For
the past several weeks (in the midst of moving), I've been mulling over Psalm
73. In it, Asaph (the writer) wrestles
with the goodness of God; specifically, he seeks to resolve the tension between
what he knows to be true and his seemingly contradictory experiences. The gist of the Psalm goes something like
this: "God I know You are good to Your people, but I've gotten so tripped
up by what I've seen. So many people who
do horrible, wicked things and have no regard for You or Your ways have
trouble-free lives. Yet, those who love
You and seek to obey You can't catch a break from hardship. What's up with that, God? What's the point of doing right if it only
leads to more heartache and struggle?"
Then, Asaph turns his eyes from other people to his God, and he sees
that in the end, his lot is far better than that of the godless who will be
destroyed violently, swiftly, and suddenly.
He admits that in the midst of his pain and jealousy, he was stupid and
lacking in understanding. Yet, God
still guided and counseled him gently through all of that. He concludes the Psalm by reiterating what he
declared at the beginning, but this time with more personal conviction:
"But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD
my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works."
Less
than a week before we moved, I found out my thyroid levels were messed up
again, and I had to have my Synthroid dosage increased again. I went through another round of asking God
the same questions Asaph asked and the same questions I know many others in the
infertility community have asked: I know
I'm not anywhere near perfect, but why is this so hard for me when so many
people who are not at all ready or fit to be parents can conceive a child
instantly? If teenage girls can get
pregnant, why can't I see a positive pregnancy test? If child abusers, drug addicts, and rapists
can have children, why are my arms still empty?
If hundreds of thousands of unwanted babies are aborted each year in the
U.S., why is the child I so desperately want still nothing more than a
dream? God, do You really have my good
in mind if You are withholding what You say is a good gift and reward from
me? Like Asaph, my pain and bitterness
clouded my understanding, and before I realized what was happening, I
experienced another spiritual eclipse with the moon of my circumstances
blocking out the sun of God's presence.
The
same God who guided and counseled Asaph in the midst of his pain-induced
ignorance and senselessness guides and counsels me. I've written so many times before that we
have to align our perspective with God's perspective to find peace and
understanding in the midst of difficult circumstances. We have to fix our eyes on eternity instead
of this temporary life. I know this to be true, but
I still have to choose it on a moment-by-moment basis. I have to fix my eyes on Jesus and refuse to
look away. When the darkness falls
around me, I have to remember that the Son has not changed or abandoned
me. He is still there, and it is only a
short while before I will be able to see His glory clearly all around me
again.
The
nearness of God IS my good. That phrase
leapt of the page the first time I read this Psalm, and it has lodged itself in
my mind ever since. I fall into the trap
of thinking that "my good" equates to having a perfect marriage, a
vibrant ministry, a great house, and children to call my own. If those things don't fall into place, then
how can I say that God is really good to me?
This type of thinking expects God to perform before we will accept Him
as He is. Yet, God accepts us and loves
us without any regard for our performance.
Why do we assume that we can impose our own requirements on the God of
the universe?
As
my husband has taught several times to various groups of youth, God is the
scale to measure goodness. We can't
weigh Him against other good things in order to draw comparisons. He is the scale, the ruler, the standard, the very definition and essence
of goodness. He just wants us to trust
Him. He is trustworthy because He is
good and He does good. The nearness of
God is my good, and it is all I really need. He wants my heart, and He has already given me His. There is no greater good than being near to
God. It's what we were made for. All else in this life pales in comparison to
knowing Him and walking with Him.
I have struggled before with "why not me?" or "why them?". When I get into that mood, it is easy for me to start questioning the goodness of God. I love when you said "God is the scale to measure goodness". It's such a perfect reminder. I needed it!
ReplyDelete"The nearness of God is my good." I love the way you phrased this. As so many people have who have dealt with infertility or singleness, I have also struggled with the goodness of God so often. One of my favorite quotes by Christina Fox is "I know the only cure for this despair and sorrow I feel is to be in your presence." His presence is our greatest gift!
ReplyDelete