Fourth Pathway – Painstakingly Acquiring Faith –
Part II
Understandably, these emotions mature
into full blown bitterness and depression.
Where is God? What is the purpose of practicing spiritual disciplines
when they seem to lack any determining significance? Why go to church and listen to a sermon that
is the verbal equivalent of warmed-up breakfast biscuits? Attempts at meditation equates with replaying
a high definition DVD of the multiple offenses you continue to experience. Prayer is silent stuttering as fluent words
do not flow coherently. Seeking
spiritual direction and pastoral counseling appear worthless as clergypersons
deputize themselves to defend God regardless of the difficulty of your
circumstances. They do not listen to
your narrative; they even try to talk you out of your feelings. Doing good deeds and attending to the
well-being of vulnerable citizens seems hollow as cynicism corrodes commitment. Depression undermines self-care relating to
physical exercise, healthy sleep patterns, encouraging conversations with
family and friends, regularly taking medications and other wellness
protocols. Isolation naturally ensues as
people who have not had your experience cannot relate. Disturbingly, they presume to have the perfect
answers. They arrogantly accuse
disciples having a difficult time with being materialistic as they drive away
in a brand-new luxury car. Suggestive of
Job’s friends, these well-intentioned spiritual brothers and sisters
underestimate the depth and breadth of your agony. Despite the length, complexity and
contradictions of your trials, they feel the need to defend God’s character and
perfection at any cost. Their unwillingness
to entertain any inconsistencies that reflect poorly upon God compounds your
pain.
Having faith does not mean a disciple
does not ask hard questions. How does
someone who faithfully serves God but experiences seemingly limitless suffering
respond faithfully? Being faithful does
not demand blind allegiance. It further
does not emasculate reason, science and technology. The increasing disregard for an
intellectually respectable faith in American preaching, Bible study and
Christian education explains the decline in church attendance by millennials
and others. Some studies posit that as
many as fifty-nine percent (59%) of “Generation X” and millennials who grew up
in a church going family cease any affiliation with a local church as they
become adults. I attest anecdotally this
mass exodus out of the church irreversibly results from globalization borne of
science, technology and demographical shifts in religious pluralism. While being committed to ancestral faith
traditions, people can learn significant spiritual lessons from people of other
religious identities and practices.
Resolving adversities in daily living by asking difficult questions and
considering spiritual resources of other traditions do not equate with
faithlessness.
Utilizing faith as a pathway to
personal healing requires living through “the dark night of the soul.” Biblical examples include Jacob, the Hebrew
prophets, Job, Jesus of Nazareth and Paul.
Jacob wrestles with God all night long.
Jacob’s wholehearted fear of retribution at the hands of his murderously
angry brother, Esau, forced Jacob to demand God’s blessing and favor. This dramatic fight enabled Jacob to learn
about God’s character. Heretofore, Jacob
had been rather self-reliant. His
tendency to scheme and deceive leads Jacob to believe that he does not really
need the God of his fathers, Jacob barely escapes Esau’s vengeful thirst. His uncle, Laban, also falls prey to Jacob’s
duplicity. Self-reliant, Jacob weathers
Laban’s trickery switching Rachel for Leah at the first marriage. Possessing acute business acumen, Jacob
departs with countless agrarian wealth.
His ability to snatch victory out of the closing jaws of defeat seals
his self-reliance; he only asks for God’s help if he really needs it. Powerless to guarantee the physical safety
and survival of his family, Jacob wrestles with God. All night, Jacob fluctuates between his will
and God’s providential presence. Jacob
perseveres through this “dark night of the soul” insisting that he will not let
go of God until God blesses Jacob. The
tumultuous period of fighting with God is necessary to his assumption of his
purpose and destiny.
The Hebrew prophets, specifically
Daniel, Isaiah and Jeremiah, suffer immense emotional turmoil as they announce
the Word of God to Israel. Daniel
proclaims the Lord’s will as an anti-Semitic decree threatens to eliminate the
people of Israel. Steadfastly refusing
to adhere to the king’s edict, Daniel lands in the lion’s den. Conceivably, Daniel questions God’s
permission of this dastardly deed. As he
wades through doubt, bewilderment and anger, Daniel lives through “the dark
night of the soul.” Additionally, Isaiah
and Jeremiah encounter similar hardships including recalcitrant kings and
inexplicable rejection by their own people.
They endure myriad adversities as they remain faithful to God’s call. Unflatteringly labelled “the crying prophet,”
Jeremiah’s eloquent laments endure for persons living in “the dark night of the
soul.” Biblical scholars and
commentators describe Isaiah’s writings as “immortal and divine.” He proclaims God’s faithful presence and
steadfast grace during the exilic period, Israel’s collective experience of
horror in which the Hebrew people were scattered by the Babylonians and risked
colossal loss of their history, religion and literature. The latter chapters of the book of Isaiah,
forty to sixty-six (40 to 66), offer new hope with each reading. Nevertheless, the prophets’ willingness to
withstand the furnace of affliction enables them to acquire a refined and
precious faith. Its incalculable worth
is most evident in its relevance to countless generations of believers.
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