What do we say when a Christian mother backs the car over the top of her little toddler and crushes him to death? When a young Christian man discovers he has brain cancer and must soon leave his three young children without a father? When a hurricane destroys the homes and disrupts the lives not only of unbelievers but also of believers? Perhaps you’ve asked that question while undergoing personal trial or tragedy. You’ve lost a loved one or gone through a heart-rending divorce or contracted a chronic illness or been betrayed by a Christian friend. The Lord has dealt bitterly with you, as He did with Naomi, and you want to know “Why?”
A Jewish Rabbi tried to answer this question in a book entitled, When Bad Things Happen to Good People.1Harold Kushner, When Bad Things Happen to Good People (New York, NY: Avon Books, 1981). In this book, Rabbi Kushner argued that there’s evil in this world that God cannot prevent. God would like to help people if He could, but His power is limited. There are two problems with Kusher’s answer: first, he assumes that men are basically good and don’t deserve to suffer. But the Bible teaches that all men have sinned and are under the wrath of God (John 3:36; Rom. 1:18; Eph. 2:1-3). So the real question is Why Do Good Things Happen to Bad People? Second, Rabbi Kushner denies God’s absolute sovereignty. According to Scripture, God not only controls the good things that happen; He also controls the bad things that happen (Job 1: Isa. 45:7; Jer. 44:2; Acts 2:23; 4:28). The writer of Lamentations declares, “Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?” (3:37-38).
Rabbi Kushner does not have the answer. But that drives us back to the question: why do bad things happen to God’s people? We are still sinners, but we are God’s people. Accordingly, when a godly Christian suffers some tragedy, we’re inclined to ask, “Why, Lord, are You allowing this to happen?” And it’s not always wrong to ask that question. When we read through the Psalms, we find the psalmist often raising this question when a difficult trial came into his life. For example, “Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide in times of trouble?” (Ps. 10:1) “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?” (Ps. 22:1). “Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? … Why do You hide Your face, And forget our affliction and our oppression?” (Ps. 44:23-24).
The Bible does give us some answers. It tells us that God causes all things to work together for the ultimate good of His people (Rom. 8:28). It tells us that suffering can make us more like Christ (Phil. 3:10; 1 Pet. 2:21). It tells us that Christians will ultimately go to heaven where there is no suffering (Isa. 25:8; 1 Cor. 15:54-58; Rev. 21:4). But the Bible does not give us all the answers! As the hymnwriter reminds us, “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform.” And sometimes God’s mysterious providence can be very unpleasant. When we encounter these dark providences, it’s not always wrong to ask “Why?”
But there is a danger! The danger comes when we expect that God must give us an answer to all our questions. The danger comes when we demand that God remove the mystery and give an account for all of his ways. In light of this ever present danger, I would like to highlight the importance of trusting God even when we don’t understand. As I hope to demonstrate, we should be willing to trust God even when He does not answer our question. The text upon which I would base this proposition is Psalm 131. The author is identified as David, and it’s inclusion among the Songs of Ascent indicates its popularity and frequent usage in the worship community.
A Recognition of Inexplicable Mystery
David recognizes that there are lofty realities beyond our comprehension.
LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me (Ps. 131:1).
These “great” and “profound” realities would include mysteries about the world and about God who created the world. More specifically, the terminology David uses is used elsewhere of God’s mysterious providences—those aspects of God’s activity in the world that are difficult for the human mind to comprehend (cf. Job 5:8, 9; 9:10; 37:5, 14; 42:1-4). This would not only include the good things God did for David but also the unpleasant things: the trials, suffering, and tragedy that God brought into David’s life.
I believe those commentators are correct who see verse one as an allusion to some difficult and painful trial David was experiencing. And part of what made this trial particularly challenging for David was its mysterious nature. Some of us can identify with David. We’ve experienced some dark providences. They are dark not only because of the pain but also because of the mystery. We don’t understand why God has brought these trials into our life.
Imagine that you’re about to run a race. Your coach comes up to you at the starting line, and he gives you a pep talk. He urges you to run well and to finish the course. Then, after he exhorts you to do your best, he hurries down the course and begins to set up obstacles in your way. He builds a wall for you to climb over. He digs a pit for you to cross. He breaks up the ground and makes it rough. You also notice that He’s not putting the same obstacles in front of the other runners. Their way seems smoother and easier. And immediately, you begin to wonder, “Why is he doing this?” I thought he wanted me to run well—why is he making it so difficult?
Sometimes, God appears to be dealing with us in this way. He tells us to “lay aside every weight and to run the race with endurance.” But then He seems to place obstacles in our way—trials, hardship, suffering. We immediately begin to wonder, “Lord, why are you doing this?” “What is Your purpose?” “What are You trying to teach me?”
An Affirmation of Trustful Humility
David not only acknowledges the reality of mystery, but he lets us know how he has responded to such mystery as it has directly impacted his life. According to his own testimony, David had come to accept such inexplicable mysteries with trustful humility.
David’s humility described (1-2a)
To begin with, David refuses to demand God give him an account for all His providences. To insist God answer all his questions would be the height of pride. David will not allow such pride to poison his heart or influence his behavior.
LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.
If we’re not careful, asking the question “why?” can promote agitation and anxiety. These in turn can make us impatient and demanding of God. David knew this. Therefore, he purposely assumes a calm and quiet disposition. Verse 2: “Surely, I have calmed and quieted my soul ….” David is not pouting. He’s not walking around with a long face. The expression David uses describes a humble, trustful disposition. This is confirmed in the last half of verse 2, which brings us to
David’s humility illustrated (2b)
David compares himself to a “weaned child.”
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
The picture is that of a weaned child who is no longer fussy and agitated though his mother has removed something very satisfying. The child is not able to understand why. He does not realize that weaning is necessary for his growth and maturation. Nevertheless, he has become quiet and calm. Those of us who are parents know from experience that this is not the first response of a child being weaned. Initially, the child objects with loud complaints. But eventually with a little love and discipline, there is quietness.
The child is not at rest because he has learned the mystery! His mother has not given him a lecture on the importance and necessity of weaning. She has not explained to the child that he is entering in upon a new stage of physical development and that he must now learn to eat solid food. It’s all still a mystery and an unpleasant mystery at that! But now, the child is no longer objecting and complaining about the mystery. Now he’s willing to trust his mother’s wisdom and love and to live with the mystery.
David, like the weaned child, eventually responded to God’s dark providence with composure and quietness. Perhaps David, like the child, had initially complained about the unpleasant and uncomfortable providences in his life. But now he had come to realize all such complaining was futile because God was not going to give in. He had also come to believe that such complaining was unnecessary because God would take care of him.
An Exhortation to the Covenant Community
Like the Apostle Paul, David knew that all God’s children “must through much tribulation enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). They will not all suffer the same trials. They will not all suffer to the same degree. But like David, all God’s covenant people will be faced with mysterious providences. Turning from his own experience, David faces the covenant community and exhorts them to respond in like fashion to dark providences that come into their life:
Let Israel hope [‘wait for,’ ‘place her trust’] in the LORD
from henceforth and for ever.
Some Practical Take Aways
What lessons can we draw from David’s experience and exhortation?
Lesson #1: We Can Take Comfort that Our Suffering Normal
The trials envisioned and trust enjoined by this text are not extraordinary but normative for the covenant community. The command to “hope” in verse three is very common throughout the Bible, especially in contexts of hardship, suffering, and persecution (e.g., Lam 3:24, 26). Thus, the Psalmist is not calling God’s people to do something extra-ordinary. He’s calling them to live a life of faith in a sin-cursed world. And that’s the kind of world we live in. As a result, trials and tragedies are not rare, but rather they are part of life (Job 5:7; 1 Peter 4:12). We may not all suffer the same trials. We may not all face the same mysteries. But sooner or later, God will bring difficulty into our life that we may not understand. Trusting God in such circumstances is what the Christian life is all about!
Lesson #2: We Can Bless Others Through Our Suffering
God often intends the afflictions of one member for the good of the whole community. In Psalm 119:71, David says, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn [God’s] statutes.” But it was not only good for David’s soul. It was also good for the entire community of Israel. God afflicted David, so that David might encourage God’s people to trust in the Lord. Such was also Paul’s experience—2 Corinthians 1:4: “[God] comforts us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble.”
Who are the great teachers in the church today? Not merely those with great intellect, rhetorical ability, and eloquent voice. No, the great teachers in the church are often those who like David have gone through deep waters and who have responded with humble trust. In light of this principle, those afflicted by God should feel a degree of honor and stewardship. You may say, “But I don’t know much theology. I haven’t learned the difference between supralapsarianism and infralapsarianism.” That may be true. But if you have learned to trust God even when life hurts, then you have something very valuable to teach the rest of us.
And the rest of us in Israel should be ready to listen to those among us who have endured great trial. We might be tempted to think of our afflicted brethren as those God has “set-on-the-shelf.” Or worse yet, we may think of them as those God is judging for their sin” (e.g., Job’s “friends”). As a result, we might think they need to hear from us, not we from them. In some respects, it may be the opposite. As we see in our Psalm, God had a message to convey to Israel, and He chose to convey that message through one of his afflicted children.
Do you know anyone who has continued to trust in the Lord through the midst of great trial? Look at their lives, listen to their words, and be motivated to trust and follow the Lord. And they don’t have be living saints. You can benefit from the books and biographies of tried saints, such as David Brainard, Henry Martin, Robert Murray McCheyne, Charles Spurgeon, Amy Carmichel, and others!
Lesson #3: We Can Trust God Even When Life Hurts
According to this psalm, it is truly possible for every believer to trust God through the difficult trials of life even when he doesn’t completely understand. David was not an angel or a glorified saint. To be sure, he had a regenerated heart; but he was still a sinner—a man who may have struggled with doubts—a man who may have sometimes complained—a man who was tempted in all points as we are—yet a man who did not merely talk of the hypothetical possibility of trusting God when life hurts, but he actually calmed and quieted his soul. He came to trust in God’s wisdom and love. If David could trust God and if he exhorted all Israel to do the same, then such trust is within our reach as well. By God’s grace we can do it! With this in mind, below is some practical counsel for cultivating this kind of disposition.
First, if there is any pride in your heart, repent and seek God’s forgiveness. Perhaps you’ve been entertaining negative thoughts about God. You’ve become bitterly angry at God and demanded that He give you an answer. You’ve said things to God you’d be ashamed for others to hear. Dear friend, if you think God owes you an explanation for everything He does, you are greatly mistaken. You have the opposite spirit of David. Indeed, your disposition is contrary to the proper attitude of a Christian disciple. Jesus said in Matthew 18:3, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Becoming a Christian is like assuming the disposition of a little child—even the disposition of a weaned child! Therefore, I exhort you, stop demanding that God give you account for all of His dealings in your life. Repent of your pride, and ask His forgiveness. Make Job’s confession your confession: “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know…. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (42:3, 6).
Second, learn to be content with mystery. Learning from trial and tragedy does not mean that God must tell you all His secret plans and purposes for your life. Instead, learning from our trials and tragedies often means learning that God is God, that we are His creatures, and that we need to trust Him. Period! “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29). We must not merely affirm this truth intellectually. We must submit to it practically and experientially. Until then, we are not ready to graduate from “the School of Dark Providence.”
Third, determine, by God’s grace, to view God’s providence and your own feelings about God’s providence in the light of Scripture. When God brings trial or tragedy into your life, don’t make your own immediate feelings the judge over God’s providence. Rather, let all your thoughts and feelings about God’s dealings with you be governed by the teaching and promises of Scripture. As William Cowper artfully reminds us:
Blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan God’s works in vain;
God is His own interpreter, and He will make it plain.
Only when we view God’s providence through the lens of Scripture will you and I be able to properly cope with tragedy when it strikes. Only then will we be able to trust God even when we do not understand. Only then will we experience the truth of Psalm 119:165:
Great peace have those who love Your law,
And nothing causes them to stumble.
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