Have you heard this phrase before?
Two sides of the same coin
It often refers to two things that may seem unrelated but are parts of a whole.
This is how I feel about my pain and my faith. Specifically, I am referring to my ongoing frustration concerning the world I live in with all the evil that exists. When I start to think of all the injustices in the world (don’t get me started throughout history) I get angry. Really Angry!!!
I find myself like David in the Psalms wondering how long God will remain silent or even asking questions like
Where are you? and How long will the wicked win?
This is where the Psalms are extremely helpful because they show us that humans with all of their complex emotions are not to abandon them or let them rule. Rather, we are to take these emotions and shout them out to God. (Don’t worry He can handle it)
The faults of this world do not have to separate us from the faithfulness of God. The Psalms, particularly the lament psalms give us great insight into this truth. We see writers wrestle with extreme mental and physical anguish. Depending on the particular psalm, a writer may be referring to feeling forgotten by God or reflecting on how his enemies are closing in. All of the laments are searching for God in life’s toughest moments.
This tells me that it is common to wrestle with silence from God. When the psalmist starts off struggling to understand what is going on or if God is present it provides permission for the reader to feel that same feeling. Tell me you have ever said something like this…
- God, are you listening?
- Lord, are you even there?
- God, please answer me!
We need not feel shame for these questions if we are serious about receiving an answer. For the lament psalms show us in times of hardship we all wrestle with sensing and seeing God. However, the psalmist reveals that one doesn’t have to stay there.
Usually what follows the wondering where God is section is a plea or prayer for God to intervene. It is here that the Psalmist makes their request before God. Juxtaposed too wondering if God even cares, is the situation which is causing the writer grief.
While God may have been quiet, it will not prevent the psalmist from crying out for help. The writer knows that ultimately it is God who gets the job done. The feelings are real, the situation is real, the pain is real BUT GOD is also real. The writer holds all these realities in proximity to one another.
How do you feel when you ask God for help knowing that you have asked Him before? What keeps you going back to ask again?
The psalmist reveals the motivation for such persistence is found in knowing the character of God. The reason why several laments have a section in which the writer can sing praises to the Lord and experience confidence is that God’s character still stands true.
The writer believes that God will be the God they know and love. For most psalms, the issue hasn’t gone away as it was written. The pain or fear isn’t any less real. The writer is convinced that God, a God of justice won’t allow things to stay the way they are. This is faith. When a person can look at the issue, the injustice, the sin, the brokenness, (feel free to insert here), and have all those things eclipsed by who God is, know that faith is present. We may not know how it all works out BUT we believe that our just God will act. His silence is not passivity.
This is the beauty of the Psalms. This is how one’s pain and praise to God are two sides of the same coin. The lament psalms hold in tension the character of mankind and the character of God. Humans will always begin to doubt and lose hope amidst trying circumstances and God will always be faithful to keep His promises.
When you are done with this go read Psalm 13 and 28. Let me know what you think.
May God keep you and bless you as you hold in tension the reality of our fallen world and our faithful God.
Divine Perspective 