Joyful Moments in Christ

I recently heard a sermon from Rev. Dr. Garret Smith from Newton Covenant Church about Psalm 13 and Healing Laments. Something that struck me was the concept that what Christians often call faith is actually just an act. The idea in the talk was that when things in our life go wrong, we often want to skip directly to the solution, but this is not the typical pattern that is presented in the Bible. Instead, the Bible is filled with laments. Just as medical symptoms lead us to a doctor, who makes a diagnosis, and then prescribes a treatment, we need to recognize the problem, lament over the problem, and then work on a solution to the problem. Psalm 13 is a great model of this!

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 13 (ESV)

Rev. Smith points out that when sick, we often long for a miracle that skips the diagnosis phase. While a miracle is not impossible, it isn’t the standard way that God operates. Similarly, when we skip the lament phase, we are often skipping a crucial step in a healing process. When we avoid lament, we often claim to be exhibiting faith in God, but the question is whether it is genuine faith, or just a blinder to pretend that we don’t have a serious problem.

I want to take this idea and look at specific people from the Bible who either chose to lament in deep and genuine faith, or chose to skip this step and pretend to have faith.

David vs. Saul

In Psalm 13 and many other Psalms, we see that David continually encounters real problems, cries out to God in sorrow and lament, and concludes with something that has a meaning like, “Your will be done. I will trust in you and sing your praises regardless of the outcome.”

Contrastingly, Saul continually exhibits a different attitude, one instance of which is notably illustrated in 1 Samuel 13. The context is that Saul faces a threat from the Philistine army, but Samuel had instructed him to await his arrival at Gilgal. As the enemy drew near, Saul, gripped by fear and impatience, assumes one of Samuel’s roles himself. Just as Saul completes the task, Samuel arrives, informing him that God is displeased and intends to transfer the Israelite kingdom to another (David).

When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

1 Samuel 13:6-14 (ESV)

This account vividly illustrates that Saul often paid mere lip service to God until faced with adversity. In moments of fear, his lack of trust surfaces, leading him to believe his way is superior to God’s. If he would have spent proper time in the lament stage, maybe God would have revealed a way out of his problem, or at least would have helped him bear the burden of difficulty. It is unsurprising that God chose to strip away the kingdom from him. Saul’s behavior sharply contrasts with David’s approach in the concluding verses of Psalm 13.

Numerous instances of such superficial commitment can be found throughout the Old Testament. Whenever the Israelites face divine retribution, it almost always becomes evident that someone among them lacked genuine faith in God. These episodes underscore the recurrent struggle of individuals to wholeheartedly trust in the divine, revealing a recurring pattern of wavering faith leading to consequences.

Jesus’ Disciples vs. the Rich Young Ruler

The Gospels similarly have numerous examples of insincere faith. Most of Jesus closest disciples had moments of wavering faith, but in the end, the vast majority of them were willing to follow him to the point of death (read the book of Acts for proof of their faith).

A striking example of an insincere faith is in the story of the Rich Young Ruler in Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18.

And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Matthew 19:16-22 (ESV)

It is easy to give lip service and say that we would do anything for Jesus, but it is a completely different matter to follow through. In this case, the man in the story said that he would do anything for eternal life, but when Jesus asked the man to give up his earthly treasure and follow Jesus, the man could not bring himself to do it. The man’s lament was for the money he was being asked to forfeit.

Jesus follows these verses with a discussion about how hard it is for rich people to follow him. If you are in a position where you long for money and possessions, it could actually be a blessing from God that you don’t have them! How many people are ensnared by their wealth? How much easier was it for poor fishermen (Peter, James, John, and Andrew) to follow Jesus than this rich young ruler?

Of course, wealth does not preclude people from following Jesus, but it is much harder. We can see Matthew’s own journey to Jesus in Matthew 9. He was a tax collector who likely made his wealth by overcharging other Jewish people, yet, when Jesus told him to follow, Matthew left his tax booth and followed Jesus. What kind of wealth (current or future) did Matthew give up? If you have been blessed with wealth, hopefully more honest wealth than Matthew, Matthew’s example should give you hope!

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

A parable that illustrates superficial faith vs. genuine faith is of the Pharisee and the tax collector.

 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9-14 (ESV)

In Luke 18:9-14, a Pharisee loudly and publicly proclaims to God all the ways that he is better than other men, while the tax collector found a more private place and humbly acknowledged and repented of his sins. In both cases, God was able to be the hearts of the two men and found the Pharisee to be giving lip service without lament, and the tax collector to be sincerely repenting with plenty of lament. No matter how hard we try to make other people see our good deeds, God knows our hearts.

Jesus vs. Judas

Looking at another real-life example of various types of faith in the New Testament, we come to the difference between Judas and Jesus. Throughout the four Gospels we see Jesus’ genuine love for his people. Over and over, he has both sorrow and compassion for the sick, the children, the women, and his disciples. In Luke 8:40-56, even when Jesus pauses his journey to heal a dying girl (pausing to heal a sick woman), and the girl dies, Jesus shows his compassion by raising her from the dead! His genuine care and lament for his people is evident throughout scripture.

On the other hand, Judas is depicted as an opportunist who takes advantage of people:

But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.

John 12:4-6 (ESV)

Once again, we see lip service without genuine compassion. The words are right, but the motivations are wrong. Judas’ anger over the waste of money appears to have a noble reason, but in his deceit, his lament is really only for the loss of the money that he hoped to steal.

In the end, Judas greed becomes even more evident as he betrays Jesus for a relatively small amount of silver, the amount that would be paid to a master of a slave if his slave was gored by an ox. What kind of disrespect is this? Later, Judas does seem to appreciate the mistake he made, but it is too late.

Reflection Questions

As you consider the examples above, take some time to reflect on these questions:

1. Reflect on a challenging situation where you may have overlooked lamentation. What were the consequences of not fully acknowledging the problem before seeking a solution?
2. Consider moments in your spiritual journey where you claimed faith without genuine lamentation. How can you distinguish between authentic faith and mere lip service in such instances?
3. In difficult times, do you align more with David’s deep lamentation and trust in God or Saul’s tendency to take matters into your own hands out of fear or impatience?
4. Examine areas in your life where attachments might hinder wholehearted commitment to following Jesus. How can you overcome these obstacles?
5. Recall moments when you may have displayed public piety. How can you foster private repentance and humility, acknowledging your shortcomings before God?
6. Scrutinize your heart and motivations in acts of service or expressions of faith. Are there areas where you might be giving lip service rather than genuinely serving with a compassionate heart?
7. Reflect on the contrast between Jesus’ genuine love and compassion and Judas’ opportunistic actions. How can you emulate Jesus’ love and avoid self-serving motives in your interactions with others?
8. Consider situations in your life where you longed for a miracle without patiently going through the diagnosis phase. How can you trust in God’s timing and process rather than seeking quick fixes?
9. Reflect on instances where decisions were made without trusting in God’s guidance. How can you learn from those mistakes and cultivate a deeper, more authentic faith in challenging situations?
10. How can you cultivate a heart like the tax collector in Jesus’ parable, seeking God’s mercy and acknowledging your need for grace, rather than relying on outward displays of righteousness?

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English Standard Version (ESV): Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.