of our earthly trials will be demonstrably revealed. However, many times, what we mean is that we will be able to look back while on this Earth and see what God accomplished through our difficult situations. I am convinced that sometimes this is untrue. Sometimes, we go through life and do not see the the specific good that God accomplished through it. In the same vein, we often don’t see the full fruits of our Christly actions either. Our commitment to persevere through a trial (James 1:12) and to follow Christ’s commands (John 14:15) must not be contingent on whether we see how Christ is glorified through them. His ways are “higher than our ways” and there are times that we just might not understand.

John Piper (@JohnPiper) recently posted on Twitter – “The man God used to call me from pre-med to gospel ministry never knew it. Don’t judge your life by known effects.” Neither should we judge our trials by the good that we see come out of them. Instead, our we must trust that God “works all things for the good of those that love Him and have been called accordingly to His purpose” (Romans 8:28) even if the mystery of His specific purposes remain sight unseen.

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Hope

The Proof is in the Putting

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er;
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
Oh, for grace to trust Him more!

These words, penned by Louisa M.R. Stead in 1882 have been sung in churches for generations. They stand in sharp contrast to the many antagonists who posit that you can’t proof that God exists. The writer states in this hymn that the proof is possible, because His presence has been demonstrated in her life.

I reflected on these words recently, as I pondered when it meant to “prove Him o’er and o’er.” For those who have walked the Christian journey for any length of time, we recognize that as assuredly as there are moments of confident faith, there are instances of questioning despair. A loved one is diagnosed with cancer. A loving marriage is shattered by divorce. A child is the recipient of unspeakable pain. All of these, quite naturally, can cause us to question God; maybe not in the “do You exist?” sense, although that can certainly be the case. However, even in the staunchest Christian when faced with their personal protagonist of pain may wonder that if God has mercy on who He has mercy, and compassion on who He has compassion (see Romans 9:14-16) why does He withhold His power in bringing healing in our particular situation?

That’s when I realized, the proof that the lyricist wrote about wasn’t, I believe, in having a life in which all pain was immediately obliterated, but instead, was in continually putting her faith in Christ. In other words, to change the phrase, the proof wasn’t necessarily what happened in that particular circumstance, in the “pudding” so to speak, but the proof was in the putting…the perpetual commitment to trusting that God was in control, and that in the end His purposes and His plans would stand firm. God’s existence isn’t proven or disproved through His decision not to prevent a particular trial, but as we continually trust Him we see the proof that He is continuously trustworthy. His faithfulness is often clearest seen in our steadfastness to Him.

Now, some may say this is circular logic. “You are creating what you suspect” they may say. However, my challenge is this. Try it. Followers of Christ know that trusting in God often leads you to what you would least expect, so its not like a preexisting determination is making the equation true. However, by putting your trust in Christ, you can see how in your own life, He is proven faithful, time and time again.

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