Further thoughts on Being Christian.

It’s easy to mouth the words “praise the Lord” when the going is good. We do it all the time. Sometimes we mean it, and sometimes it’s just a meaningless exclamation; but most of the time, if we are Christians, we really are sincere in our gratitude. That, I think, is because most of the time, things are going pretty well. But how do we react when circumstances work against us? I think most of us can handle a little adversity. Even unbelievers accept a certain amount of hard times as just being “part of life” without losing faith in whatever is the object of their faith. But what if everything should go bad on us? Most of us will never know. Most of us will never suffer any truly devastating loss. Some do, though. The people of New Orleans knew it in the aftermath of Katrina.

How we react to pain and loss is a great measure of our faith. How we feel in our hearts when disaster strikes is an accurate indicator of where our faith resides, whether in our physical and material circumstances, or in a God who is faithful to keep us and to work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). How ought we to be able to respond to pain and loss? We find the answer to that question, of course, in scripture. Can we respond in the words of Habakkuk 3:17–18?

Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,

This passage doesn’t describe a little bad luck, or a minor setback. It describes the failure of every crop. This is not a dip in the stock market. This is a complete crash, the total loss of livelihood. It is the loss of everything upon which the writer would depend for living. It is possible starvation.

Yet I will exult in the Lord,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

Because he is my everything. If I lose everything else, but still have him, it is enough. This should be our attitude. But if we examine ourselves, we will no doubt find that we’re not quite there yet. What to do? Pray. Confess our sin to God — for it surely is sin — ask his forgiveness, and thank him for his longsuffering mercy and his sanctifying grace. And keep pressing on (Philippians 3:14), trusting in him to complete the work he has begun in us (Philippians 1:6).