|
Singing
In Adversity
Life
has its adversities. It must needs have them. Adversity,
pain, sorrow, and disappointment, are the lathe upon which
God shapes us. They are the emery wheel that grinds and
smooths us. They are the polishing wheel that makes us
shine. If we can never be happy until we are so situated
that nothing which exists may tend to render us unhappy,
we shall have little happiness in life. Happiness does not
come from a life of ease and indolence. It is not the
result of the absence of obstacles and difficulties.
Happiness comes from triumphing over them. Therefore the
song of true happiness often arises from the soul that
undergoes many adversities.
Paul understood what life must be. He went through the
cities of Asia after he had been stoned and left for dead,
"Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting
them to continue in the faith, and that we must through
much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts
14: 22). He enumerated the things he suffered in his work
for Christ. Doubtless you have read that list again and
again. Notwithstanding all this no one has more to say
about rejoicing, being filled with joy, and singing the
songs of victory, than does this same sufferer of
tribulations.
The Psalmist also knew about tribulations. He said,
"I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou
hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in
adversities" (Ps. 31: 7). God did not leave him to
himself in his tribulations. Being conscious of this he
could rejoice. Jesus said to his disciples, "In the
world ye shall have tribulations." Did he say,
"Mourn and weep because of this?" Did he
intimate that they should shrink from them? Did he
indicate there was something wrong in them that brought
these tribulations? Not so. He had already told them that
the world would hate them. Now he showed them that as a
result of that hatred of the world and also as the result
of natural conditions in life, they should have
tribulations. Did he say to them, "This will take
away much from your happiness; you will be sad and
disconsolate much of the time; you will sorrow on account
of these tribulations; it is too bad you are to have
them"? No; he said nothing of this kind. He told them
plainly what was to come; then added, "But be of good
cheer—I have overcome the world."
Think of the boldness of Jesus in saying this. Just before
him lay Gethsemane. Just beyond that the trials before the
high priest and Pilate and Calvary awaited him. He knew
this very well. He knew he must pass through the bitterest
of tribulations. Nevertheless he said, "Be of good
cheer; I have overcome the world."
What a wonderful example for us this is. He has overcome
the world not merely for himself, but for us as well. As
the Psalmist pointed out, he knows our adversities. He
knows that lying ahead of us there are adversities and
difficulties, perhaps dangers, sorrows, and many things to
try the soul. He also knows when we are in those things,
when they are pressing hard upon us, when we are tempted
to bow down our heads and give up. He knows exactly how we
feel, how things seem, how the future looks, how the
present troubles us. In spite of it all he is saying to
us, "Be of good cheer; I have overcome."
Dear soul, Jesus knows all about your troubles. He knows
every heartache, every difficulty, everything you must
overcome, everything you must bear. Trusting in his grace,
relying upon his help, you shall soon find your heart
filling again with melody, for the clouds will pas' away.
Paul asks, "Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" Then he
adds, "Nay, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him that loved us" (Rom. 8: 35,
37).
Speaking of our acceptance with God and our justification
by faith through grace, Paul says we "rejoice in hope
of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:2). But are the good
things of God all in which we can rejoice? No, for he
continues, "And not only so but we glory in
tribulations also."
Paul could rejoice in the bad things as well as in the
good things. Why could he do this? Was he a mere
enthusiast? Was he a man who shut his eyes to the facts?
No, he was sober minded, consistent, and sane. He looked
behind the frowning face of circumstances. He saw the
results that follow tribulations. He set them down for us
that we might consider them and rejoice with him.
""Knowing that tribulation worketh patience and
patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh
not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts."
That was the secret of Paul's rejoicing. The verses just
quoted are put in a more understandable and better way in
the American Standard Version, "We also rejoiced in
our tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh
steadfastness and steadfastness approvedness and
approvedness hope and hope putteth not to shame because
the love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts."
Again Paul tells his experience in II Cor. 7: 4: "I
am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our
tribulation." He tells why this it: "God, that
comforteth those that are cast down, comforteth us"
(vs. 6). "Who comforteth us in all our
tribulation" (II Cor. 1:4). The comfort of God is
wonderful. The satisfying, soul delighting blessedness of
it can be known only by those who have gone deeply into
the waters of tribulation. So many in times of trouble are
prone to feel that God does not care for them or to feel
that they have offended him. Just when they need him most
and just when he would be most ready to help they cease to
seek that help and feel they must meet their difficulties
in their own strength without the help they so much crave.
Right here many are tempted to give up trying. They feel
they are unable to overcome or to endure through to better
days. They feel that God has forsaken them in their hour
of need. Their feelings and their attitude shut them off
from that help that God would delight to give them. It is
just here that we need to face things squarely. We need to
consider God as he is. We need to take a right view of our
relations with him. In the time of the child's need a true
and loving parent yearns with sympathy and with an earnest
desire to help. The heart of God is more tender than the
heart of a mother. His love is stronger than any human
love. In these times of tribulation and trouble, of sorrow
or care, of anxiety or foreboding, we should remember that
he is waiting to take us into his arms and to comfort us
with that comfort that only he can give.
The clouds may seem to hide his face; he may seem far off:
but he is not far off. The clouds may prevent us from
seeing him, but they do not prevent his seeing us. He does
see us and he desires us to turn to him for that
partnership in trouble which we need in order that the
heavy load may be borne. He desires that we confide in
him, that we pour out our soul's bitterness and longing to
him. He expects us to act as men and women should act. He
expects us to use what strength we have. But beyond and
above our strength is his abundant strength and help ready
to supply whatever deficiency there may be in us. He
always sees the way out of our difficulties. He always
knows just how much grace we must have. He always measures
out to us the needed supply when we give him opportunity.
No one ever lived, whether he be a Christian or not, but
who has had his times of discouragement, heaviness,
sorrow, and disappointment. Care and anxiety come to all.
Unsaved people have to bear their own burdens, meet their
own adversities, suffer their own sorrows, without divine
help. They get through them in some way in their own
strength and we could do the same without divine help.
There would always be a way that we should get through
somehow. But God knows a better way than we know and he
will help us into that better way. He will give us the
strength and fortitude necessary if we only trust and go
forward courageously.
James tells us to count it all joy when we fall into
divers temptations. There is a way to do this. That way is
the way Paul took. Paul looked behind the tribulations to
the outcome. James exhorts us to do likewise. These
tribulations all are fruitful. They are good for us. If we
bear them as we should we shall look back upon them
presently and rejoice that God let them come.
Let us now look at Paul. It was midnight. He and Silas lay
in a Philippian dungeon. Their feet were fast in the
stocks. Their clothes were rent, their backs were bleeding
from the many stripes that had been laid upon them. It
seemed that death might be only a little ahead of them.
Under these unfavorable circumstances they did not lament;
they prayed (Acts 16: 25). After they had prayed they did
something else—they sang praises to God. They did not do
this for mere bravado. They did not do it to keep the
other prisoners awake. They did it because of the joy that
was welling up in their own hearts. They were suffering so
they could not sleep; so they spent the time in the very
best possible manner. They spent not a moment in
regretting what had happened. They did look for the needed
help. Their faith reached out to God and help came. Their
souls were filled with joyful praises and they sang from
full hearts.
There were reasons why they could do this. First, they
were innocent. They had a consciousness they had done
nothing wrong. They had been trying to do good. Now they
were suffering for it. There is "rest comfort in
being innocent under such circumstances or in any
circumstances. A clear conscience inspires to song. So if
our conscience is clear we can rise above our
circumstances if we follow the course taken by Paul and
Silas.
Second, they were hopeful Christians. They did not look on
the dark side. They looked beyond the present suffering
and the threatening circumstances. They saw not the
dungeon nor the stocks nor the executioner's sword. They
felt not their galled ankles nor their smarting backs.
They looked to God. They saw his approving smile; and they
sang praises.
Third, they exercised definite faith. They believed God
knew all about their circumstances. They believed they
were in his care. They believed nothing could come to them
without coming through his will, by his permission. So
they rested in full assurance of faith in him and in their
tribulations sang joyfully. Paul taught others to rejoice
and he set them an example. If we face our adversities as
he faced his we too may sing in adversity.
In adversity we sing a different song than we do when we
are untroubled. We must join courage to trust. When we do
this we can sing songs of confidence born of our
confidence in God's help. We can sing songs of trust that
allay our fears. We can sing songs of anticipation as we
look forward to the victories that lie before us and at
the crown at the end of the road. We can sing in joyful
remembrance of God's former mercies.
The song of adversity is more difficult to learn than the
song we sing when everything is going pleasantly and
prosperously, but these songs are no less joyous in the
depths of the heart when they spring from faith. In fact
they can often be more truly joyous than the songs of
prosperity because they go deeper into the depths of the
heart and rise with fuller trust. But no matter how many
tribulations we have, if we trust God we may be
"exceeding joyful" in all those tribulations.
|
