Pastor's Column 8/25/2024

PASTOR’S COLUMN

“Do not stay so far from me for trouble is near, and no one else can help me… O Lord, do not stay away! You are my strength, come quickly to my aid! I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among the assembled people. Praise the Lord all you who fear Him! Psalm 22:11;19;22;23a, NLT

“God Comes!”

If life has it way – and it does – there’s hardly anyone who won’t muse over the timing of God. This does not mean our faith in God is destroyed, but it speaks to our human need to be assured that God will be present at the immediate point of our needs. It is the immediacy of His presence that we long for. This especially is in times when circumstances have permitted cruel consequences to invade our lives.  Throughout the Scriptures often we hear the plaintiff cries of the faithful wanting to know “Where is God?” Relatedly is the question, “Why has God allowed this to happen?” In our pain it is easy to hold God accountable for the pieces in our lives that do not fit a predictable pattern. In his great misery, Job came close to blaming God for the day he was born. Job mused that if he had been “still born,” he would have been better off. Job’s real notion was why would God permitted him to be born to suffer such tragedy, sickness, and lost. Job said, “If I had been stillborn, if I had died at birth…then I would be lying still and in peace. I would have slept and been at rest.” (Job 3:11;13, NLT, Amplified). Some translators suggest the language construction describes Job asking a question. He is essentially saying, “Why was I born?” This is like a person who, after experiencing a very difficult day, wishes the events were all a dream. They never happened. The Psalmist speaks from a very painful moment in his life. For 21 verses of the psalm, he appears totally exhausted and resigned to his ordeal. However, from verse 22 on, hope is conveyed. He knows God will come to His aid, and he asks the Lord to come quickly. God’s coming is not always on our time schedule, but help will arrive at the right time.  Behind the clouds of our misfortunes, God is present!