Lord, why do You stand so far away? Why do You hide in times of trouble?
Psalm 10:1 HCSB
Where are You God?
Have you ever been going through a time of suffering or some kind of trouble and felt like God was no where to be found? You tried to pray but felt like He wasn’t listening or you waited for Him to show up or answer but it was like He didn’t even know you were in trouble? If we’re honest most of us have felt this at one time or another, and it’s exactly how David was feeling when he wrote Psalm 10.
So What Do We Do?
We may feel like David, we may even pray like David but the bottom line is – we trust. Like Asaph in Psalm 77, we resolve and choose to remember the faithfulness of God in times past and specifically, in this situation, the promise of God to never leave or forsake His children.
Prayer Prompt
Father, sometimes You have seemed “far off” or as though You’re paying no attention – when these times come God, when I can’t see Your hand please help me to remember your promises and to trust Your heart.
Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago.
Psalm 77:10-11 NET
Asaph’s Confidence
I love the heading for this Psalm in the Holman Christian Standard Bible, “Confidence in a Time of Crisis”. It is certainly fitting from start to finish of this Psalm of ‘lament’ by Asaph and I think an equally fitting way to start this study on “Trusting God in the Midst of Suffering” (by LGG).
Suffering is part of the believer’s life and to survive it we must learn how to deal with it in a godly way. While we most often learn best from experience it is beneficial and God’s plan according to (2 Timothy 3:16-17 to learn from the examples in His Word. Today’s reading provides one such example. Let’s take a look.
The Lament
Asaph’s lament begins in verse 1 with no clear reason what prompted it but clearly he is facing a crisis of some kind. Notice though from the get-go, even in the throes of the crisis his faith is active. He didn’t run from or turn from God but ran to Him and was resolved to cry out to Him in prayer and thought and faith.
I will cry out to God and call for help. I will cry out to God and he will pay attention to me. 2 In my time of trouble I sought the Lord. I kept my hand raised in prayer throughout the night. I refused to be comforted. 3 I said, “I will remember God while I groan; I will think about him while my strength leaves me.” (Selah) 4 You held my eyelids open; I was troubled and could not speak. 5 I thought about the days of old, about ancient times. 6 I said, “During the night I will remember the song I once sang; I will think very carefully.”
Psalm 77:1-6 NET
From Lament to a Song of God’s Extraordinary Deeds
However, don’t miss that the longer Asaph cried out with the problem that was causing him to “groan”, the more panic and heartache seemed to rise within him. In turn these created the threat of doubt and the fear that God would cease to be active in his life. This is where we find him in our focus/soap passage today. He couldn’t bare to think that God would become “inactive”, to the point that it “sickened” him. Yet, this is the very thing that turned his lament into a new song of God’s goodness and activity in times past. Asaph resolved to recall God’s greatness and power over all things. With this resolve, Asaph’s cry changed from “I will” to “O God, Your deeds are extraordinary … You are the God who does amazing things! You have revealed Your strength … You delivered Your people … You walked through the sea; You passed through the surging waves … You led Your people like a flock of sheep …”
The Change
It’s important as we move forward in “Trusting God in the Midst of Suffering” to notice the change came with Asaph’s resolve to remember and what he chose to remember. He made the choice to fix his mind – not on the ‘crisis’ or the rising doubt and fears but rather on “the works of the LORD …” and this seemed to change everything – well, perhaps not the ‘crisis’ (Scripture doesn’t make this clear) – but certainly his reaction to the ‘crisis’ changed. Perhaps this is an example of why Paul taught the Philippians to fix their thoughts on things that are excellent and worthy of praise, Phil 4:8.
What this mean for us: The Application
I believe this is where we find our application today, choosing to fix our mind on the things of God and not the things of the world that make us anxious and problem centered rather than God centered. This is not to mean that we can’t pray or cry out to God in lament. Actually, looking again to Paul’s teaching in Philippians 4:6-7, we see that when he warns the believers not to be anxious about anything he also says, “instead, pray about everything and thank God for what He has already done.” He says that when they do this they will experience the peace of God which exceeds anything they can understand. I can tell you from experience – when you apply the power of truth that is in these verses to your life it changes everything.
What’s Your Plan?
What is the resolve of your life? What will you do when the crisis comes? Clearly Scripture teaches us to have a plan that is rooted in God (Father, Son, and Spirit) and in His Word. Here are some helpful tips …
Know Him – this comes from prayer and staying in His Word daily
Don’t trust, lean on, or stay in your own emotions but trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Sing of His goodness(what we listen to guides our thoughts)
Write down what He’s done (have journal or use your phone at the end of each day to write down 1-3 things that you saw Him do or remember He has done in the past … something as simple as a much needed parking space to His amazing gift of salvation, acts of grace or mercy, His forgiveness for the unspeakable things of your life, His love despite those unspeakable things, His Spirit’s power in You, your hope of eternity, and any number of amazing deeds you have witnessed from Him)
Prayer Prompt
Father, help us to turn our laments into songs of joyful praise. How often have I lamented before You – crying out for You to hear, waiting on You to answer, trusting You to not forget or become inactive. Like Asaph I have found myself clinging to You through the waves and heard You whisper – “Be still and know that I am God”. How many times You have used the words of Paul to cause me to choose to recall Your goodness, grace, and mercy and to resolve to fix my thoughts on things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Thank you for the history of Your goodness and the evidence of Your love and the faith on which I stand. In Jesus’ Name – Amen!
Love God Greatly
If you would like more thoughts on today’s reading please click the link for today’s blog post from the LGG Team.
Materials Now Availablefor Trusting God in the Midst of Suffering!
We are one week away from our next study, Trusting God in the Midst of Suffering! This is a 4-week study by Love God Greatly that I will be sharing/hosting here at Mefomthensideout.
Whether you’re joining me for the live study on Monday, May 2, 2022 or some date beyond that I’m so glad you are here reading this and hope that you will join me for the journey. The beauty of an online study is it can be done any time from any where, alone or be brave andask a friend, a neighbor, or family member to join you and see what God does. Who knows, you might be an answer to someone’s prayers! Scriptures are provided but I would suggest grabbing your Bible and the LGG study journal and come explore God’s Word with me as we embark on this journey where we will discover what it means to trust God, even in the middle of deep pain and suffering.
Here’s how it works … I will provide daily (M-F) readings, my thoughts, and links to the daily post from Love God Greatly. You can simply go solo, reading and journaling one on one with God, or you can gather with a group or participate here by leaving comments – which I will happily engage in. The choice is yours and I pray abundant blessings will be as well. Once you’ve finished this study be sure and check out the past studies or see what’s coming next.
Take your Bible study to a deeper level through the Trusting God in the Midst of Suffering study journal!
This is the disciple who testifies about these things and has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 25 There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
John 21:24-25 NET
The Things We Could Talk About
Sometime after Jesus revealed Himself to Thomas He appeared to them again and we could focus on the events that took place – like the miraculous catch of fish, or Jesus’ conversation with Peter about feeding His sheep, or the type of death Peter would face. Instead we will conclude our study with John’s conclusion of the Gospel and why it’s important to the quest of being secure in our eternity.
Through Their Testimony
As we have learned from this book, the words of Scripture are meant to lead us to know/believe in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent Him. This being true we naturally want to know that the sources of the word are trustworthy, how they are related to the Christ they profess. What we find here is that John wrote or dictated as one who was an eyewitness to the stories shared. He was loved and trusted by Jesus, which is perhaps most evident when, from the cross, Jesus placed His mother under John’s care, John 19:26–27. The point however, isn’t how much Jesus loved John or why but that John is a reliable source. Which, if we are staking our eternal security on words that were written centuries ago by those we do not know we want to know they are reliable. After all, Jesus Himself prayed in John 17:20, “I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony …” Don’t misunderstand me, I do not mean to take God out of the picture nor am I inferring we must trust the reliability of man over trusting that the Bible is God-breathed, 2 Timothy 3:16, However, He chose to use humans, just like us, to write the words and so having knowledge of these people and why God might have used them or what role they played surely enhances the way we listen to or read their presentations. Perhaps John understood this and thus addresses it here to close his book.
“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”
John 19:26-27
He Knew THe Importance of Jesus
I love that John wanted to testify about these things so that others would know the man and the friend that Jesus was. However, I also appreciate that he couldn’t help but point out that the things he had shared were no where near all that could be shared about His friend, His teacher, The Christ. John was, as we should be, impressed with Jesus. He knew Jesus’ importance and the value of what He had to offer and believed in the dire need to proclaim it so that, as Jesus prayed, “the world will know that you sent me, and You have loved them just as You have loved me.” (John 17:23)
31 But these are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:31 NET
From the second chapter of John the Scriptures make it clear that all of the miraculous ‘signs and wonders’ and all of the “I Am” statements were meant to help others believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, and have life in His name.
Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, in Cana of Galilee. In this way he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.
John 2:11 NET
As we near the end of John’s Gospel he makes it clear that not only were the miraculous signs done so that others could believe but they were recorded for the same reason.
The B.I.B.L.E. Yes that’s the book for me
Some would argue that the Bible is antiquated, others will say it’s awful that people have allowed the new systems of technology to replace the “Good Book”. However, the things written about Christ and what He did during His ministry are important and are to be valued in any means available. As Paul said in Romans 1:16, they have the power to save. So, having believed these Words and having received the gift of salvation we must now share them so others may also believe and be saved. Regardless of how we share them – whether from the pages of a well-worn Bible or from the latest ipad or phone – they must be shared. Consider this, while the new technology may be a distraction to some it enables people with poor eyesight, like me, who can’t see the words on the page of a Bible in a dimly lit room to see the words crystal clear on a screen.
Prayer
Father, thank You for these WORDS, all the words of Your book, but especially these that are written about Jesus. Thank You for Your Son and His signs and wonders done so that we might believe that He is the Christ, Your SON. Thank You that by believing we can have life in His name. Help me/us be faithful to share these WORDS – the Gospel of Jesus – so that others may believe and be saved. For this end Christ came to earth and lived and died and rose victorious.
Jesus replied, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
John 20:17 NET
Go and Tell Them
While Jesus says to Mary, “Do not ‘touch me'”, He actually used the word haptou. This word is better translated as clutching or clinging to, inferring lingering. So it wasn’t that He didn’t want her to touch His resurrected body but simply that rather than cling to Him in her relief and excitement she needed to do the more important thing which was to “go and tell the others”. This is made evident in the other statements Jesus makes within this one verse. “I have not yet ascended to my Father” and then “Go to my brothers and tell them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father …” Jesus still had things to accomplish before He would ascend to the Father and He wanted the disciples to know He had returned, even for just a little while.
Brothers
In all the excitement over Jesus’ resurrection it would be easy to miss the fact that He told Mary to go and tell His “brothers” or that He referred to the Father as “my Father and your Father,” and “my God and your God”. Yet it seems to me a very important statement and one we must not miss. While there can be arguments made that Jesus had used term “brother” before when referring to the disciples – generally it was His habit to call them friend. However, at no other time had He referred to God as anyone’s Father but His own. If you ask me, the personal pronoun changes everything and emphasizes the work Christ had done on the cross and through the resurrection. This is no longer a ‘religion’ of rules and practices but of a relationship between God the Father and His children.
When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
( Galatians 4:4-5 )
The Father’s Business
Oh how nice it is to sit and cling to the Savior or to get lost in His Word and savor the quiet times but we must take to heart Jesus’s words to Mary – and not always ‘cling’ but to go and tell the others. In Mary’s case it was because Jesus would soon be ascending to the Father and no longer with them. There were things that needed to be said and done and they need to make the most of their time. For us and those who don’t yet belong to the family it is equally important because one day He’s coming back to take us home and only those who are prepared will get to go.
The urgency for Mary to "go and tell" was because He would be leaving. The urgency for us to "go and tell" is He will come again and people must be ready. - Me from the inside-out
Prayer
Father – help me to be about Your business – telling others about Your son – how and why You sent him – what He’s done and what He will yet do. Help me to bask in Your Presence – to glean from Your Word and cling to You but not to the neglect of those who do not yet know! Thank You for the empty tomb and for making me Your own!
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
John 17:3
Eternal Life
When we talk about glorifying something or someone we typically are referring to making them known – drawing attention to them or to what they’ve done – and giving them the place of honor. In this first section of John 17, Jesus lifts up His request to the Father to make Him known – not that He may boast but that He may glorify the Father. However, there is a second reason that I see and that is found in our focus verse today (3). God’s purpose in sending Jesus was so whoever believed in Him would have Eternal Life. Jesus has been making Himself and the Father known during His time on earth both to the disciples and all who would listen to the message or saw the miracles. Having come to the end of His time on earth He points out to the Father, that He has been successful in what He was sent to do. His reasoning for deeming it successful was that the disciples had accepted the message God had sent Him to give and they knew with certainty that He came from God. And this, by Jesus’ definition, is eternal life – that they know both the Father and the Son whom He sent.
For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
John 17: 8
Our Mission
Our mission as believers is to keep the message going. It’s a mission made possible, according to Jesus, by the spoken testimony of the believers that God sent Jesus to save. The mission is accomplished with more than words though, it is to be the action of loving others as Christ has loved them, (John 13:34-35; 15:8, and 17:20). We accomplish the mission by living in a way that the world will know Him through us – just as He lived in a way that the world would know God through Him. Don’t miss the passion Christ had for the mission to save the world and to make the Father known. We’ve seen it throughout the book of John and we see it here as He prays and emphasizes His hope that the world will believe that God has sent Him. I believe it is clear from His words in this prayer that Jesus’ hope was that we would share in His passion.
my Prayer
Father I don’t have to feel like you are using me. I don’t have to know anyone is listening – I only have to live and love like Jesus, who kept the message going so the world would know You – the only true God and Him, who You sent to save us.
The Emotions of Jesus
One final thing I can’t help but point out – and that is how Jesus prayed and longed for those who had believed in Him. We can feel His excitement in verse 7 over them truly understanding His relationship with the Father and the Father’s real and present role in all that had been happening. I could also feel His true longing for those who belong to Him to be with Him. This is how He longs for all of us who are His. May we equally long for Him and for the Father; and may we pray for the lost to believe.
“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.
John 15:1
God’s Role
This is the last of the “I AM” statements in the book of John, and a bit unique to the rest of the statements. Jesus not only identifies Himself in the statement but He also identifies the Father, saying “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener”. While Jesus has mentioned the Father in some of his other “I AM” statements or their explanations He was mentioned in connection to Jesus and who He was. However, by introducing the Father as the gardener who prunes the branches – we now see not only what role He plays in the life and ministry of Christ – but also in the life and ministry of His followers.
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
John 15:2
Needless to say, God plays many roles in the lives of His people but oh the beauty of the gardener. Tending to our tender roots, watching over us and eager for us to grow healthy and strong. He prunes us so we will grow more fruit and He protects us from those branches that are bearing no fruit by taking them away. Because of the “Gardener”, I am able to stay attached to The True Vine, who keeps me from dying. I cannot survive apart from Him. He says when I remain in Him – a word He used often in this teaching – and He remains in me then I will bear much fruit. The fruit is dependent on a living thriving relationship where both parties are involved. He goes on to say that the Father or the gardener, as He is pictured here, is honored when we bear much fruit and show that we are His disciples.
As I read through this passage I’ve been reminded of my love of ferns and it hit me – I am their gardener. Not only are they a beautiful display of my favorite color but they are a soft and inviting foliage for any setting. I put ferns out from early spring to late fall every year. On the back porch they fill a variety of containers and can be seen from inside the home, enjoyed on the porch, or by the pool. On the front porch they hang from hooks, grace tables, line the steps and add beauty to old crocks. As their gardener they depend on me to water them, feed them, and on the front porch they especially need me to keep the birds from nesting in them, the beetles from eating them, and the sun from scorching them. Throughout the season I may have to cut away the occasional fronds that have turned brown or played host to a rogue beetle or two. It hurts me just a bit to do this but I know they will be better because of it. I love watching them grow and I delight in their personalities greatly affected by the amount of light and temperatures. I rotate them often giving them equal time to share in the sun and shade. I realize, as I type this, that they sound like a lot of care or work but they bring me joy and add beauty to our home. To borrow a line from Jesus about the Father, I am honored when they bear more and more beauty reflecting the love and care they have been given.
Symbolism and Application
The symbolism for me is this – Just like my ferns are a beautiful display of my favorite color, we are to be a beautiful display of Jesus, God’s only begotten Son. We are to be an attractive reminder of Him- the One of whom God said, “I am well pleased”. We are to surrender to the “gardener’s” pruning and remain in the vine, so that we can bear much fruit and show that we are His. In this way we honor the Father. Much like a home adorned with beautiful ferns, our lips should flow with the message of Christ and our lives are to be adorned with the fruit of His Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control should define the landscape of our lives – the chief of which is LOVE. For “they will know we are Christians by our love”.
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 14:6 HCSB
Loving Others
I’ve had John 13:34 in my memory bank for many years, so while it isn’t our focus/soap verse I can’t just skip by it. Love is a key ingredient of Christ’s teaching. Actually, loving others was included in the answer He gave to a teacher of the law who asked Him what the most important commandment was. After explaining that the greatest commandment is loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength He went on to say that loving our neighbor was equally important. Suffice it to say Love was a vital part of His teaching and He intends for it to be a vital part of the believer’s life as well. To understand why it’s so important we only have to read the next verse which says, “By this (loving like Jesus) all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
You see it isn’t just nice to love one another like Jesus has loved us, it is our testimony for Him.
Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
Mark 12:29-31
“How Can We Know the Way?”
Jesus was re-emphasizing the importance of love because it would be the very thing that identified them as His witnesses when He was gone. This naturally led to great concern over where He was going and answers they didn’t quite understand. This discussion led to our focus verse today which was Jesus’ answer to Thomas who asked: “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” The answer comes back to one we have looked at before, Jesus is the way to the Father for everyone who believes. So He makes the statement again that when we know Jesus we know “The Way”. He is not only the way to the Father, but He is the truth of the Father, in the flesh,(Psalm 119:142 and John 1:1). Finally, Jesus declares Himself to be the life from the Father, (John 3:16).
The answer to Thomas’ question is the same for us today. When we know Jesus we know The Way! While we rejoice in this we must take seriously the alternative – for those who do not know Jesus do not know the way and will have no access to the Father’s promise of eternal life. For this reason, like Jesus, we must be committed to our Father’s business – the saving of souls.
Personal Application
There are several noteworthy applications we can make from our focus/soap verse as well as others from today’s reading.
Let’s look at our focus verse in John 14:6.
Examine how Jesus has loved you and love others like that. (13:34)
Be His witnesses (13:35)
Go “the way” of Jesus – the way of the cross. (Luke 9:23)
Walk in “the truth” – His Word is truth (Psalm 119:142)
Live “the life” of freedom that He came to give (Gal 5:1, John 10:10)
Enjoy the access we have to the Father. (Hebrews 4:14-16; Eph 2:18
What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
2. I also want to make an application note on verse 11 of chapter 14, where Jesus tells Philip to believe – if not because of what He has told them – then because of all they had seen Him do. You see, it won’t always be what we say that leads others to believe – sometimes it will be because of what we do in His name – such as loving others as He has loved us.
3. The final application came at the end of the passage, 14:31 where Jesus says to His disciples –
but I am doing just what the Father commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Get up, let us go from here.
Actually, it’s those last five words that hit me. It is so easy and comfortable to sit in the presence of Jesus, to talk with Him – listening to Him, asking Him questions, gazing into His eyes through His Word. But, at some point we must “get up” and go out from that place of safety and comfort to do what the Father has commanded us – and this so that others may believe. For “how will they believe if they do not hear?”
As we discovered earlier this week, we are His messengers and today we have seen that we are His representatives – so that others will know that we are His disciples. In this He is glorified (made known) – and in this the Father will be pleased.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me.”
John 13:20 NLT
An Action Packed Narrative
I don’t even know where to start with today’s reading. It is action packed emotionally and physically. You can almost feel a pulse to John’s narrative as he tells us Jesus is aware that His time to leave this world was getting close. The depth of His love is seen and heard both through John’s words and through Jesus’s act of servitude as He tied the towel around his waist and began to wash the feet of His disciples. His knowledge of a betrayer among His own is heart wrenching as it unfolds subtly, almost silently from Jesus’ lips. His servant’s heart and attitude are a living and lasting example of His love. His patient and gentle explanation of what He was doing and why it was important for Peter to reconsider letting Him wash his feet. The beautiful yielding of Peter is such a fabulous picture of the relationship developed between teacher/Lord and student. Having washed their feet, we watch as He moves closer to the final hour, revealing more and more to His inner circle. He has set for them an example of serving others and made sure they know this is how they are to live. He also removes all excuses of stations in life and focuses them on the blessings of obedience to His way.
The Warning
Then Jesus comes back to the subject of the betrayer with a warning that one among them is not truly clean or to be blessed. He acknowledges that choosing this one was not a mistake but done so that Scripture might be fulfilled. He isn’t telling them this to stir up dissension or trouble but so that when it happens they will be able to deal with it and know that it was supposed to be this way. While it might be a shock to them they will know with certainty that it was not a surprise to Jesus.
Even my friend in whom I trusted, one who ate my bread, has raised his heel against me.
Psalm 41:9 HCSB
The Messenger
Then comes our focus verse, which seems a bit oddly placed as it appears to fit more with verses 12-17, specifically verse 16 where Jesus mentions “one who is sent as a messenger”. Here He continues with the explanation that whoever accepts the message He has been giving them, which is the Gospel, that person accepts Christ and if the person accepts Christ they also accept God, who sent Him. It is so important for us to understand and to grasp that what we do with the “message” Christ gave His followers about who He was and who sent Him is a life giving message. Make no mistake, as surely as we are to serve and love others as He served and loved – we are also called to be His messengers. (Mark 16:15)
Then He said to them, “Go into all the world
and preach the gospel to the whole creation.
The Prayer
Mark 16:15 HCSB
The Prayer
Father, You sent the Son and I have believed – Not because I have walked with or talked with Jesus like Peter, James, John, and the rest of the twelve – but because You placed people in my path who have demonstrated His Love and shared His message with me. Help me to be Your faithful messenger in all I do and say, so that others will see and hear and receive the message and draw near to Jesus and to You through Him. In Jesus’ Name – Amen!
Me From the Inside Out 