Jesus is always for us

Song of the Day: “Even the Darkness Is Light to You,” Kristen Gilles

“The truth is this: We always have sure and sufficient reasons for knowing why we can trust God, but do not always know what God is doing and why.”

Os Guinness, God in the Dark: The Assurance of Faith beyond a Shadow of Doubt

Have you ever played the board game Sequence? A mash-up of card game and board game, Sequence requires that partners create runs of cards on a board without communicating to each other what their intentions are. Savvy players watch their partner’s moves as much as their opponents’, trying to decipher how they can work together to win the game.

Life with God often feels like a game of Sequence. As believers, we know that we’re partnering with God to live out his good purposes in our lives. However, sometimes it’s hard to figure out what he’s up to. We believe that “the Lord has promised good to me,” but sometimes life feels exactly the opposite. What happens when you’re not sure what your Partner is doing? What do you do when it seems he’s played a card that hurts rather than helps you?

Today’s psalm is a psalm of lament, a love song that includes questions about God’s plans and pleas for God’s mercy. When David doesn’t understand what his Partner is up to, we see him complain, question, and hope. This man after God’s own heart wants sweet partnership restored with the one he loves, so he prays for forgiveness and relief. He asks God to give him clarity. He continues to trust even when he can’t see or understand. He clings to hope as he begs God to listen to his weeping.

Like David, you and I can trust our divine Partner. Jesus will never make a move that injures us forever. His purposes for us are always written in lovingkindness. Even though this is true, there will be times when the darkness feels like it’s more than we can bear. God’s silence will sound louder than his voice. We’ll wonder if he’s really for us.

On those days when it feels like we dwell with God as a foreigner (Psalm 39:12), he invites us to talk to him. As pastor Mark Vroegop writes in his book Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy, “Lament is a prayer in pain that leads to trust.” Our complaints and sighing, our wrestling and questions can become a beautiful testimony of faith in our Partner. If you can’t discern God’s hand today, lament might be your path forward toward trust in the dark.