Before I was afflicted I went astray… but it was good that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. Psalm 119:68-71
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating
you as his children… Hebrews 12:7.
O the joy of being laid low!
Those are the words I would like to have started this
message with. But alas, they would have been the words of a hypocrite. Why? –
because I have recently been laid low, and I’m afraid it’s been anything
but a joyful experience, however much I aim to trust in God.
I’ve had a couple of quite nasty falls, followed by an
unpleasant couple of nights in hospital. Now my back is extremely painful and I
can barely move. Further doctor’s visits are ahead. O poor little me!
This is where a lifetime of reading the Bible, even when
you may not experience a particular blessing at the time, makes a difference.
As I tried to adjust to my new situation, a couple of scripture verses emerged
from the mists of memory, linked to the idea of “affliction”.
In Psalm 119:68 the psalmist tells us that “before I was
afflicted I went astray”; then in verse 71 he follows that up in positive mode
with “it was good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your
statutes”. All right, that’s not exactly being joyful, but he is certainly
seeing things in a new light, the light of faith and trust in God. That
challenged me.
When
the psalmist talks about “learning God’s statutes” I don’t think he means
taking a refresher course in the ten commandments or some other part of Old Testament
law; it’s more like an umbrella term for “the way God does things”. Whatever,
that was the way it seemed to apply to me. So, what are some of the things I
have been learning during this decidedly unwelcome experience?
First,
the wonderful nature of the church.
Of
course, the Christian church is anything but perfect, and the local churches to
which we belong often seem, well, ordinary at best. But never mind! I have been
almost overwhelmed by the avalanche of support and kindness, both starkly
practical (hey, where did those grab-rails in the bathroom appear from, or that
walking-aid?) and more strictly “spiritual”. Assurances of prayer and offers of
help, plus little gifts and messages from near and far, from friends new and
old, have made me aware of how adrift we would all be without the people of God.
The person who says “I believe in Jesus, but I don’t need the church” is in
fact tragically out of step with Jesus. Did he found the church for fun? for us
just to stand outside it and criticise?
Second,
a deeper understanding of marriage.
Nina
and I have been married for over forty years – not perfect years, of course;
but we are learning in a new way the deep meaning of those serious, serious
words in the marriage service, “for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in
sickness and in health”. (Nina has always been, quite simply, wonderful beyond
words, and at no time has she proved that more than over the last couple of
weeks.)
I
am aware that there will be some reading this who have lost, or never had, a
husband or wife to share your troubles with, for reading this can only cause
pain, and I regret that. But I cannot help but testify to the rich, practical wisdom
contained in the Christian ideal of marriage. I can only encourage us, whatever
our “situation in life” may be, to unashamedly uphold that principle in a world
that is tragically scrabbling around to invent some new kind of sexual
morality: where marriage itself seems little more than a joke, and “till death
parts us” simply laughable. Can they not see that only new and more complex ways
of being miserable are being concocted?
Third,
a strong sense of the providence of God in what has happened.
For
those who trust in God there is no such thing as mere “coincidence”. And so it
has seemed to us this last couple of weeks.
Shortly
before our “affliction” began our son Mark arrived home unexpectedly from a
teaching adventure in Japan. Temporarily homeless, we gladly took him in, of
course – not having the remotest idea of how helpful, both practically and
psychologically, his presence with us would prove. What would we have done
without him! (Not yet being a believer, I suspect that he would find the idea
of being a “godsend” to his parents a bit hard to take – but, well, I’m afraid that’s
just tough, Mark!)
There’s
far more I could say, but space is running out, so let me just add two little
comments that seem relevant.
First,
while so much of the love we have received has come from Christians, it’s only
right too to recognise the help we have received from those who are not, as far
as we are aware, believers. I mention this to help safeguard us from the
arrogance of imagining that we Christians have a monopoly on goodness. Don’t
our non-Christian neighbours and friends
sometimes put us to shame? (Never forget who invented the character of the good
Samaritan…!)
Second,
in the last few days I have found myself thinking more than ever about the
stark reality of pain, not least sheer physical pain, and how protected from it
many of us have been throughout our lives. How shallowly I have read, say,
missionary reports of Christians (and others) subjected to infinitely greater
and crueller afflictions than I can even imagine. For them it is a normal
reality of everyday life – and often with no end in sight in this earthly life.
O Lord, forgive my wimpish self-pity!
During
these recent days Nina and I seem to have received almost daily news of new
troubles afflicting many, such as people falling sick, sometimes just small
children, thus putting serious strain on whole families. Lord, help me to be
truly grateful for the easy ride I have had over my 78 years!
Lord
God, you invite us to call you Father, who only allows troubles in our lives in
order to test and strengthen us. Please forgive my tendency to self-pity;
please help me to stand the test. And please give me Jesus’ heart of compassion
for the many millions of men and women and boys and girls whose troubles are so
much greater than my own. Amen.
