Somewhere in the dim forgettable past I penned an imaginary dialogue between a Believer and an Agnostic. During the dialogue the Agnostic was quoted thus,
“… then, to add to the sheer futility of living, too often some debilitating affliction overwhelms [an unsuspecting older saint]. It saps the strength and energy from his body and the joy from his life. At that point it is just a matter of enduring from day to day and wishing that whatever power there is that foisted life on him would end the cruel joke and let the weary warrior be carried out on his shield. It's painfully clear that man is not the master of his fate nor is he the captain of his soul.”
Now that is a gloomy assessment of life, although it is not a totally untrue assertion. Too many weary, frustrated people are simply waiting for the final curtain to fall on this dreary play called Life. Its futility and vanities have made their own life, once so full of hope and enthusiasm, a continual mouthing of empty words and a performing of endless tasks until it has fitfully sputtered to its less than rousing finale.
How disastrous and sad; what a tragic waste of divine grace! Surely, that is not what God envisions for those who trust in Him! The Scriptures do not foretell anything like that for God’s chosen ones. On the contrary, they hold out these promises:
“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they [not just the youth] that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isa 40:29-31)
“They [the righteous] are planted in the house of the LORD, they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bring forth fruit in old age, they are ever full of sap and green…” (Psa 92:13-14 RSV)
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psa 103:2-5)
These assurances are certifiable – and yet we have learned to let scripture bring light on scripture. That is, we know from teaching and experience that one Bible passage does not reveal the whole truth of God. The whole truth (as much as we can assimilate) of God is there in the whole of the Bible.
So we should look at other scriptural passages and study the lives of staunch men and women of faith. When we do that, we get another, fuller but not contrary, perspective on the truth of God, how He operates and how He interacts with the children of men. Our first assessment made at the start of this post had to be balanced with the scriptures that followed the assessment.
Following are two more examples of the need for comparing scripture with scripture to get a healthy well-adjusted outlook on the Christian life. In the examples the first two passages are what we would call negative; the last two are a balancing of the first two, giving us a realistic look at what we can expect from life that has been cursed by sin yet blessed of God.
A True Negative Look at the Believer’s Life
1. “Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth has fallen in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.” (Isa 59:14-15 RSV)
This statement can aptly apply to life today, when truth has indeed “fallen in the public squares” and anyone who lives by the standard of Jesus Christ becomes an anomaly. This is compatible with the next scripture:
2. “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Mat 24:11-12)
But there is always a counterbalance to the sin surrounding the righteous on every side. We have a brighter look at Life in the following:
A True Positive Look at the Believer’s Life
1. “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then from my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints [yearns] within me! (Job 19:25-27 RSV)
Job knew, in the midst of his terrible suffering and centuries before Jesus the Great Comforter came, there was something better for the children of God. He did not make his statement of stout faith after God had fully delivered him, but in the center of the flames of purging he made his declaration of faith, the faith once and for all time delivered to the saints.
2. On the Thursday or Friday shortly before His crucifixion Jesus told His forlorn disciples, who could not understand why Jesus had to leave them,
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for [note this] he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (Joh 14:16-18)
And, true to His word, Jesus did return as the promised Comforter on the Day of Pentecost. What a vast difference the Comforter made in the lives of men and women who were timorous and unsure of themselves before His coming! The word of Isaiah was also fulfilled:
“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.”
We today are the followers of the same Christ who, after Pentecost, brought His disciples through persecution and joy, sorrow and unending peace. If all you can see is the present trouble you are experiencing, there is something dreadfully wrong. Read your Bible and see: The individuals who sought their God fervently were never left to die at the hands of their oppressors.
Paul puts it this way:
“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…” (2Co 4:8-9 RSV)
So reach down deep inside yourself, reach deep into the Christ within you and quit whining and complaining. You are the seed of royalty and you must not let the enemy defeat you nor let him see you cry. If you must cry out, cry to God and put on a bold face; you will survive and, in addition to surviving, you will know some of the greatest pleasures in Christ that you have ever known.
Comments