affliction

How Can I Avoid Suffering and Other Lies I Have Chosen to Believe – Psalm 34:15-22

/ Anthea Kotlan / Leave a comment

If I am being honest, I love a good checklist. A clear path lined out for me, revealing what was right to do and what to avoid. I want to know deep in my soul that if I get the boxes checked off in proper order and complete all items before the deadline, all will go well and be pleasant. I would also like this to be true for those I love.

However, it is a lie. One I have loved and circled back to my whole life. It is the worst kind of a lie because it is antithetical to the Gospel. It places a good outcome within my reach if I only tried harder and got everything done correctly. When a negative situation arrives, like an unwelcome houseguest, it sends me searching to find out who is to blame. Who didn’t check all those boxes or complete the necessary steps? Was a deadline missed?

Assigning Blame

Assigning blame creates comfortable distance and an element of perceived control. If I forget to pay the electric bill, it makes sense that my electricity will be cut-off. It is no longer random. It is within my control to prevent that negative outcome from happening again.

This is the life that I want. The one where I can exert control over all outcomes and carefully sidestep suffering or affliction for me and those I love. But that kind of life is an illusion.

When suffering and affliction arrive and unpack a suitcase in my guest room intending to stay long term, and eviction is beyond my power, what can I do?  

How can I remain fully present when suffering and affliction keep company with those I love?

In this final section of Psalm 34:15-22, David reminds me to remember what is true about the LORD.

15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
(Psalm 34:15-16 ESV)

The Lord’s Presence

The LORD sees and hears our suffering. He does not turn away or become weary of hearing our cries.

Because the LORD is fully present in suffering situations, He can help me do this too. He is there with my loved one in the hospital, in surgery, in a counseling session, and in all of the places of brokenness and isolation.

I am not required to solve the problem and/or offer endless advice to fill the awkward spaces between me and those I love who are suffering. Being willing to offer the ministry of presence is enough and very likely infinitely more helpful than my own handy solutions.

The LORD also knows about those who choose to do evil, and He is bringing justice. The LORD carries the burden of bringing justice to wrongdoers. In the middle of suffering, I don’t have to assign blame or seek out the wrongdoers. This burden of justice is not mine to carry.  

17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
(Psalm 34:17-18 ESV)

Verses 17 and 18 remind me that the Lord hears my cries and delivers me out of my troubles. The LORD promises to be near the brokenhearted and the crushed in spirit. Grief and suffering will come my way.

What do I deserve?

The prosperity gospel has permeated so much of Christian culture. A sense of entitlement has settled in and become part of daily life. I am encouraged to believe I deserve my best life now, but I don’t.

Suffering in this life is not a matter of if; it is a matter of when. I will have my heart broken and my spirit crushed in this troubled world. When I do, the LORD promises to be near to me. He promises His comforting presence, not an escape.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
21 Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
(Psalm 34:19-21 ESV)

What does deliverance look like?

The righteous will be delivered, but it might look different from what I expect. Perhaps deliverance looks more like a delay in my schedule because God doesn’t want me to miss out on something He has been keeping for me till I am ready. Or deliverance might be the loss of something I loved because the LORD knows what I need and loves me too much to let me keep something that will damage me.

While there will be deliverance for the righteous, there will also be many afflictions. Sometimes that seems more than I can bear because it is. I will continue to need the LORD to carry me through.

22 The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
(Psalm 34:22 ESV)

The promise of redemption works as a life jacket and gives me hope. I may find myself on the open sea, in a small boat, in the middle of a large storm, yet He renews, redeems, and provides refuge by holding me tight.

A Prayer for a Sufferer

Lord, when a season of suffering and affliction weighs me down, help me to seek you and your refuge first. Help me avoid the trap of assigning blame. Help me to be willing to sit in my own suffering or to sit with those who need me to be willing to show up and keep company with them. Still my tongue from offering advice, when it is merely designed to fill the awkward space. Help me to see the ways you are offering me deliverance, even when it is not what I expect. Thank you that you are near and hear my cries. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

What Am I Called to Share? Psalm 22:22-31

/ Anthea Kotlan / Leave a comment

I spent Sunday afternoon and evening in an emergency room with an elderly family member. God showed up in the kindness of pre-warmed sheets, wrapping us in care. As the hours inched passed, all reports and test results provided much-needed reassurance. Finally, long after sundown, the doctor graciously wrote prescriptions to relieve the most troubling symptoms. We left grateful and giving thanks for a good outcome but worn out in the waiting.

Keeping company with affliction wears heavy on the mind, body, and soul.

Psalm 22 takes the reader on a journey from the opening lines of anguish and isolation on the cross to this final section (verses 22-31) of hope-filled praise in the assembly with the family of believers. Worship and testimonies overflow and alter the atmosphere. However, the Lord still acknowledges suffering, and He never turns away from the afflicted.

22 I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he had not hidden his face from him but has heard when he cried to him. 
(Psalm 22:22-24 ESV)

Testimonies

We are called to share our stories of God’s faithfulness. These stories must be communicated in spaces and places where believers can encourage one another. Our testimonies bring glory to God. Just as suffering can way us down, sharing praise reports in the assembly uplifts us. The examples of God’s faithfulness lift us onto our feet, and our hands are raised to praise Him.

Affliction

Even as we are joining together to give God praise, He reminds us about how He does not turn away from our suffering. Verse 24 says that God hears us, God sees us, and He does not turn away from our affliction. Because God does not turn away from our suffering, we must also be willing to keep company with the afflicted. This call to action cannot be accomplished in our strength. We can draw near to some of the most challenging situations by asking the Holy Spirit to strengthen us. In a society that so often refuses to see, hear or acknowledge suffering, believers have a sacred obligation to be fully present with suffering and the affliction of those He calls us to love.

Keeping company with the afflicted causes us to face our weaknesses and our inability to fix things. No amount of positive thinking or affirmations can create adequate relief when our loved ones are suffering or if we are afflicted.

Who is God calling me to keep the company in a season of suffering?

25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever!
(Psalm 22:25-26 ESV)

Praise

Verse 25 points to how our praise comes from God and is turned back to Him. We respond to God with praise and thanksgiving because He is the giver of all we have.  

Is it possible that the “great congregation,” verse 25 mentions, refers to the ultimate praise party we all will gather together for when Jesus returns to rule the earth? I believe the Lord kindly gives us previews of this ultimate praise party every time we gather with fellow believers for prayer and praise.

Verse 26 promises that those suffering and afflicted will experience future healing, nurturing, and satisfaction. There will be no lack in the new heaven and new earth.

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.
28 For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
29All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive.
(Psalm 22:27-29 ESV)

Every Tribe and Every Nation

All the families of the nations shall worship –every knee shall bow and worship King Jesus. God has called us to go to the ends of the earth to tell every tribe and nation of the good news of Jesus Christ. In the next fifteen years, Bible translation organizations worldwide are joining forces to translate the Bible into every language. People must hear the gospel in their mother tongue to know Jesus cares for them.

Verse 28 reminds us that, “Kingship belongs to the LORD.” He rules and has authority in my life and over the nations. Whether every tribe and nation acknowledge Him or not, He still rules. I know I need that reminder. Every single day the news trumpets all the chaos of this world. A steady diet of those headlines could lead us to give up hope. So how do we counter that?

For every minute spent watching the news, can I spend an equal amount reading my Bible?

30 Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
    that he has done it.
(Psalm 22:30-31 ESV)

Stories To Be Told

The final verses of Psalm 22 proclaim the privilege we have. We will be honored to tell babies about what the Lord has done. My stories will be passed down from one generation to another. Ask the Lord about this “next generation.” How can you love them well? Who are the young women with young children God has placed around you? Do you have grandchildren to share stories with? Do you have nieces or nephews? Or grandnieces or nephews? Do you have neighbors with little ones? Has the Lord sent little ones who need to be loved well to your church?

What stories can you share of God’s faithfulness today? Who has God placed in your path? Who is in your sphere of influence?

He has done it….

Finally, the Lord reminds us that, “He has done it.”  

This psalm begins in the depth of despair and ends with a powerful reminder.

Are you talking about what the Lord has done?

Prayer

Lord, thank you that you have done it. You have done it all. Thank you that even when I don’t feel it, you rule. Send your Holy Spirit to help me tell others about you and be present in suffering with those I love. Thank you for the sacred calling of sharing both stories of goodness and Your grace in times of affliction. In Jesus’ name, Amen.