[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 18th of October, 2015. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
I just don’t know what’s going on here! I don’t know why this is all happening. What have we done to deserve this?!? What brought this mess down on us?!? I just don’t understand!!!
I’m willing to bet most, if not all, of us have uttered one of those plaintive cries at some point or another. Maybe even within the last few days. Life too often seems like one long stretch of pain and heartbreak interrupted only occasionally by short spans of happiness. We just don’t understand what is going on. We can’t figure out why all this is happening.
Well, we’re not alone. King Solomon was a very wise man, known far and wide for his great wisdom. But even wise King Solomon could not understand how so much stuff can happen to us in this life. So he reached into his treasure trove of wisdom and pulled out a concept he and we should all be able to live by. Listen and follow along as I read a short passage from the Book of Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 5 and 6, from the New Living Translation of our Bible…
I’m willing to bet most, if not all, of us have uttered one of those plaintive cries at some point or another. Maybe even within the last few days. Life too often seems like one long stretch of pain and heartbreak interrupted only occasionally by short spans of happiness. We just don’t understand what is going on. We can’t figure out why all this is happening.
Well, we’re not alone. King Solomon was a very wise man, known far and wide for his great wisdom. But even wise King Solomon could not understand how so much stuff can happen to us in this life. So he reached into his treasure trove of wisdom and pulled out a concept he and we should all be able to live by. Listen and follow along as I read a short passage from the Book of Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 5 and 6, from the New Living Translation of our Bible…
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
--Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
Let us pray… Heavenly Father, speak to us softly yet strongly, shout silently to our hearts that we might hear You over the roar of our grief. Help us receive Your message and grow a deeper trust in You. In the blessed name of our Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
An American astronaut lay strapped into his capsule, ready to be blasted off into space, when a reporter asked him via radio, “How do you feel?”
“How would you feel,” the astronaut replied, “if you were sitting on top of this powerful rocket assembled from 150,000 parts, each supplied by the lowest bidder?”
[* From 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking, #814, “A Space-Age Mustard Seed”, p. 309. *]
It kind of sounds like the astronaut had some doubts and concerns regarding his fellow man’s craftsmanship, doesn’t it? But he was still willing to be blasted off in that container of lowest bid parts. Perhaps he had more trust in God when settling into that seat while his crew strapped him in.
Trusting God. Sometimes that takes a lot, doesn’t it? We’ve all heard the question, maybe asked it ourselves: If God is such a loving God, why do so many bad things happens to good people? I could do an entire sermon series on that one question, and still never answer it adequately for some folks. But if we look at what the arguably wisest man in all of human history says, we’re simply not meant to understand some things.
Something happened and you don’t understand it? That’s OK. It’s very likely many others don’t understand either. Solomon tells us that we should not trust in our own understanding because, quite frankly, there are just some things we cannot understand.
Why? Because we’re not God. We’re not in His league. The Almighty Himself, speaking through His prophet in the Book of Isaiah, chapter 55, verses 8 and 9, informs us that…
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
--Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV)
Solomon’s father, King David, wrote this for one of his psalms, first appearing in the 2nd Book of Samuel, chapter 22, verses 31 and 32…
31 As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
32 “For who is God, except the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
--2 Samuel 22:31-32 (NKJV)
God’s thoughts and capabilities are so much higher than ours, just as heaven is far above the earth. God’s way is perfect, His word is proven, He is always correct, and He always keeps His promises.
And I love that rhetorical question, who is God, except the Lord Almighty, the Creator of all there is! Wouldn’t it be somewhat arrogant of us to think that we can understand everything He understands?
So what are we left with, but to trust in the Lord. Trust in His wisdom, trust in His understanding, trust in His word, trust in His promises. We have to have faith – that’s what trust is all about. And one of the most difficult things to have faith in is that all this stuff that happens to us happens for a reason, and for a good reason at that.
I think the Apostle Paul provides the best basis of all for trusting God, in his letter to the Romans, chapter 8, verses 27 through 29…
And I love that rhetorical question, who is God, except the Lord Almighty, the Creator of all there is! Wouldn’t it be somewhat arrogant of us to think that we can understand everything He understands?
So what are we left with, but to trust in the Lord. Trust in His wisdom, trust in His understanding, trust in His word, trust in His promises. We have to have faith – that’s what trust is all about. And one of the most difficult things to have faith in is that all this stuff that happens to us happens for a reason, and for a good reason at that.
I think the Apostle Paul provides the best basis of all for trusting God, in his letter to the Romans, chapter 8, verses 27 through 29…
27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
--Romans 8:27-29 (NLT)
God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and who follow His call to the purpose He has for them. At some point in time, all this bad stuff will be kneaded and massaged, sawn and sanded, melted and remolded, and turned into something very good.
The three loved ones who went home this week each had suffered for a long time, both physical pain and emotional anguish also because of their growing infirmities. Now, we know they suffer no longer. There is no more pain, no more suffering, no more anguish, no more tears. The good promised them has been fulfilled.
We may be brokenhearted, but they are in heaven and we should rejoice for that, for them. And someday, our turn will come and all the good will be returned to us, multiplied, magnified, and made into more goodness than we can even imagine. All we have to do is love God, and follow His call. Solomon said the same thing. We are to seek God’s will in everything we do. And He will show us the path to take.
Trust in the Lord, even when everything turns south. Trust in the Lord, even when your heart is breaking and you can’t stop crying. Trust in the Lord, when all others betray you and your own understanding fails you. Trust in the Lord, with all your heart. And He’ll make everything turn out good.
Amen.
Let us pray… Father, your children are hurting. Sometimes it seems our world has gone crazy, that more bad happens than good, that too many people who love You and believe in You are suffering. We don’t understand, Lord! And Your prophets tell us we can’t understand, because, after all, You are God and we’re not. So we have to trust in You, Lord. And we can do that because You’ve never lied to us, You’ve never broken a promise. You have been, always are, and always will be faithful, steadfast, and true.
Hear us now, Lord, as we come to You in the silence, speaking straight from our hearts, giving our thanks and seeking Your strength and courage and comfort and peace…
Help us, sweet Lord. Heal our hurts. Soothe our nerves. Mend our broken hearts. And show us the path You call us to walk. We love You, Lord, and want to serve You. We want to do Your will for us, to fulfill the purpose You have called us to. But sometimes, Father, we get in the way of our best intentions. Help us, Lord, to put all our faith in You and to trust in You with all our heart. This we pray in the beautiful name of Your Son and our Master and our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The three loved ones who went home this week each had suffered for a long time, both physical pain and emotional anguish also because of their growing infirmities. Now, we know they suffer no longer. There is no more pain, no more suffering, no more anguish, no more tears. The good promised them has been fulfilled.
We may be brokenhearted, but they are in heaven and we should rejoice for that, for them. And someday, our turn will come and all the good will be returned to us, multiplied, magnified, and made into more goodness than we can even imagine. All we have to do is love God, and follow His call. Solomon said the same thing. We are to seek God’s will in everything we do. And He will show us the path to take.
Trust in the Lord, even when everything turns south. Trust in the Lord, even when your heart is breaking and you can’t stop crying. Trust in the Lord, when all others betray you and your own understanding fails you. Trust in the Lord, with all your heart. And He’ll make everything turn out good.
Amen.
Let us pray… Father, your children are hurting. Sometimes it seems our world has gone crazy, that more bad happens than good, that too many people who love You and believe in You are suffering. We don’t understand, Lord! And Your prophets tell us we can’t understand, because, after all, You are God and we’re not. So we have to trust in You, Lord. And we can do that because You’ve never lied to us, You’ve never broken a promise. You have been, always are, and always will be faithful, steadfast, and true.
Hear us now, Lord, as we come to You in the silence, speaking straight from our hearts, giving our thanks and seeking Your strength and courage and comfort and peace…
Help us, sweet Lord. Heal our hurts. Soothe our nerves. Mend our broken hearts. And show us the path You call us to walk. We love You, Lord, and want to serve You. We want to do Your will for us, to fulfill the purpose You have called us to. But sometimes, Father, we get in the way of our best intentions. Help us, Lord, to put all our faith in You and to trust in You with all our heart. This we pray in the beautiful name of Your Son and our Master and our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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