We are living in dark times, perilous days (2 Tim. 3:1-5; 2 Pet. 3:3). The world has become more and more lawless and violent. Many live in dread, sensing that difficult times are ahead. Indeed, with the advent of the Covid pandemic, things are likely never to return to “normal” as the world economy and the global political situation are restructured… These are truly unprecedented times.
Though we might not understand why God allows these things to happen, we nevertheless hold fast to our conviction that the Lord is our Good Shepherd who restores our souls. He speaks to us in the midst of uncertainty:
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“Who among you fears the LORD
and obeys the voice of his Servant?
Let him who walks in darkness and has no light
trust in the Name of the LORD and lean upon on his God.”
(Isa. 50:10)
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Friend, the Lord allows the dark cloud of unknowing for his own sovereign purposes, perhaps as a means to teach us to abandon ourselves to his care. Surely God understands our powerlessness; “he remembers our frame, that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14); surely He knows that we cannot see and therefore he calls us to “lean upon Him” for guidance. As we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we find that he is with us, and therefore we must choose to fear no evil.
Trusting in God (i.e., bittachon – בִּטָּחוֹן) does not mean that we are obligated to affirm that this is “the best of all possible worlds,” though it does mean we believe that eventually God will wipe away every tear and make all things right. Bittachon is a word for this world, which says, “Though he slay me, I will trust in him…” We do not need to trust for what is seen in this world but for an unseen good (Rom. 8:24). Those who call upon the LORD can trust not only in concealed good behind ambiguous appearances (“all things work together for good”) but also in a future, real, substantive good that will one day be clearly manifest for us all… We fight the “good fight” of faith, which is a worthy struggle that eventually is realized for blessing. We die daily; we mortify ourselves and surrender to God’s will. Meanwhile, we ask the Lord to be kept from such depth of sorrow that leads to self-destruction and despair….
We must press on without fear, trusting that our faithful LORD will strengthen us for “such a time as this.” We must be brave, strongly equipped for battle, and full of conviction that the message of the gospel is the only hope for this moribund and decadent world. We must be on guard lest we fear, for fear is the greatest tool of the enemy of our souls, and therefore we must resist him steadfast and full of divine assurance. “The Lord is faithful: He will establish you and guard you against the evil one” (2 Thess. 3:3). The Spirit says, “Fear not, for I am with you always.” The Lord “will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the Day of our Yeshua the Messiah” (1 Cor. 1:8). He who calls you is forever faithful; He will surely do it (1 Thess. 5:24).
If you ask for bread, your heavenly Father will not give you a stone… Only God can deliver us from our “disordered loves” to take hold of what is truly essential. All we can do is ask, and keep on asking – even as we struggle on, despite ourselves, despite our losses… And we often revisit our sins over and over until we become “sick of our sickness,” that is, until we begin to understand what our heart really needs. It’s as if we are constantly being asked, “Is this what you want?” and our choices confess the truth… Only God does the miracle of real change within the human heart – only God can give life from the dead!
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Isaiah 50:10 Hebrew Lesson Card (pdf)
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