Faith For The Tough Times
Job 23: 1-9 & 16-17
Psalm 22: 1-15
Roger C. Lynn
October 15, 2000
Meaningful faith which makes a difference in our lives is never easy to achieve or maintain. It is a challenge to keep God in the forefront of our awareness and risk trusting God to guide our lives. But it can be particularly difficult when times get tough -- when we find ourselves faced with grief and loss, or with illness and pain, or when tragedy strikes at a personal or a global level. It is in such times when we need God most, and it is such times when we sometimes wonder if God is even there or cares at all about us. So, it is worth thinking about ahead of time, because sooner or later most of us will be faced with tough times. What can we do to develop a faith which will allow us not only to survive but to thrive?
There are lots of things which can be considered and many paths which we can take. There are abundant resources and examples available to us as we strive to be faithful even in the midst of great pain. Sitting on the bookshelf in my office are at least three books which deal directly with this topic -- Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl, a survivor of Auschwitz; Why Bad Things Happen To Good People by Rabbi Harold Kushner; and A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. Indeed, even a moderately detailed look at this subject would require a whole series of sermons. So this morning I simply want to offer a starting place in the process.
Put in it’s simplest form, one of the basic principles of faith for tough times might be stated as, “It is OK to yell at God.” It is amazing how often we forget that. In fact, we are sometimes even tempted to believe exactly the opposite. I have heard people actually verbalize that they worry about being a bad person or a weak Christian because they are angry at God. In my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth. It is probably not very helpful if we never move past our anger, but as a starting place it can be both natural and healthy.
We have numerous scriptural examples of this type of attitude towards God, including both passages which were read this morning. Indeed, one of the powerful benefits of having both the book of Job and the Psalms included in our Bible is the model they can provide for our own dealing with difficult circumstances. Using the Psalms as a resource for prayer can often provide words to express our own experience. And if you examine both Job and the Psalms carefully you will discover that the only thing which is out of bounds in terms of our relationship with God is to stop believing. As long as we keep the connection open, no matter what form that connection takes, God can continue to work with us and help us to grow and thrive.
Thus it is that we find the psalmist crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?” (Psalm 22:1) Even in the midst of feeling abandoned, there is an attempt to be in contact, to lay out the desperation of his situation and complain against God for a lack of caring. It is no accident that it is this Psalm to which Jesus turns in the midst of his suffering on the cross to give voice to his own suffering. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When this becomes our own cry, and there are many of us for whom it has at one time or another, it can be helpful to remember that we have been joined in our anguish even by Jesus.
In his book A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis reflects on his own process of grief following the death of his wife. The movie “Shadowlands,” which we watched here at the church last February, is the story of their life together. At one point in the book he is raging against God. “Time after time, when He seemed most gracious He was really preparing the next torture.” (p.35) And then, in the very next paragraph, he recognizes what he has been doing. “I wrote that last night. It was a yell rather than a thought. Let me try it over again.” (p.35) He does not apologize for the outburst or the anger. It is a part of the process of being human. He simply acknowledges it and then takes another step on the journey towards healing.
And that, it seems to me, is the key. Being angry with God is not an end in itself. But it can be a part of the journey. It is certainly a natural human response and when that occurs we do far more damage by denying it and repressing it than we do by letting it out. By maintaining an open channel with God, even if is to scream and yell, we allow for the opportunity to discover the comforting, healing presence of God which is always there, even when our perceptions are clouded by our pain. Psalm 22 begins with a cry of anguish. It ends with a declaration of praise and confidence in the love and care of God. “I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.” (Psalm 22:22)
There is more to faith for tough times than simply yelling at God. But we must begin where we are. It is helpful to remember that God can take it. I almost called this sermon “The Broad Shoulders Of God.” If, in our better moments, we believe that God created us and loves us and cares for us, then it is reasonable to believe that God understands us even in our worst moments and will continue to love us and care for us even then. May we continue to risk trusting and following God, even in the tough times.
Faith For The Tough Times: Humility
Job 38: 1-7 & 34-41
Psalm 104: 1-13
Roger C. Lynn
October 22, 2000
Last Sunday my sermon focused on one aspect of developing a faith for the tough times. Specifically, I said it was OK to yell at God. Expressing anger at God is certainly not an end in itself, but if that is where we find ourselves, then it is an appropriate and healthy place to begin. The important thing is to keep the channels of relationship between ourselves and God open so that God can continue to work with us and help us to grow and thrive.
There is, however, another side to the story. Today I want to spend a few moments reflecting on the flip-side of the coin. Faith for the tough times involves more than just yelling at God. The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven...” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) In keeping with that philosophy, it is important to remember that while there is a time to be angry with God, there is also a time to move beyond our anger and approach God with a sense of humility which recognizes God’s awesome and wonderful nature.
Again this week the book of Job provides us with some helpful insights. Last week we saw Job laying out his complaints before God. In the reading for this morning we find that it is God’s turn. “OK,” God says, “let me ask you some questions. Where were you when the world was being created? Where are you now in the ongoing operation of the world? Can you accomplish what I accomplish? Do you know what I know?” God’s ways are not our ways, and we are not God. Part of the process of faith finally involves trust. From our perspective, things may seem to be really awful. And, indeed, they may be really awful. But that is not the whole picture. Ours is not the only perspective. It is appropriate to express our anger at how we perceive that we are being treated by God. But it is also appropriate to temper that anger by pulling back to consider other points of view.
The psalm which we read last week (Psalm 22) begins with a cry of abandonment, but ends with a shout of praise. The psalm for this week (Psalm 104) carries forward that theme of praise. It reads as if it might have been written by Job after he had digested all that God said to him. “O Lord my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty, wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent...” (Psalm 22:1-2) When we can move beyond our anger long enough to reflect on the nature of God and who God has been for us, then we begin to build a foundation upon which to establish a faith which can survive and thrive in the tough times.
Leslie Brandt puts it this way in his meditation on Psalm 95 (from Psalms Now):
As with what I said last week about being angry at God, approaching God with humility and praise is not the only aspect of faith which will see us through difficult circumstances. But it is an important part of the process. It moves us past ourselves. It broadens our perspectives. It reminds us that we have not been left alone to face the world. We sing God’s praises not because God needs to hear them, but because we need to sing them. When we gather together to worship God, it is not about satisfying some divine vanity and craving for attention on God’s part. It is about reminding ourselves that the God whom we worship is able and willing to offer us comfort and strength and direction for our journey through this life, including the challenging parts.
So, when we find ourselves faced with tough times -- grief and loss, illness and pain, loneliness and estrangement, tragedy both personal and global -- we might very well begin by yelling at God. It is not right and it is not fair and it should be different than what it is. But let us also remember that God has always been on our side and will continue to be so. Together with God we can move through the darkness to the light of a new day. And empowered by God’s Spirit, we can be participants in making that new day a brighter place to live than was the old one. May we remember to praise the God who loves us and fills our lives with hope.