A Growing Faith in the Crucible of Trials
A Growing Faith in the Crucible of Trials
July 2, 2022
Larry R Evans
Introduction
Ernest Hemingway wrote, “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” (A Farewell to Arms). Indeed, we’ve all experienced moments of disappointment, hardship, and at times heartache. The implied question, “Can we become stronger because of the trials we face?” will be tested as experiences and opportunities for trust come our way.
This quarter’s Bible studies theme is “In the Crucible with Christ.” The dictionary defines a crucible as
a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures: the crucible tipped and the mold filled with liquid metal.
A situation of severe trial, or in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new: their relationship was forged in the crucible of war.
C. S. Lewis, a British writer, and a former atheist who became a lay theologian wrote,
The Gospel appeared as good news [to the early church]. It brought news of possible healing to men who knew that they were mortally ill. But all this has changed. Christianity now has to preach the diagnosis—in itself very bad news—before it can win a hearing for the cure. (The Problem of Pain, p.48)
This quarter we will not only be reflecting on trials of faith in our crucibles, but we will also be focusing on the One who is with us during these times. We can face hardships knowing that Christ is with us as we face pain, heartache, and even death.
I was introduced to Regiane a few years ago when I was invited to her home in Brazil. It was Friday evening and Sabbath was about to begin. My companion, Juliana, is our leader for the blind and low vision, wanted me to meet Regiane and hear her story. In brief, this is the story she told as we came together for worship with her and her family.
Two or three years before I met her, Regiane had stopped at the bank on her way home from work. She withdrew money as she had done many times. As she drove, she noticed a motorcycle with two riders following her but that was not abnormal. Soon the bike drove up close beside her on the driver’s side. She then heard a loud noise and felt something hit her on the side of her head. What she heard, she later learned, was the firing of a gun, the shattering of the car window, and the bullet’s impact on her head. It all happened quickly. The car eventually stopped. A passer-by called. She survived but the bullet, which is still lodged in her head, caused her to lose sight in both eyes. We would never say God pulled the trigger, but from her blindness, others who are blind can now “see.” It is an amazing story of one’s person’s life drastically changed in a moment, the struggle that came from the loss, and the determination to live with a new purpose. Her blindness opened new opportunities for her to help others “see” who were also blind. (See email 10-9-19)
Short True Video of Regiane’s Experience and Outcome
The 23rd Psalm (NKJV)
Life is like a camera; we choose what to focus on. The 23rd Psalm places the focus on God as both our Shepherd and our Royal Host. Both terms and concepts express a deep trust in God’s provisions. They also reflect attributes of God that were especially meaningful to David which is why it is called “A Psalm of David.” A look at David’s experience considering the psalm provides us with an even richer understanding.
Let’s read the entire psalm but keep the subheadings in mind as we do.
Verses 1-3
(God as Shepherd Who Leads Home)
“The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Verse 4
(God Who Cares and Rescues)
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Verses 5,6
(At Home with God, Our Royal Host)
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.”
The Journey
If we imagine life as a journey, as suggested in the teacher’s comments of the quarterly, then Psalm 23 is a good place to begin.
God as Shepherd Who Leads Home
(Verses 1-3)
“The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
The journey described in Psalm 23 speaks of a path on which the Lord guides us. In describing the Lord as a shepherd, David wrote out of his own experience because he had spent his early years caring for sheep.Sheep are completely dependent on the shepherd for provision, guidance, and protection. The New Testament calls Jesus the good shepherd (John 10:11), the great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20), and the Great Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4).
QUESTION: How does the Bible describe the role and nature of a shepherd. How is God like the shepherd described in these verses?
Isa. 40:11
Jer. 23:3,4
Ezek. 34:12
QUESTION: How does Psalm 23 describe the care provided by the Shepherd?
Psalm 23:2.
a. Green pastures. (Abundance)
b. Quiet waters. (“waters of rest” – rest from your enemies, Deut. 12:9,10)
c. “Restores my soul” – Hebrew shub. Often used for forgiveness and spiritual renewal. See 1 Ki. 8:33, Prov. 25:13. –to return to the starting point, refreshes the spirit.
d. “Paths of righteousness” – the right paths. God’s ways lead home.
e. “For name’s sake”— the right witness, See 1 Ki 8:33.
God would not have taken on a flock, a family, if he had not intended that he and they should be bound up with one another.
God Who Cares and Rescues
(Verse 4)
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
a. ‘Valley of the shadow of death” – or “valley of deathly darkness”—is a life-threatening experience. “Thou [You], at this point of danger, replaces the more distant ‘He’, in a person-to-person address; for the Shepherd is no longer ahead, to lead, but alongside to escort.”
The dark valley, or ravine, is as truly one of his ‘right paths’ as are the green pastures – a fact that takes much of the sting out of any ordeal. And his presence overcomes the worst thing that remains: the fear.
b. “Your rod and Your staff” – “rod,” a short scepter (some commentators – stick used to fight), the insignia of a king. “staff”/cane, the longer shepherd’s rod to provide support for sheep.
God is depicted here as Lord of the sheep and the One who cares and rescues them.
QUESTION: Have you ever felt you have been “falsely led” into a dark valley?
QUESTION: Have you felt the presence of the Shepherd when surrounded “an enemy”?
At Home with God, Our Royal Host
(Verses 5,6)
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.”
a. “Prepare a table” -- to eat and drink at someone’s table created a bond of mutual loyalty.
b. “Cup runs over” – the cup overflows and satisfies all possible thirst. Hospitality rules are implied which means the host would continuously fill the cup.
c. “Mercy” -- Mercy is the covenant word, khesed, which means ‘steadfast love’, Together with goodness suggests the steady kindness and support that one can count on in the family or between firm friends.
As the shepherd provides for his sheep, the royal host does the same. A royal banquet is prepared in the presence of the guest’s enemies. An enemy, according to cultural rules of the Ancient Near East, could not touch a guest because he or she was under the protection of the host. (Gen 19, Lot and the angels)
With God, these qualities are not merely solid and dependable, but vigorous – for to follow does not mean here to bring up the rear but to pursue, as surely as his judgments pursue the wicked.
QUESTION: Have you ever felt God was God pursuing you? Have you made it easy for Him to find you? How have you listened to His Shepherd’s voice?
Closing Reflective Thought
The journey of Psalm 23 climaxes with our arrival at home where we are greeted with a royal reception. However, the psalmist emphasizes that the Shepherd now accompanies us on the journey. From the beginning to the end, Jesus becomes the Path and the Guide as well as the Host.
I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary. (John 10:14, Message)
While it is true that “The world breaks everyone” we do have a Shepherd that heals, guides, and makes of our brokenness a stronger character and witness. Our journey has new meaning and hope as we look forward to dwelling “in the house of the LORD forever.”
Comments