Believing, Even When We Are Afflicted

　　By Sarah Frazer

　　Bible Reading:

　　I believed, even when I said, “I am severely afflicted.” Psalm 116:10 (HCSB)

　　One day, when my son was only eight years old, he was walking our dog down the street. Usually, the dog is pretty calm and doesn’t pull the leash. That day, my son wasn’t even gone for five minutes before I heard a scream. When I looked out the window, I saw him running back toward the house. The dog was pulling frantically on the leash to go back down the street.

　　After my son entered the house, I bent down and examined him. He was bleeding on his knee, and his t-shirt was ripped. He was crying and holding his arm as well. As I cared for his cuts and bruises, he told me that the normally calm dog had seen a squirrel. I knew then what had caused the fall. Although a quiet and sweet dog, she had made it her life mission to rid the world of squirrels.

　　That day we decided that he might be too young to walk the dog until she either calmed down or he was stronger. Through all of the confusion, I realized something. My son had come to me as right away after falling. He wasn’t angry with me, in fact, after taking that horrible spill, he ran directly to me.

　　As I thought about that simple act from my son, I couldn’t help but think about God. Throughout scripture we see God reference Himself as “father” to us. In Psalm 116 today we see the psalmist run to God, even when he is afflicted. Psalm 116 starts out with, “I love the Lord because He has heard my appeal for mercy.”

　　God’s ear is turned toward us. Just as my ears heard right away the scream from outside, I knew the sound of my son’s cries and immediately went towards him. You and I face devastating trials and afflictions year after year. Maybe you are in a season right now where one affliction after another seems to be piling up. It would be easy to avoid God during these times or even be angry with God. What if we, instead, we ran to God?

　　Over the years I’ve learned that running to God is actually the best thing I can do. Why? Because His ears are listening for our prayers and cries to Him. The next verses in Psalm 116 details how the psalmist suffered, even facing death, but God was his helper. I love verse ten because it seems to be the pinnacle of the psalm. He says, “I believed, even when I said, ‘I am severely afflicted.’”

　　What the psalmist is saying is that he did not shy away from telling God all about his afflictions. The pain did not keep him from crying out to God. And the heartache didn’t keep him from believing in God either. There are truths here, that the psalmist hung onto, even when he was afflicted.

　　The truths we see here are things like God’s grace, righteousness, and compassion. (Psalm 116:5) Where do we those characteristics of God come out in our lives today? Jesus! Jesus was God’s righteousness for us. He lived a perfect life because we could not. He allowed His life to take our place so that when God sees you and me, He sees Jesus’ righteousness.

　　Jesus is also God’s grace to us. Ephesians 2:8-9 say, “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.” Jesus brought grace because He died on the cross, taking our place and punishment for us. Now, we are saved and brought into God’s family through grace once we accept Him as Savior.

　　God’s compassion is also evident in Jesus’ life. Jesus healed the sick, cured the lame, and even rose people from the dead. It says in Matthew 20:34, “Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed Him.”

　　Even today, Jesus sits on the throne beside God interceding for us. Romans 8:34 says, “Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.” What compassion to think that Christ is always praying and speaking to God the Father about you and me!?

　　The troubles and hardships we all face, can sometimes cause us to doubt these truths about God. Does He love me? Does He care? Is He really in control? Those questions can lead us to look to the Bible.

　　This psalm is a great comfort to us because it does not deny that hard things happen. But Psalm 116 points us to the truth that God is loving, righteous, compassionate, and full of grace. In prayer, we can come to God and remember these things.

　　Intersecting Faith Life:

　　After reading some verses about Jesus, how does this give you confidence to go to God with your cries for help? Knowing God listens to you and hears your prayers, does this cause you to pray more or less? Psalm 116 also talks about death. As Christians, what hope do we have that death is not our enemy anymore?

　　Further Reading:

　　Psalm 116

　　Matthew 20:29-34

　　Romans 8