Trusting God in the Midst of Suffering: Waiting for the Surprise

 

Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?  Psalm 10:1

 Have you ever planned a surprise birthday party for someone? A common part of this is pretending. Pretending you did not remember their birthday. Pretending like nothing special is planned or going to happen. The person in question may wonder if you even care about them, if their special day matters to you at all. And then, at just the right time, everything comes together and all their friends and loved ones pop out and yell, “Surprise!” All at once, they no longer feel unseen and unloved, instead they are surrounded by joy and affection.

 Sometimes when we are in the midst of trouble, it’s hard to see where God is at in it. Why is He allowing you to suffer when He is fully capable of fixing everything in the blink of an eye? The thing I think we are missing in this situation is perspective. Joni Eareckson Tada once said, “Perspective is everything when you are experiencing the challenges of life,” and she would know – she’s experienced a lot of them!  It may seem like God is standing far off or hiding Himself, but that’s never the case at all. In Deuteronomy 31:6 Moses told the Israelites, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” This promise was not just for the Israelites as it was echoed in the New Testament in Hebrews 13:5.

 So, what are we to do with this knowledge? How does knowing that God will never leave us nor forsake us change how we view the world and our challenges? That’s answered in the next verse, Hebrews 13:6, “So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Psalm 10 lays out in detail what the psalmist is afraid of, the evil men and their evil schemes that are out to get him. But he wraps it up secure in the knowledge that God has heard his prayer and that He is both capable and willing to defend him. Verse 14 of this psalm turns the narrative, saying that God has taken notice, that unfortunate victims can entrust their case to Him, for He delivers the fatherless.

 When we are in the midst of trouble and hardship, sometimes it is hard to see where God is at. In our own, small minds, we cannot perceive why God would allow something like this to happen, why He wouldn’t step in and stop it right away. But, just like a loved one planning a surprise party, God has a bigger plan in mind than we could imagine. He is bringing things together in His perfect timing. His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). You can be sure, when it all comes together, we will celebrate in wonder at the wisdom and intricacy of His plan!

Here’s the Thing: We may not know God’s plan, but we can know God. We can know His goodness, His righteousness, His faithfulness. We can know His promises. When things don’t make sense, when we can’t understand what the purpose behind any of this can be, we can trust in the One who is holding it all and believe that He will make it right.

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