Words of Wisdom from My Ol' Man

So, for those who don't know, my dad has recently been diagnosed with cancer. And I have to admit that our family's reaction to the news is slightly humorous. Rather than being broken up about it, we're all... well unchanged isn't quiet the right word, and hopeful is equally incorrect. We are all possessing the peace that passes comprehension that only Christ can give.

Now let's be honest, most of us in life are not facing challenges that are most likely going to kill you (it is, of course, our hope and prayer that God heals my father, but cancer is a disease that usually ends in death). And while this isn't to trivialize anyone else's situation, it is to say that my dad's situation is a little more threatening. While your situation may be passing your exam tomorrow, going through a rough time in your relationships, or being abandoned by your closest friends or loved one, none of those things are life threatening.

I say all this, because I came across a very interesting blog post made by my father. To summarize it, dad soul's was feeling tormented from worry over the possibility of having cancer (this post was a reflection back to a car trip we took just before he got the official news he had cancer but after he had been warned he probably did). In it, his mind kept coming back to the Psalm that said "Why are you in despair, O my soul?". So often that phrase flashed through his mind that he finally opened his bible and hunted down the verses to see if he couldn't find out WHY the psalmist was so upset, to find the cause for his despair. But upon finding the verse, he could not find anything that said why the psalmist was upset. But that was the whole point of the Psalm!

Here's the Psalm,

Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance, and my God.

This same EXACT phrase is found in Psalm 42:5, 42:11, and 43:5 that's three times repeated. Now, you may not know this, but when something is repeated in the Bible three times it is to really drive home a point. Examples of this can be found in places such as Isaiah 6:3 where it says, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" or in the gospels where Christ ask Peter three times if he loves Him. The point of three time repetition is to drive home the point that something is more than true, it is assured beyond any shadow of a doubt. In Isaiah, the entity speaking is a seraphim. It cries out the truth that God is holy. No, not just holy, but that He is firmly, undeniably, and unchangeably HOLY. In the gospels Christ isn't just rubbing it in Peters face that he denied Christ three times, Christ is stressing the fact that if Peter does in fact love Him then he will devote his life to the care of the Church.

The point being, that God doesn't allow this phrase to be repeated word for word three times for no reason. Look closely and notice a couple things.

1) No reason is ever mentioned for what is causing the psalmist problem. It's not important. Try and wrap your mind around that. We live in a world full of broken homes, broken hearts, and shattered lives. It doesn't matter if your wife cheated on you, if your daddy left you, or if your brother is trying to kill you (something which sadly happens all too often in Arab countries when someone leaves the Muslim faith). It doesn't matter if your home is getting taken away from you by the bank, if your closest friend just died, or if you failed the big midterm.

2) Here's what the Bible tells us is important: "Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance, and my God." Regardless of what happens, we are called to hope in God. See, the problem is that we're trying to hope in people. Sinful, imperfect, godless men will always disappoint you at some point in your life and you know what? So will God-fearing, righteous, kind men. We are all imperfect and though we trust in Christ, we have by no means become perfect and free of sin, just from the penalty of sin. When you begin to base your entire state of being on the actions of one person or one event you are looking right into the face of God and crying out "HOW DARE YOU?! What right did you have to allow this to happen? How could you let such horrible things happen to me?" You are looking at God and telling Him that you know what is better for your life than He does.

Can you grasp what it is I'm trying to say here? When bad things come our way and we go into despair, when we become suicidal, when we seek "self-medications", what we've done is cease to trust God . We've placed ourself in a place higher than God (that's making our will into an idol above God) and telling God He has no idea what He is doing!

What an amazing Psalm my dad shared. You and you alone are responsible for your life. No one, no one, NO ONE ruins your life for you. No one, forces you to adopt an attitude in direct rebellion to the teachings of the Bible. You are in charge of your emotions, in charge of your reaction to life. The question becomes, how will you react? Will you blame everyone else for your sin? Or will you, like the psalmist, cry out to God "I will hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance, and my God."

If you're going through hard times where you feel suicidal or depressed or just stressed out of your mind. I encourage you to pray through Psalm 42 and talk with me. I've been there and God can help.

Words of Wisdom from My Ol' Man