Testimony of Praise:

Testimony of Praise:

Trials, hurts, and suffering in life are not only unavoidable, but God also tells us that those things serve a divine and glorious purpose. Despite that fact, we all seem to strain relentlessly at insulating ourselves from anything uncomfortable, taxing, or uncertain.

Psalm 119:71 states, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.”

Was it good for me that my best friend died when I was 12? It sure didn’t seem that way when it happened. Was it good for that my appendix ruptured, turned gangrenous, and nearly led to my death at age 14? There’s a deep, ugly, permanent scar from my navel to my side that reminds me of the months of pain. Was it good for me to experience betrayal in numerous relationships? My heart would beg to differ regarding the depths of those hurts.

How then can the Bible - God’s inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word - boast such a seemingly outrageous claim: “affliction” is good for us?

In our immaturity, shortsightedness, and selfishness we wrongly believe that “good” means happy, safe, secure, comfortable, and independent. Just as the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans chapter 1: we’ve “exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.”

We might be inclined to say that we’ve “evolved” well beyond worshiping the stone idols of lizards and such, but have we? Paul wrote, “and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator…” Truth is, we’ve only “evolved” to worshipping different things: careers, shoes, sports, our kids, success, accolades, money, power, prestige… SELF - rather than the Creator.

God had a plan for us from before the foundation of the cosmos, yet we continue to chase after the same “appealing” fruit of Eden, which led to our expulsion from God’s presence: independence, autonomy, selfishness, and entitlement. We demonstrate the same resistance and rejection of God’s sovereignty. We, like Eve, blissfully embrace the lies of the Serpent and devour the forbidden fruit (independence from God) as beneficial, profitable, desirable, and truly wonderful.

In Romans 1 Paul then goes on to flesh-out what that disobedience and autonomy looks like in reality in vv.28-32: “Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done...”

It’s easy for us to read that and say, “That’s not me,” but is that true? Are you so surrendered to Christ that you are His literal unwavering obedient will in this lost and broken world? See, there are those who are so lost that they blatantly reject Christ, but at least they’re honest. Then there are those who play at Christianity - those whom our LORD calls “hypocrites,” actors. They are those who expose one face to the world, i.e. their “Sunday-best face,” but are instead filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.

These are the ones who would say to their non-believing friends and family, “It’s enough for you to be a good person because a loving God would certainly not condemn YOU to Hell.” These are the ones who “praise His name” at the mountain top, but reject Christ when the swells of trials come. These are the ones whom Jesus said the seed of the Word falls upon and they shoot up quickly, but are readily choked out by weeds or wither in the heat of the sun. These are the ones who are blind to the reality that it truly is good for us to be afflicted.

When Paul wrote about the “knowledge of God,” he wasn’t writing about intellectual ascent. Paul was writing about the transcendent gift of faith in God, i.e. the unyielding, undeniable realization that He is good. The “knowledge of God” connects us to the ultimate reality of God and that His eternal character is flawless, benevolent, perfect, and holy.

So how do you respond to affliction, trials, suffering, loss, and times in the valley of dark gloom? God doesn’t expect unwavering perfection. God doesn’t expect us to joyfully celebrate the loss of a child, friend, spouse, or loved one. God doesn’t expect us to be emotionless robots. But the presence of God, i.e. the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, does endow us with a transcendent, supernatural peace that surpasses all understanding. Faith in God allows us to trust that affliction is, indeed, for our benefit - for our good.

If you’ve never experienced a faith that transcends all understanding, all logic, all odds, but instead have found yourself perpetually questioning, doubting, rejecting, vacillating, or even despising God for the afflictions of life - then do something about it. Psalm 145:18 states, “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

The Bible tells us that God is redeeming all things - ALL THINGS - for His eternal glory. That includes all of your hurts, afflictions, sufferings, loss, shame, guilt, and doubt.

Don’t be content with a personally manufactured and synthetic faith you’ve constructed; instead, call upon Him and ask God for the gift of His faith, which is unyielding, unwavering, indestructible, and eternal. God will always answer His children when we call out in hopeless desperation. He is the one who placed eternity in our hearts. He is the one who gives us perspective to see how tragedy and loss can be transformed into wondrous beauty in Christ.

It is then that our song is redeemed from grief and mourning to joyful bliss, and like the Psalmist we sing, “For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people. And I will hope in your name, for your name is good.”

It is then that we realize that it truly was good for me to be afflicted.

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisicple.com