I Will Cry To You

Psalm 61:2-4

"From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings."

Maybe I notice things more when I am sick, or maybe there really is a lot of pain and sorrow going on in the lives of those around me right now. I'm not sure which one it is, but I can hardly think of anyone I know without running straight into a wall of tragedy. It seems like everywhere I turn someone is going through a horrible time. And I don't mean minor ordeals, I'm talking about life shattering situations.

So what do we do with all of this pain and suffering? For the non-believer, I honestly don't know. There is no way to make sense of it. Pretending it isn't happening or somehow doesn't matter will only get you so far. Shutting down your heart and refusing to feel pain only works until the pain strikes directly at the center of your own life. Shaking your fist at God and complaining that life is unfair might make you feel better, but it still leaves you stuck in the same position. Like I said, I honestly don't know what the answer is for the non-believer.

But for the Christian, the answer is very clear. God is in control of the situation. That doesn't mean that there will be some kind of fairy tale ending, at least not in the eyes of the world. Christians still lose children, Christians still go bankrupt, Christians are deserted by their spouses, they lose jobs and homes and health. They get robbed and picked on and treated unfairly. They watch parents lose their mental health, becoming cruel and angry strangers. They see their children suffer with incurable diseases.

Psalm 62:8

"Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us."

The only thing that we can do is cry out to God, pour it all out before Him, and trust. Its tempting to do exactly the opposite--to wallow in our situation and stubbornly refuse to seek God for comfort. But if you are a Christian, God promises that there is a higher purpose. He doesn't just put us through misery for the sake of seeing us suffer. No, God always has something good in store for His children.

Psalm 66:10-12

"For You, O God, have tested us;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
You brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.
You have caused men to ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to rich fulfillment."

Don't miss something crucial about this passage. It is God who has done these hard things. That may seem hard to swallow, but if it wasn't from God, then that means He was not in control of the situation. So yes, God did put the author through terrible tragedy, but did you see the purpose at the end? Rich fulfillment. My Bible footnotes offer the alternate translation of rich abundance. Either way, that is what God has in store for His children.

So while we are never promised an easy life, we do have two things to hold on to in the midst of difficulty. First, that God will be our refuge and strong tower if we will run to Him. He will shelter us under His wings. Second, that we will emerge from the fire as silver that has been refined, brilliant and shining, purer and more precious than before the refining took place.

And overriding both of those promises is an even more comforting promise. All of this pain and confusion is temporary. In retrospect it will seem like a vapor. Because in eternity we will enjoy perfect happiness, perfect peace, perfect joy, perfect health, pure perfection all around. That is our ending, or rather, our lasting beginning.