Trusting God: When Life Stops Making Sense

Recently, one of Redeemer’s members said to me, “We are now at the farthest point that I had imagined COVID-19 impacting my life and family, and it’s still not over. I was not ready for this.” Another of our members had hoped to get away to the Texas coast in Port Aransas for several days of vacation in late July. Within hours after their arrival though, Tropical Storm Hanna had become Hurricane Hanna and was forecast to come ashore on the second day of their trip. Rather than ride out the storm, they packed up their vehicle and traveled back to San Antonio. Their Facebook page said it all. Posting a map of the Texas coast, they identified their vacation rental (“We just got here.”) and then the hurricane (“And this is on the way!”). The best thing, however, was the comment on their FB post: “So, yeah 2020. Do not recommend!”

I haven’t run into many people who have enjoyed 2020. The regular rhythms and cycles of normal life have been radically interrupted, and we cannot envision when life will return to normal. What is more, all of the ordinary tragedies and struggles one faces in life have not abated. Cancer diagnoses, broken bones, unexpected surgeries, loved ones passing away, jobs lost, events canceled, plans interrupted, schools delayed and masks—it’s all come our way. Though none of us have experienced everything, all of us have experienced something that COVID has only made more difficult to navigate.

How do we respond? Who do we trust? Is it possible to keep trusting in God when life stops making sense? This is the question I hope to answer for us in our upcoming fall sermon series, "Trusting God: When Life Stops Making Sense," which will begin this Sunday, August 23^rd.

As Presbyterians, of course, we take comfort in what the Bible teaches us about God’s sovereignty. Even though we feel surprised by COVID-19, our God is not. As our catechism reminds us, God’s governance extends to “all his creatures and all their actions” (WSC 11). We are assured that he will bring about his good purpose in the midst of this struggle, a purpose which will also perfectly align with the praise of his glorious grace (Eph. 1:11-12).

At the same time, however, I wonder if we tire of reminding ourselves of these truths. Bad things happen and so we trust in a doctrine that tells us God will eventually turn everything out for our good (Rom. 8:28). While that it is Biblical, is this all there is to it?

But what if God promises us more than a doctrine to comfort us in the midst of life’s sorrows? Indeed, this fall we’re going to learn that trusting God is not simply a matter of crafting the correct doctrinal formulation, or even believing the right doctrine. To be sure, we can’t trust a God who is not sovereign. But trusting God isn’t an abstract concept. We don’t trust in sovereignty, but in a personal God who is sovereign and good. This reminds us that trust is a relational, covenantal and even mysterious movement of our hearts. At its core, trust is about experiencing not only the power of God’s presence, but also the compassion of his person.

The writer to the Hebrews puts it well,

¹⁴ Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16

Briefly, let me make a couple of observations.

• First, as we all recognize, this passage reminds us that we can trust in God because Jesus, our great high priest, has walked the very same path which we now travel. Jesus knows what life in 2020 is like and sympathizes with us in the midst of our sorrows and temptations. Author William Lane reminds us that this is not mere psychological empathy, but rather a real participation in the same sufferings and temptations that we ourselves undergo. Jesus has been there.

• Secondly, as the one who has “passed through the heavens,” Jesus has become our victorious high priest. He is the one who triumphed over all that opposed him and oppressed us. Therefore, we are called to draw near not only to one sympathetic to that which distresses us, but also to one who has vanquished all of this world’s sin and misery.

Friends, all of this boils down to the lesson that verse 16 holds out for us: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” In this we find the real hope to navigate the chaos of 2020 and all of the associated challenges that COVID-19 has brought into our lives. It’s about coming to Jesus. We must go to him in our time of need and we must take those we shepherd to Jesus.

Of course, there is a time and a place during this season to be reminded of God’s sovereign plan. At the same time, let’s not forget that trusting God is a movement of our hearts. Doctrines can’t wrap their arms around us with their love, but our God can and does. In the power of the Spirit, the truth of his Word and the lives of one another, we see Jesus show up, giving us the handholds that we can grab in the midst of this confusing and turbulent time.

I look forward to digging deeper into what it means to trust in our God when it feels like life no longer makes sense!