A Meditation on the Troubles of a Faithful Life (In the Style of Solomon): Jamie Palmer
Why are there so many things for which there is no right or wrong way to respond or behave? Why is it that one moment, it is right to stand up and persuade a crowd with convincing proofs of God’s existence through your experiences and at another moment it is best to keep quiet and let your actions speak for themselves? When is enough enough? When is too much? When are we talking too much? When are we thinking too much? When are we not thinking enough? When are we not speaking enough?
Through these uncertain continuums, God is begging me to trust Him. When you have faith in God, through His Holy Spirit, He is the One that helps you know when to speak and when to be silent, when to think and when to just listen to Him, when to go and when to stay. God, let me trust You to show me when the time is right for “every matter under heaven”:
a time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to break down and a time to build up;
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek and a time to lose;
a time to keep and a time to throw away; a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
You know when it is too much for me. You know when it is not enough. You will give me what is right and good. I will trust in this.
“He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover, he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
Faith and trust come from building a relationship with God in which you remember the things He has done for you, having hope in the past and future. Yet, in spite of God giving human beings an understanding of time (of the past and future), it is so easy for us to forget what He has done for us.
Often our relationship with God waxes and wanes, and with it, our wisdom and perspective change, as well. How can we be led by God when it feels like He is not there? I will add this worry to Solomon’s list of meaningless things under the sun.
Consider Psalm 77:
“In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.” (Psalm 77:2)
I lament that on the earth humans are wont to lose sight of God. Desperately, we seek him day in and day out, wearying ourselves. I mourn because our spirits despair when we feel He is gone. Wondering, in fear and unease, if He was ever there at all.
“I consider the days of old and remember the years of long ago. I commune with my heart in the night; I meditate and search my spirit: “Will the Lord spurn forever and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love ceased forever? Are his promises at an end for all time?” (Psalm 77:5-8)
“And I say, “It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed.” (Psalm 77:10)
We who know the Way, Truth, and Light—why are we lost again? How can we be so deceived? What kind of God creates a world like this one, steady and cyclical even in its finitude, and abandons it? We can’t conceive of such a thing. No, our God is still among us.
I lament that we forget Him, forget how He has delivered us, and forget how He wants to deliver us.
“Your way was through the sea, your path through the mighty waters, yet your footprints were unseen.” (Psalm 77:19)
Unseen One, cleanse our hearts and train our spirits to move along Your Way. Show us when Your appointed times fall. Show us when to act, and when to refrain from acting. We would not go through the sea on our own, Lord. This way is Yours, and the waves are too mighty; You must come quickly to help us. We will drown and our faith will be nothing without Your Faithfulness, O God, my God. You want us more than we want You. Let us desire You more and more. Educate us on the ways of your life everlasting. Without You, this world is too much. This world is not enough. Your ways are perfection.
Amen.
Jamie is a junior at LA Tech and a second-year member of our Wesley Discipleship Team. With her servant’s heart and kind nature, she has been a breath of fresh air ever since becoming a part of our community. She is an extremely talented pianist and enjoys writing and drawing, as well. We’re very blessed to know her!