Waiting for the Morning during the Long Night of Weeping
Notes on John Piper's Book - Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, Chapter 8. Chapter 8 is written by Dustin Shramek.
Psalm 30:5 - For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Westerners try to deal with suffering as quickly as possible but in some cultures, there are many days of mourning for the death of a loved one.
In Genesis 50:3, when Jacob died inthe land of Egypt, we are told that the Egyptians mourned 70 days !
But Westerners - - it's the norm that we suffer a loss for about a week and then we're "back at it"..... Part of the problem is that we do not see pain and deep grief as normative in the Christian life - - at least for us. Yeh - we see the greats of the Christian faith - - but we never spend too much time understanding their dark times- - rather we get quickly to the deliverance and the "good part of the story"......
What we need is to validate and give voice to the depth of pain.
"We may be shocked when suffering people speak openly of their pain, and concerned when it sounds like they are questioning God's goodnes, wisdom or power - - but, if that makes us uncomfortable, then the Bible will make us uncomfortable....."
Consider Psalm 88 - - the darkest of all Psalms.........( See sermon on Psalm 88 from Rich Vincent )
The Psalmist's pain was so deep that he cried out day and night, begging God to inlcine his ear and hear.
In v 4- he admits he is a man without strength.
In v5 - he says that he is like a dead man, as the pain has drained him so much....
In v 6 - he says he's been put in the depths of the pit
In v 7 - while in the pit - - he felt God's wrath on him......
In v 8 - his friends have left him......
But -- In v 9 - he continued to pray daily......but he did not receive an answer from God.... this is when his pain was the deepest....
And this rejection from God - - his silence - is the hardest - -
v13 - 16 - 13 But I cry to you for help, LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you. 14 Why, LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me? 15 From my youth I have suffered and been close to death; I have borne your terrors and am in despair. 16 Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me.
and the result of the rejection by God?- - rejction of his beloved and friends also: v18 - You have taken from my friend and neighbor— darkness is my closest friend.
In this psalm - it endds with v18 - - he did not move from his pain and grief to joyful triumph.....
So- what's the point? The point is that God can handle our questions, our anger, and our pain. God cares about us in the midst of pain.... his goal is not to get us out of the pain and into joy.... God wants to show us that he is for us and with us in the pain.... When we are in the deepest pit and darkness weighs on our souls and God feels so absent that we wonder if he is even real, this psalm reminds us that he is with us even then.
Jesus
Even more remarkable than the experience of the psalmist in Psalm 88 is the experience of the Son of God at Calvary.
Consider the comparison of Psalm 88 to Jesus' passion:
Christ can relate to the pain of Psalm 88 and to our pain: (Notice that both the Psalmist and Christ pray in their deepest,darkest place - - THEY PRAY !)
Hebrews 4:15-16 - 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need....
In verse 1 of Psalm 88 - there is the only hope - - v1 - LORD, you are the God who saves me; (THEREFORE, it makes sense to pray to Him)...
And - we have hope in our suffering - - there is no one more powerful than God - there is no one more loving - - no one more merciful and no one more compassionate......There is no other God but God.... He alone is Savior and Lord.... It is because God is holy that we can have confidence that he will fulfill his promises to us, that his power will be used to help us, that his mercy will be poured out on us, and that his wisdom will design our suffering and everything else in our lives to work together for good..
Who else can u turn to in suffering? Atheism ? Where is the hope there? Some other religion? Again - it provides no hope.... There is no hope anywhere else, because God alone is God and He is holy... and because He's holy - - He can and will keep his promises...
Isaiah 43:1-3 Israel’s Only Savior 1 But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.
Trials for us, as Christians, are normal - - 1 Peter 4:12 -Suffering for Being a Christian 12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
