I’m always reading at least two
books at the same time. Several times recently I’ve read a chapter in one book,
switched to another book and read a chapter that echoes the other book. This
week that happened with
The God of All Comfort
by Hannah Whitall Smith and
Inside Out
by Larry Crabb. Both authors referred to Jeremiah 2:13, “My people have
committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and
hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” In
this passage the people of God have walked away from the true source of water
and life, and have tried their own methods of finding satisfaction and
fulfillment.
The focus in Crabb’s book is
that we are inclined to work from the outside in—we work to make our external
circumstances more comfortable, then we build relationships, and we hope to
find satisfaction now and for the future. What we should be doing is building
our relationship with God, then building godly relationships with others, and
we’ll find joy regardless of our circumstances. A big part of the problem, as
Crabb explains it, is that we demand that people fulfill needs that only God
can fill, and we demand that God fulfill our needs in a way that won’t happen
in this lifetime. So we live with constant disappointment that we aren’t
getting what we think we need. While Crabb’s theory is pretty accurate, it’s
also discouraging to be told, “Get over yourself and live with the
disappointment.” (Interestingly, his later book
Connecting takes a whole new direction with the joy of living in
community with one another. I’ll probably include some of that in a later
blog.)
I think it can be valuable to
consider how we might be walking past God’s wellspring of life and digging our
own wells. It may be outright sin, which we either indulge in or try to control
through behavior modification. It may be pain, depression and anxiety, which we
may medicate, seek counseling, or try to muddle through. It may be
relationships, work, church, or any number of things. We want to feel good and
enjoy life, but sometimes things just don’t work out that way. So what do we do
when things go wrong? Do we try everything in our power to “fix” it, or do we
trust that God is in control and He knows what He’s doing? Not that we
shouldn’t seek help, but sometimes we need to let God work things out in His
own way. For myself, I’ve discovered that years of seeing doctors and trying
innumerable medications have been less beneficial than finding faith, hope, and
love in community.
Whitall Smith says this, “The
church of Christ abounds with people who are
‘discouraged because of the way.’ Either inwardly or outwardly, and oftentimes
both, things look all wrong, and there seems no hope of escape. Their souls
faint within them, and their religious lives are full of discomfort and misery.
There is nothing that so paralyzes effort as discouragement, and nothing that
more continually and successfully invites defeat. The secret of failure or
success in any matter lies far more in the soul’s interior attitude than in any
other cause or causes.”
Both Crabb and Whitall Smith
make the point that an attitude of grumbling or complaining comes from blaming
God for the things He has allowed to come into our lives. We think that we deserve
better treatment from God, or else we believe that He is not in control, so we
feel justified in griping when things don’t go our way. Instead, we are to
believe His sovereignty, trust His goodness, and give thanks. If nothing else,
we can be thankful that He is with us in all circumstances and He loves us more
than we can imagine. We’re like children who eat meal after meal without
comment so long as it is something we like. But when a distasteful food comes
along everybody in the house hears our complaint. That’s usually when we get
reminded of the starving children in
Africa.
Even ungodly parents are aware that a little dose of perspective is needed
occasionally, yet we forget that in our dealings with God.
I have to confess that as I’ve
read Hannah Whitall Smith’s writings in
The
God of All Comfort and
The
Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life, sometimes I’ve been frustrated with her
blanket statements—just believe, don’t doubt, have faith, give thanks, don’t
complain, pray! Those are much easier said than done when we face difficulties
in life. But I think it probably does get easier with practice. At times my
prayers have been, “Lord, I believe—help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24); or
“Increase my faith!” (Luke 17:5). I’m certain that God honors those prayers.
For today I’ll remind myself
with Psalm 100 that God is the good, loving Creator and Shepherd who is worthy
of thanks and praise:
1 Make a joyful
noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord
with gladness!
Come into His presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord,
He is God!
It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
and His courts with praise!
Give thanks to Him; bless His name!
5 For the Lord
is good;
His steadfast love endures forever,
and His faithfulness to all generations.
