SCRIPTURE: Psalm 44
There was a time when my faith was simple: God was great, God was good, and everything made sense.
In time things got more complicated: good people suffered, bad people prospered, not everything seemed to work out for good.
Eventually I entered perplexity: what? why? how? when? nothing fit with my simple faith.
This psalm seems to follow this pattern: God is great, He helps His people (vv.1-8); but now God’s people are suffering for no obvious reason, God is letting those He loves suffer (vv.9-22); wake up God, get up! why, why, why? (vv.23-24).
How does this end, do we give up on God, do we quit, admit defeat, die in despair?
We need to be honest and real about the struggles – simplistic faith is not realistic faith.
Life is much more complicated, and often it is downright perplexing… we need to admit this.
But the mystery of faith is hanging on to God through the complexity and perplexity.
Not ‘pie-in-the-sky’ simplistic faith, but ‘mud-in-the-eye-refuse-to-die’ realistic faith that recognizes God is greater, more mysterious than our simple definitions and confessions allow.
By faith we grit our teeth, cling to God and demand (through the dust and the tears) “Rise up and help us. Save us because of Your faithful love!”
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
God, from my perspective (and from the Psalmists), life and suffering do not make sense, do not fit simple explanations. Nevertheless I refuse to quit. Wake up, do something, rise up, save us, because without You there is NO HOPE!