Psalms 6:6-7 - 6 I'm tired of all this — so tired. My bed has been floating forty days and nights On the flood of my tears. My mattress is soaked, soggy with tears. 7 The sockets of my eyes are black holes; nearly blind, I squint and grope. THE MESSAGE
Psalms 13 - O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? 2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? NLT
I am alive!!! I know this because I hurt. I know this because I sorrow, am disappointed, and feel the deep sadness that often goes with being a man on this fallen planet. Yes, of course I hate the dark moods of life, but they testify to me that all is not right and that sin and death are the reality of this groaning, cursed ground. You may think I am crazy, but a few moments ago while sitting here feeling quite discouraged and heart-sick, this truth slipped through one of the cracks in my heart and brought me comfort.
We live in the age of the HAPPY CULT of which I have often been a zealous adherent. We are made to believe that being happy is our birthright and entitlement. To feel bad is the ultimate no-no and the perfect excuse for extramarital affairs, most divorces and regular indulgences for our sinful nature. Many Christians I know would rebuke me for these thoughts and accuse me of being negative, faithless and oppressed by an evil spirit. To these things, I must counter with the words of David and Solomon, men of much greater stature than I. It seems God often has His servants in the school of suffering as they major in depression, discouragement, disappointment and discontentment.
Please understand, I am not advocating some kind of sick, masochistic view of suffering that encourages the onslaughts of sorrow and pain as though they are blessings to be sought, because I am not. Rather, I am simply convinced that suffering is an amazing teacher and a constant reminder that all is not well down here. Our Utopian experiments are all failing, (thankfully) and we must look to embrace God's Redemption experiment, for, it is at work in the hearts of hurting and joyful sons and daughters.
Pain reminds me that I feel and it serves as the emotional and spiritual counterpart to my physical nerve endings. It teaches me to avoid evil and embrace God. It is a beautiful thing that the God who could give me the capacity to laugh loudly from the belly, experience the ecstasy of sexual passion and the beauty of art and music, could also equip me with the emotions of sadness, anger and sorrow. The pleasure and the pain teach me about the God of the Scriptures who sits in the heavens laughing, stands outside Lazarus tomb weeping, and cries out in the oil press of Gethsemane, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Ecclesiastes 7:3-4 - 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. NKJV
