Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
THE CHRISTIAN COURSE: MAKING SENSE OF THE THINGS AROUND US
It can take years, but eventually some practicing the art of ancient Polynesian navigation become so skilled that they are never lost on the ocean. They have ways to determine where they are and where they are going at all times. On an ocean that would terrify and befuddle someone like me, a skilled navigator can chart a course and reach his final destination. It's not that he doesn't face the same daunting sea that anyone else would face, it's just that he knows better than most what the things around him mean.
When it comes to this life, people are often left wondering what the things around them mean, especially the things which cause pain and troubles. For those who have been instructed by the Word of God and who have been brought to trust the things it says through the gift of the Holy Spirit, there are answers and knowledge with regard to these things. It's not that Christians don't face the same hard things in this life that everyone faces, but through the guidance of the Word they are better equipped to deal with these things and make sense of them.
We know that the problems and pains of this life are not a reason to doubt God's goodness, but they are evidence of sin's effect upon this world. However, even though there are problems and pains in this life as a result of sin, in His Word God has promised that He will make all things in this life work together for the good of His believing people. That is why the Apostle Paul could confidently write, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8).
Without a doubt, suffering and pain are part of this life. However, pain and suffering take on a completely different character when we are set on the Christian course by God through His Word. His Word helps us to understand that the negative things in this life are not reasons to be consumed by fear and sadness. They are opportunities for God to deliver us and to use these things for our ultimate good.
