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Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

Psalm 112:4

The idea of God Almighty, God who rewards righteousness and protects the innocent, is a comfort of sorts for those who can fix their minds on Him as a concept. But what is spoken of here goes beyond just having an idea about God existing. This verse is a promise to the person who truly believes in the God of the Bible, in Jesus Christ His Son, and who lives out this inward faith through generous and gracious acts.

The idea of the biblical God brings into our consciousness the awareness that there is more to the world’s economy than what people can affect. Even in darkness, not all is completely dark. Behind and beyond all that we humans can touch, create, impact, and change stands the mysterious Creator and His power is without end. After we have done all that we know to do to secure our own financial success, there is another One whose power and might is far beyond ours, limitlessly so. The idea alone of such a God calls us to pray to Him, to seek His will, to trust His heart, and to consider what type of life He would want to bless.

Faith in the biblical God brings us not just to the realm of His blessings, but changes our hearts to be like His. If we only have the concept without faith, then we will try to use God to accomplish our will. But with faith in Him we realize not only His power but His personality as well. Life, then, is not just about trying to get Him to bless my life, but the direction and purpose of my life become different. What moves God moves me, what is important to Him becomes important to me, and what He would do I begin to do.

The light which dawns for the person of faith is not just the idea that there is One whom we can never count out, that perhaps He will act. This light goes beyond these ideas and includes confidence and trust that He already is acting. He is not peripheral to our concerns or to our lives, rather He is the center of our universe. The one who truly believes in God can never just live his life selfishly and still be satisfied with his soul. The upward call of God always draws us, challenges us, enlightens us, encourages us, and places within our hearts a profound sense of the eternal destiny of the children of God. Generosity and graciousness are not acted out just to impress God above, but they are done because our hearts are no longer the same. Faith has this effect.

The presence of the biblical God, however, is even a more profound light than our faith. The one who believes meets this transforming God face to face. There is light in darkness not just because we hold on to our faith, but because this God holds on to our hearts. The biblical God is not some distant deity that only can come to our rescue, rather He is the God who has come in Jesus Christ and who continues to come to indwell us with His Spirit.

Let sorrows wash over the child of God like a tidal surge, let everything be taken from him, let his wealth, his health, and his dearest ones be wiped away, and light still will dawn for him. Even if he has moments of doubt, even if he despairs and turns away in his heart for a moment, God will call him back and after confession will cleanse his soul of sin and restore him to spiritual health. The person of faith will pick himself up and press on in hope and confidence because even in darkness God is still there. Darkness and light are alike to Him (Psa. 139:11-12). We are able to stand and endure the storms of life because there is One within us who is greater than any storm and brighter than any darkness.

Pastoral Articles encouragement, hope, redemption, strength

By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.

Psalm 137:1

We Westerners avoid emotion. We deny our feelings, stifle our tears, and try to plod on despite the losses in life. The Asian perspective is different: true grieving is done and losses are accepted for what they are, and here is an example in point. The Israelite taken captive to Babylon had much to weep about.

Christ said that those who mourn are blessed with the comfort of God, and accepting the reality of our losses in life opens us up to His help. Have you ever sat down and wept over some matters in life? Tears are not always necessary or even true signs of sorrow in every situation. Some shed tears readily for little reason, others rarely. What is important is that we trace the sorrow down to its source, that we are honest with our own soul about what we feel, and that we bring all of this to God in prayer trusting Him to make it better.

Godly sorrow brings repentance and healing and comfort. Worldly sorrow ends in death (2 Cor. 7:10). Worldly sorrow has all of its dials set on the wrong frequencies, denying the guilt we should accept, accepting the guilt we should not, and being caught in the quagmire of unresolved feelings and loss. What we bring to God earnestly and sincerely He deals with. He will guide us through the matter and lead us to sort out our own responsibility from others. We may always weep honestly and freely - whether inwardly or outwardly or both - in the presence of God and trust Him to heal our hearts and wipe away our tears.

Our losses often seem like un-scalable mountains, but if we continue in faith and we will find that there is another side to the experience. What seems impossible to get past, God in His grace leads us over and into a new valley of comfort and peace. Whatever we have lost in life - whether loved ones or innocence or opportunities - God’s Spirit comforts over. He is the God who gives His children His peace, peace that the world does not have, peace that transcends every earthly situation.

Evening Devotionals, Pastoral Articles comfort, loss, peace