Hope

Consolations To Match

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When one is younger, it seems that every boo-boo can be fixed by the same Scooby Doo band-aid. The slight scratch to the deep nash all get the same treatment – a kiss from mom, some antibiotic spray, and a nicely placed band-aid. At some point, however, we learn that not all bumps and bruises are the same. Some require casts, or splints; others require surgery.  The repair must match the severity of the pain.

When we grow older, we realize that it’s often not the physical gashes that cut the deepest – it’s the rips of our hearts. We live and learn and every time we experience a new pain, we think the previous remedy is insuficient to heal the wounds. And perhaps it is. However, God reminds us in Psalm 94 that just like our physical hurt, He repairs our heart in such a way that the depth of the pain is matched by the breadth of His healing hand.

As it states in verse 19:

When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. (Psalm 94:19 ESV)

Did you catch it? The cares are numerous and so are the consolations. There isn’t a one-size fits all approach. He meets us where we are, to care for our hearts in the way that they need to be cared for in that moment, for that magnitude of pain.

It’s tempting to look back on our life and see how God has cheered us and to think that the way that He has worked in the past is insufficient for the new trial we are facing. Thankfully, God doesn’t always work in the same way. Regardless of our pain, He has consolations to match.

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Being Content

Right Response

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People are free with their advice. From child-rearing techniques to how to invest money, people love to share what worked (or what didn’t work) for them and pass this off as sage wisdom to others.

The propensity for advice-giving is especially prominent when someone is going through a difficult time. People share all sorts of “wisdom” in order to tell you how to cope with the difficult situation. They are quite willing to dictate exactly what your next steps should be – often relying on their failed attempts to handle a similar situation in order to point you in a different direction.

Job faced this. As most people are familiar with, Job is a man who lost nearly everything as a result of an attempted power play by Satan. His friends and his wife were all quick with advice on how he should contend with the difficulties. However, Job would have been wise not to listen to it, as his first response was the right one. At the beginning of the book that bears his name, when he first learns of the initial devastation that comes upon his house, we find this verse:

“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.” (Job 1:20)

We might not be surprised at the first part of this verse. That Job would partake of the ancient symbol for grieving by ripping his clothes and shaving his head does not catch us off guard. But it’s the second half that’s noteworthy. Not only did he grieve his loss, he worshipped. After being blown away by the news that his possessions and his children had been destroyed, his response was to give honor to the King.

We might wonder why Job worshipped. After all, from our perspective it would seem that what had just happened was worthy of questioning God, not praising Him. And I would like to offer that the circumstances probably weren’t the focus of Job’s worship, but instead, God’s character was. Job worshipped because although his situation had changed, God had not. And the God who was worthy of praise when everything was going well, was still worthy the next day.

It’s an important point for us to remember – and not only in times of affliction. If during good times the basis of our praise to God is His gifts alone, we are going to have a more difficult time praising Him when those gifts are taken away. When we worship Him because of Who He is, then in good times and in bad, we will always be able to give Him praise. 

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