What Do You Need to Have Peace?

[This Sunday, I plan to preach on Psalms 129, 130 and 131. In 2009 I preached on Psalm 131 as part of a series entitled “The Gospel for Two-Year-Olds – Like You!” This devotion is a shortened form of the second sermon in that series, preached August 30, 2009. You can listen to that sermon via this link – Coty]

What do you need in order to have peace?

That is, what do you need in order to rest completely?

  • A well-paying job, in your preferred field, with a good boss?
  • Good grades, a respected degree?
  • A sense of accomplishment, of usefulness, of being needed?
  • A loving spouse, with a satisfying sex life?
  • Happy and obedient children?
  • A certain level of income – and a house, a good car, nice clothes?
  • Respect from others? Love?

Or to put it another way: How would you complete this sentence: “I would be content if I just had _____”

In Psalm 131, David gives a beautiful picture of the peace we can have with God:

O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.

David Powlison says this psalm is “show-and-tell for how to become peaceful inside,” while Charles Spurgeon notes, “It is one of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn.” So let’s begin to learn how to relax and rest in God like a well-fed two-year-old with her mother.

 

The Psalmist at Peace

David describes his peaceful condition through three negative statements:

  • His heart is not lifted up
  • His eyes are not raised too high
  • He does not focus on what is beyond him.

In Hebrew, the word “heart” refers to the entire inner being: Emotions, intellect, and will. So the first statement refers to what David is thinking of himself. He does not exalt himself.

The second statement refers to where I think I am going: My plans, goals, ambitions, desires, worries, pressures, and fears. In effect, he is saying: “I have no plans to exalt myself in the future, for I have no need to prove myself.”

These first two statements together describe a man who is humble, not self-centered.

What do these have to do with peace?

When you are not at peace, you are not humble. You are saying, “My status is more important than anything else. No matter who God is, no matter what promises He may have made, I cannot have peace unless I have X.”

Two-year-olds are like this, aren’t they? He sees cookies just out of the oven cooling on the counter, and asks for one. When told no, they are for later, he becomes upset and declares, “I need a cookie!” Regardless of how loving and giving his parents might be, he has no peace because he doesn’t have a cookie.

In effect, he is saying to his parents, “You say you provide, but you’re not giving me this cookie. I can’t be happy without it! So you must not be loving parents! If you really loved me you would give me what I want!”

Contrast that with David’s attitude. He is saying, “I’m not magnifying my perception of needs, my plans, my schemes. I am not worried about my present state or my future. I am not driven by what other people think of me now, or what they will think of me in future. I am at peace, resting on God.”

In David’s third negative statement, he declares that he does not occupy himself or walk around in “things too great and too marvelous for me.” This too is a statement of humility. He admits there is much that is beyond his ability to understand – that God knows, and he does not. The point is not, “Don’t think about such things!” David was king! He certainly was concerned about perplexing events in his country. But he did not say, “I cannot have peace unless I know the answer to these questions!” We can be concerned, we can weep with those who weep, and still have peace, still be at rest, trusting in the One Who knows all things, Who controls all things. We can be like a two-year-old who experiences a deep sorrow – yet rests in his loving parent’s arms. He can’t understand – and doesn’t have to.

How do we – as two-year-olds before God – come to that state?

 

How to Become Peaceful

After the three negative statements in verse 1, David makes a positive statement in verse 2:

But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Note that David is active, not passive. As the NAS renders the verse, ”Surely I have composed and quieted my soul.” He has worked to bring about this state.

What has he done? The first verb literally means “made level,” while the second connotes being still, being at rest. Then note that “soul” in Hebrew refers not to the immortal or immaterial part of you, but more to the part of your being that has desires and passions.

So David says here: “I have taken initiative. I have made level my passions and desires. These things I want do not control me. I am tempted to let my passions and desires run my life, not to have peace unless they are fulfilled. But I have resisted those temptations.”

Note that he is not saying, “I have stifled all desire. I am hardened to whatever happens. I have no more passions.” Scripture never commends that attitude. We are to rejoice, to love, to mourn, to weep.

Rather, what David has done is to level out those desires, to knock them down to size, to quiet their cries and to put them in their proper place.

David then compares this state to the two-year-old on his mother’s lap. While the word translated “weaned” can mean a child who no longer nurses, it can also mean a child who has just finished nursing. I think that’s the image here. The child has nursed. She has all she needs. She has satisfied her hunger. She feels safe and secure and loved on her mother’s breast. She is completely at peace.

This is the picture of all who are in Jesus before God – loved, provisioned, protected, peaceful. For He promises us His love (1 John 3:1). He promises us protection (2 Timothy 4:18). He promises us the food and clothing we need to fulfill His purposes (Matthew 6:31-33). And He promises us His constant presence (Hebrews 13:5).

So we can rest peacefully on Him. Yes, we will be perplexed at times; we will weep at times; we will often have deep concerns. But we don’t live lives dominated by those concerns. We still and quiet our souls; we make level our passions; we rest in His love, in His provision.

Therefore we won’t say, “I can only have peace if I have _____!” We have Him. We have all that we need.

 

The Source of Peace

In the first two verses, David does not make explicit the source of his contentment. He does that in the final verse:

O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.

Here David calls on all God’s people to do what he has done. Everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus, everyone who is part of God’s holy nation (1 Peter 2:9) must hope in the Lord!

This exhortation is both what we must do and why we can rest.

That little child hopes in his mother and father. He doesn’t understand much about what is going on, but he trusts them. He isn’t able to provide for himself, but he believes they will provide. He sees, perhaps, dangers in the world, but he trusts their protection.

Just so with us before God.

And note that this is to go on forevermore! We never outgrow sitting on that restful lap!

How do we put this into practice? What is the spiritual dynamic at play here?

When we are tempted to fret, to worry, to lack peace, we are to calm and quiet our souls by reminding ourselves of God’s character, of His plan of redemption, and of His promises: He promises to work all things together for our good and His glory; He promises to redeem all of creation, creating a new heavens and new earth; He promises to right every wrong, to wipe away every tear; He promises to make us like Jesus – forever and ever.

Consider in particular the overarching promise of Luke 12:32. Jesus says,

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

This is what God wants to do! If you are in Christ, He wants to give you His kingdom!  He wants to bring you into His presence. He wants to shower you with His love.  He wants you to be His precious child, His heir. He wants to grant you a new body in the new heavens and new earth. He wants to use you for His glory, so that you play a role in the greatest accomplishment of all time.

And remember: Whatever God pleases, He does (Psalm 135:6). Nothing can stop Him.

 

So how can you rest? What do you need in order to have peace?

We can make long lists of things we think we need. We can allow ourselves to get all worked up and upset and fretful because of what we lack.

But really there is only one thing we need.

What we need is Jesus – and nothing else.

Every other good in this life – everything we lack, everything we think we need – fundamentally Is not valuable in and of itself. Rather: if received, it is most valuable because it is a token of love from the One who loves us more than we can imagine. And if God withholds it from us – then He has something better. Even that withholding – painful as it may be – is for our good.

So away with all thoughts of, “I would be happy if …” or “I need answers to life’s questions before I can be at peace.”

The only question that matters is: Do you have Jesus?

Apart from Him – you cannot trust any of His promises. You cannot rest on God’s lap. You cannot know His love. For we all deserve punishment (Psalm 130:3). We need someone to pay the penalty for us. We need someone to stand in our place.

Those who are in Jesus have peace with God because He took on that penalty at the Cross (Romans 5:1, 8).

So believe in Him. Trust Him.

He is the one thing you need for peace. Not a house. Not a job. Not fulfillment. Not recognition. Not status. Not a spouse or sex or children.

Having Jesus: Fight the fight to believe. Remind yourself of Who God is. Meditate on His promises. And know: If you have Jesus, peace is yours. Rest in Him.

“O Israel: Hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.”

A Mighty Fortress is Our God

“A mighty fortress is our God – a bulwark never failing.” Martin Luther wrote those words (in German) as well as the tune we use around 1528. This was a time of great danger. It seemed as if the leaders of the Reformation could be killed at any moment – and what would happen to the cause then?

Luther’s partner, Philip Melanchthon, was particularly worried. Luther responded in a letter dated June 27, 1530:

With all my heart I hate those cares by which you state that you are consumed. They rule your heart . . . by reason of the greatness of your unbelief…. If our cause is false, let us recant. But if it is true, why should we make Him a liar who has given us such great promises and who commands us to be confident and undismayed?…

What good do you expect to accomplish by these vain worries of yours? What can the devil do more than slay us? Yes, what? …

I pray for you very earnestly, and I am deeply pained that you keep sucking up cares like a leech and thus rendering my prayers vain. Christ knows whether it comes from stupidity or the Spirit but I for my part am not very much troubled about our cause…. God who is able to raise the dead is also able to uphold his cause when it is falling or to raise it up again when it has fallen…. If we are not worthy instruments to accomplish his purpose, he will find others. If we are not strengthened by his promises, where in all the world are the people to whom these promises apply? But more of this at another time. After all, my writing this is like pouring water in to the sea.

We in the US do not face death for the Gospel. But life often does seem out of control – particularly today, with so much uncertainty about the spread of COVID-19, and the economic effects of the steps taken to limit its spread. It can seem as if random chance is harming those around us and taking aim at us – or even worse, as if Satan himself is advancing his cause and will overwhelm God’s people.

Psalm 46 is written for times like 1530 – and for times like 2020.

We don’t know when this psalm was first written and recited. Some have speculated that it was written after the Assyrian king Sennacharib besieged Jerusalem – and God slaughtered 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in their sleep. Whatever Whether the historical occasion, the Kingdom seemed to be in grave danger from a powerful military force – so powerful that there seemed to be no hope – and God delivered His people.

We’ll consider verses 1-7 together under two headings, and then verses 8-11 under a third.

Is Everything Falling Apart?

In 1530, Melanchthon worried that everything was falling apart. Today, the coronavirus leads to similar feelings.

The psalmist pictures those feelings. In verse 2 he speaks of “the earth giving way,” and “the mountains being moved into the sea.” Indeed, the waters of the sea roar and foam, and the mountains themselves are fearful, for they “tremble at its swelling.”

To understand these expressions, it’s helpful to remind ourselves of the creation account in Genesis 1. Before God works, darkness is over the face of the deep waters. There is nothing but water. On the third day, God gathers the waters into one place, the sea, and commands dry land to appear.

So note: in Psalm 46 God’s work is being reversed! The mountains – the dry land that looks most powerful, most secure – are moved back into the sea. God ordered creation; now disorder seems to reign.

That’s what’s happening with the natural order. What about the political order?

Verse 6 tells us, “The nations rage, the kingdoms totter.” In Hebrew, the word translated “totter” is the same word translated “moved” in verse 2. The physical order is being moved and shaken, and thus is falling apart; just so with the political order.

When things seem to fall apart, when all that we’ve thought firms, secure, rock-solid begins to shake and totter, when it seems as if no one is in control, that danger is all around, we are tempted to fear. Thus the psalmist exhorts us in verse 2, “We will not fear.”

He then grounds that exhortation in the character and promises of God.

God Secures His People

In the creation account, God imposed order on the chaotic world. In Psalm 46, God shows His people that while all may appear to be returning to chaos, He still rules. He still governs. And He secures His people

Verses 1-7 tell us of three ways that God secured His people at that time – ways that He continues to secure His people today:

First: God is with us!

This is the primary message of the entire psalm.

  • He is our refuge – that is, He shields us from danger.
  • He is our strength, empowering us in weakness.
  • He is not only a help, but a present help, right beside us, in our presence; He never leaves us nor forsakes us.

To underline this point, verse 11 repeats verse 7:

The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress.

With Him we are secure. No enemy can scale His walls. No danger can assault this fortress.

Verses 4 and following expand on this image:

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. (Psalm 46:4-5)

Picture a flourishing, vibrant city, surrounded by unassailable walls, with a river flowing through its midst so that there is a continual supply of water. God’s people are the city. God is both the walls surrounding the city and the Protector dwelling in its midst. He helps the city immediately – at the earliest time, at the crack of dawn.

So the first way that God secures His people: He is with us. He is always with us.

The second way that God secures His people: He stabilizes us.

Remember, verse 2 speaks of the mountains being moved into the sea, and verse 6 (literally) of the kingdoms being moved. But verse 5 tells us that since God is in the midst of the city, “she shall not be moved.”

Even if both the created order and the political order are falling apart – even if a new virus threatens our entire world – God stabilizes and secures His people. They do not slip, do not fall, do not stumble.

The third way that God secures His people: He controls the dangerous forces

Verse 6 is my favorite:

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter, he utters his voice, the earth melts (Psalm 46:6)

In the midst of chaos and political upheaval, in the midst of war and intrigue and betrayal and scheming, in the midst of disease and disorder and disarray, God speaks! And all falls before Him.

  • He doesn’t organize His people into an army to fight the enemy, though He could;
  • He doesn’t send lightning and wind and hail to destroy them, though He could.

Rather – just like during creation week – He speaks – and His will is done. His words all by themselves are mighty and powerful.

So you see: Though all around you may seem out of control, may seem to be falling apart, God is in control. He is never out of control. He only has to speak – and that chaos, that opposition, is over and done with. Thus, when we see chaos continuing, when God’s enemies thrive – this is happening only by His permission, in order to accomplish His good and wise purposes.

He is almighty, He is in control of all. As Luther wrote:

The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him.
His rage we can endure,
For, lo, his doom is sure:
One little word shall fell him. (emphasis added)

With those three ways that God secures His people fresh in our minds, let’s return to the picture of God’s people as a city. The New Testament authors pick up on this idea. In Hebrews 11, the author tells us Abraham followed God’s call, not knowing where he was would lead, for “he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:10) Like Abraham, all followers of Jesus while in this world are strangers, exiles, refugees, seeking a homeland – and God has indeed prepared for us a city.

Revelation 21 then pictures this city that God has prepared:

I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:2-4)

So Psalm 46 tells us that today God’s people are His city, surrounded by His fortress. He is in their midst. Though powerful forces are arrayed against this city, attacking it, trying to undermine it, God is an impenetrable fortress, and we are secure.

Hebrews and Revelation then picture the future, the new heavens and new earth. God’s people are still a city – but now, God has spoken His word, He has felled the prince of darkness grim, and His enemies are no more. He is with us in the present, and He will be with us for eternity. But in eternity, in the new city, we no longer need His protection. The old order has passed away. He has wiped every tear from our eyes.

So when it seems as if everything is falling apart – from viruses, from wars, from natural disasters – know: God secures His people today, and in eternity He will rid creation of all that is opposed to Him and to His people.

“So Relax! I Am Exalting My Name!”

Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:8-11)

We’ll highlight three commands in this final stanza:

First: Look!

The people must come and behold God’s works. He utters His voice – and even the earth melts. So any enemy has no chance whatsoever. Look at His might. Look at His power. Look at how He has acted in the past.

That was encouraging in the psalmist’s day.

But today, when we look, we see God at work doing something much greater than a defeating a huge enemy army.

In Luke 10, Jesus sends the 72 out to proclaim the Gospel. Going in the power of Jesus, the see Him at work – even demons obey them! They return, excited about the authority they exercised.

Jesus responds:

Behold (Look!) I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:19-20).

Furthermore, Jesus says:

Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it (Luke 10:23-24).

We in our day are privileged to see what the people of God have longed to see for millennia: God using people like you and me to reach all the nations with the Gospel. We see peoples who have walked in darkness for thousands of years seeing the great light; we see a plentiful harvest – and so pray for more workers.

So look! Behold! Look at the great victories that God is forging by His Word! Pay attention! His Kingdom must come – and it is coming. The evidence is all around us. And all the seeming chaos in this world is working to bring that end about.

So that’s the first command: Look!

The second command: Recognize!

“Know that I am God” in verse 10 is translated in the NET, “Recognize that I am God.”

That is: “Draw the conclusion from what you see! Recognize who I am and what I am doing. Recognize my sovereign power. I am indeed almighty. I am indeed working for your good. Look – and then recognize Me in all that happens.”

The final command: Relax!

We read in verse 10, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Question: Is God speaking to the warring parties, saying: “Stop your fighting!” That’s what some translators think. But others – particularly the British translator and commentator Alec Motyer – think God is speaking these words to His people: “Be still – don’t be worried – relax – know that I am God.”

I think that’s more consistent with the rest of the psalm. God says, “I am with you. I love you. I am your fortress. I control all these forces arrayed against you. All may appear to be falling apart, but one word of mine will order the chaos and defeat the enemy. For I am doing a great work. My name must be hallowed. I must be exalted among the nations. I must be exalted in all the earth. I must bring those from every tribe, tongue, and nation to myself. And everything that happens is working to that end according to My plan. That is where all is heading, even though you can’t see it. So relax! Trust Me! I am for you! And I am glorifying My Name.”

Conclusion

What concerns you today? The virus? The economy? Your own health? The death of a loved one? The seeming chaos around us, and thus all aspects of the future?

However dark all may appear in your life, it cannot appear darker than the night our Lord was betrayed by a close friend, brought before a show trial, abused, whipped, mocked, and then nailed to a cross where He died.

For the disciples, that was the moment when all their hopes were dashed, when they were the most confused.

Yet: God utters His voice: And Christ conquers death.

  • He rises from the dead!
  • He sits at the right hand of the Father!
  • He reigns in power!
  • He will return with great glory!

Look! God was in control even at the crucifixion. And so: Recognize: He is in control in your darkest hour.

So be among His protected, secure people!

Trust that at that crucifixion Jesus paid the penalty for your sins!

Turn to Him and be saved!

Then: relax. Trust Him. God secures His people. He will be exalted in the earth. It is certain. That day will come – despite viruses, despite Satan, despite our own weakness.

Relax – and know that He is God.

What Do You Set Your Mind On?

What do you set your mind on?

We often set our minds on the past – how so-and-so talked down to me, how I failed or succeeded on that recent test, how nice it was to receive a compliment – or on the longer-term future: what job I want to be doing a few years from now, whom I will marry, how many children we should have, what retirement will look like. We also tend to set our minds on our immediate needs – such as what we will eat for dinner, what we will say to an angry child, how we will avoid a traffic jam, and how we will spend the weekend.

We can’t and shouldn’t avoid thinking about such issues. But the Apostle Paul tells us that our focus, our central mindset, should be different: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2).

Why are we to do this? He explains: “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). That is: The You that was focused on the things of the earth has died. Yes, you are still in the body. Yes, you still need to eat and sleep. Yes, there are still the pressures, joys, and sorrows of earthly life. But via the sacrifice of Jesus you are reconciled to God – and He promises that He will never leave you or forsake you, that He will bring you safely to His heavenly Kingdom, that He is working all things on this earth together for your good and the glory of His Name. He has united you with Christ so that He sees Him when He looks at you. You have an inheritance that will never perish, that has no blemish, that will never fade, kept for you in His presence – and He will grant that inheritance to you at exactly the right time.

Furthermore: “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). Jesus will come back at the end of the age to punish those who continue in rebellion against Him and to complete the work begun in all of His people. Our life is now hidden in Him, but on that Day the glory of our new life will appear. Note that “in glory” is not a location but a description of who we will be when Jesus appears. On the earth, in this fallen world, we may appear to be ruined, weak, and powerless; we may feel abandoned, hurt, and confused; we will be tempted to lose hope, to quit striving, to give up. But in the midst of all our trials, our true life remains protected with Christ in God – whatever happens around us or to us, it is safe with Him! And Jesus is certain to return. At that time we will appear with Him and be seen for what we truly are in Him: glorious, spotless, perfected, His delight and joy.

So set your mind today on such things – not that you ignore all these other concerns, but that you interpret all other concerns in light of who you are in Christ. Because of who you are in Christ, you can thank God for the gifts and kindnesses and joys around you; you can persevere through the trials and temptations; you can slough off insults, mockings, and demeaning words; you can love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; you can love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Christian, Jesus is your life. He will return. In Him you are glorious, spotless, perfected. Set your mind on that– every minute of every day.

 

Your Way Was Through the Sea

What do you do when the path ahead seems fraught with danger – when there are a zillion ways that all could fall apart, when worries and cares abound? When your eyelids are propped open at night, as you lie in your bed imagining all that could go wrong?

This is the situation of the author of Psalm 77. God seems distant and uncaring; He seems angry, reneging on His promises. Remembering past times of intimacy with God only serves to magnify the sense of alienation the author experiences in the present.

So he asks: Has God’s unfailing love failed? Has He forgotten to be merciful and gracious? Will He never again be kind to me? (Psalm 77:7-9)

But instead of continuing in self-pity, questioning God’s character, in the following verses the psalmist wisely changes course: Instead of focusing on his past subjective experiences of God, he disciplines himself to meditate on the objective revelation of God through history – particularly through the history of His mighty acts on behalf of His people (Psalm 77:10-12).

The psalmist looks first at the big picture: Over the centuries God has proven Himself to be holy and mighty, a Redeemer of His people (Psalm 77:13-15). He then focuses on one specific act – God’s bringing His people through the Red Sea (Psalm 77:16-20). He imagines himself among the Israelites, with the Egyptian army behind them and the impassable waters in front of them. There is no way out. All seems lost. Despite God’s power and might exhibited in the nine plagues, despite the miracle of the death of the firstborn leading Pharaoh to let the people go, now they will all be slaughtered by the army or drowned by the sea.

But then God divides the sea! The waters well up, “a wall to them on their right hand and on their left” (Exodus 14:22). And the people make that long trek across the sea.

Yet as he imagines the event, the psalmist realizes something vitally important – important for him and for all of us facing challenging circumstances – a point we often miss in telling the story of the Exodus: “Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters” (Psalm 77:19a). God is leading them right into the midst of the sea! They must walk for miles, with the water piled up on both sides. Should that water pour over them, there is not a thing they can do to save themselves. There will be no escape. Is this a deliverance – or the path to their destruction? Clearly God has acted to part the waters – but will He keep the waters parted for the hours it will take them to cross?

Friends, this is characteristic of the way God acts toward His people. The way ahead looks uncertain and frightening. We can imagine thousands of ways all could fall apart, all could go wrong. We pass through the valley of the shadow of death and are tempted to fear all sorts of evil, for we question the power and the goodness of the Shepherd.

When you experience such fear and doubts, follow the example of this psalmist: Remember how God has revealed Himself through the history of His people. Remember that His way is often through the sea; we are to walk right into the midst of the dangers and challenges. Remember that He promises that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Remember that it is in such circumstances, when we are at our wits’ end, that He is most glorified in saving us. Remember – and then trust the mighty God who never changes, whose unfailing love never fails, who promises that nothing will separate us from the love He has for all of those who are in Christ Jesus.

Silence in Afflictions

[In pain because of God’s discipline for his sin, David prays, “I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it” (Psalm 39:9). While we will consider this verse in the context of the entire psalm on Sunday, the English Puritan pastor Thomas Brooks wrote an entire book based on David’s statement, The Mute Christian Under the Smarting Rod (1659). Here are some excerpts and the first part of his outline in updated language for your consideration and meditation. You can read the entire book via this link. To distinguish between my words and Brooks’, my paraphrases are in italics – Coty]

Christians, it is mercy, it is rich mercy, that every affliction is not an execution, that every correction is not a damnation.

There is a PRUDENT silence, a HOLY, a GRACIOUS silence; a silence that springs from prudent principles, from holy principles, and from gracious causes and considerations; and this is the silence here meant.

I: What does this silence include?

It includes and takes in these eight things:

First, acknowledging that God is the author of all our afflictions

There is no sickness so little—but God has a finger in it; though it be but the aching of the little finger.

Such as can see the ordering hand of God in all their afflictions, will, with David, lay their hands upon their mouths, when the rod of God is upon their backs, 2 Sam. 16:11, 12. If God’s hand be not seen in the affliction, the heart will do nothing but fret and rage under affliction.

Secondly, acknowledging God’s majesty, sovereignty, might, and authority over us.

A man never comes to humble himself, nor to be silent under the hand of God, until he comes to see the hand of God to be a mighty hand. . . . When men look upon the hand of God as a weak hand, a feeble hand, a low hand, a mean hand—their hearts rise against his hand.

Thirdly, this silence springs from a quiet and calm mind and spirit

Aaron, Eli, and Job. . . saw that it was a Father that put those bitter cups in their hands, and love that laid those heavy crosses upon their shoulders, and grace that put those yokes about their necks; and this caused much quietness and calmness in their spirits.

Some men . . . hide and conceal their grief and trouble; but could you but look into their hearts, you will find all in an uproar, all out of order, all in a flame; and however they may seem to be cold without, yet they are all in a hot burning fever within. Such a feverish fit David was once in, Psalm 39:3. But certainly a holy silence allays all tumults in the mind, and makes a man ‘in patience to possess his own soul.’

Fourthly, this silence springs from acquitting God of all blame or injustice in bringing the affliction on us.

God’s afflictions are always just; he never afflicts but in faithfulness. His will is the rule of justice; and therefore a gracious soul dares not cavil nor question his proceedings. The afflicted soul knows that a righteous God can do nothing but that which is righteous; it knows that God is uncontrollable, and therefore the afflicted man puts his mouth in the dust, and keeps silence before him.

Fifthly, this silence springs from five conclusions about the eventual impact of the afflictions on us.

Five conclusions based on Lamentations 3:27-33

a) The afflictions shall work for their good

Surely these afflictions are but the Lord’s pruning-knives, by which he will bleed my sins, and prune my heart, and make it more fertile and fruitful; they are but the Lord’s potion, by which he will clear me, and rid me of those spiritual diseases and maladies, which are most deadly and dangerous to my soul!

b) Afflictions shall keep them humble and low

c) The rod shall not always lie upon the back of the righteous.

d) God will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his mercies

The life of a Christian is filled up with interchanges of sickness and health, weakness and strength, want and wealth, disgrace and honor, crosses and comforts, miseries and mercies, joys and sorrows, mirth and mourning. All honey would harm us; all wormwood would undo us—a composition of both is the best way in the world to keep our souls in a healthy constitution. It is best and most for the health of the soul that the warm south wind of mercy, and the cold north wind of adversity—do both blow upon it.

e) God’s heart was not in their afflictions, though his hand was.

He takes no delight to afflict his children; it goes against his heart. It is a grief to him to be grievous to them, a pain to him to be punishing of them, a sorrow to him to be striking them.

Sixthly, this silence springs from a conviction from our own conscience to be quiet and still before God

I charge you, O my soul—not to mutter, nor to murmur; I command you, O my soul, to be dumb and silent under the afflicting hand of God.

Peace, O my soul! be still, leave your muttering, leave your murmuring, leave your complaining, leave your chafing, and vexing—and lay your hand upon your mouth, and be silent.

Seventhly, this silence includes a surrendering of ourselves to God while being afflicted.

The silent soul gives himself up to God. The secret language of the soul is this—’Lord, here am I; do with me what you please, write upon me as you please—I give up myself to be at your disposal.’

Eighthly and lastly, this silence comes from a hopeful patience while waiting upon the Lord to work His deliverance.

II: What does this patient silence NOT EXCLUDE

Eight things:

First, this silence does not exclude our feeling the pain of our afflictions

Psalm 39:10-11: [David] is sensible of his pain as well as of his sin; and having prayed off his sin in the former verses, he labors here to pray off his pain.

God allows his people to groan, though not to grumble.

Secondly, this silence does not exclude praying for the end of our afflictions

Thirdly, this silence does not exclude sorrow for our sin that led to the affliction, as well as efforts to crush that sin.

A holy, a prudent silence does not exclude men’s being kindly affected and afflicted with their sins, as the meritorious cause of all their sorrows and sufferings,

In all our sorrows we should read our sins! When God’s hand is upon our backs, our hands should be upon our sins.

Fourthly, such a silence does not exclude teaching others the lessons from our afflictions.

Fifthly, such a silence does not exclude some mourning and weeping

Sixthly, such a silence does not even exclude sighing and groaning

A man may sigh, and groan and roar under the hand of God, and yet be silent. It is not sighing—but muttering; it is not groaning—but grumbling; it is not roaring—but murmuring—which is opposite to a holy silence.

Sometimes the sighs and groans of a saint do in some manner, tell that which his tongue can in no manner utter.

Seventhly, such a silence does not exclude the use of means to end the affliction

We may neglect God as well by neglecting of means, as by trusting in means. It is best to use them, and in the use of them, to live above them.

Eighthly, and lastly, such a silence does not exclude speaking against those humans who have been the earthly cause of our afflictions.

III:  Why must Christians exercise this kind of silence under even the greatest afflictions and trials?

Eight Reasons:

Reason 1. That they may the better hear and understand the voice of the rod.

Reason 2. That they may . . . distinguish themselves from the men of the world, who usually fret and fling, mutter or murmur, curse and swagger, when they are under the afflicting hand of God.

Reason 3, that they may be conformable to Christ their head, who was dumb and silent under his sorest trials.

Reason 4. it is ten thousand times a greater judgment and affliction, to be given to a fretful spirit, a froward spirit, a muttering spirit under an affliction, then it is to be afflicted.

Reason 5: a holy, a prudent silence under afflictions, under miseries, doth best . . . fit the afflicted for the receipt of mercies.

Reason 6: it is fruitless . . . to strive, to contest or contend with God.

Reason 7: [these afflictions] shall cross and frustrate Satan’s great design and expectation.

Reason 8: That we may be like our forefathers in the faith who were patient and silent under such afflictions.

Last sentence in the book:

Thy life is but short, therefore thy troubles cannot be long; hold up and hold out quietly and patiently a little longer, and heaven shall make amends for all.