Psalm 43

Is it sinful for a person to be dissatisfied with God's providence in his life? No, God is not satisfied with some of God's providence. For example, God is not satisfied with the persecution of His church.

Even though Christ has accomplished our redemption through His obedience and His atoning death, even though He is reigning already at the right hand of the Father, even though Jesus has all power and authority, we do not yet see everything in submission to God. The pathway of God's providence leads to the perfect Grand Finale. God will unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth (Ephesians 1:10). We are waiting for that Grand Finale to come at the return of Christ.

But today there are many providences that happen according to the unfailing decree of God, that will not be in perfect accord with His Law. For today, we still pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” When we see oppression, poverty, disease, death, and every evidence of sin and misery around us, we know that this is not the final chapter in the good plan of God. There are many actions that cry out to God for some better end. God was not happen with the murder of Abel. Abel's blood cried out to God from the earth. It demanded divine vindication. Every injustice must be made right or we have not yet reached the fulfillment of the Lord's glorious plan.

The worshiper of God who is hated and abused by men looks for that future better day. He may have a little bit of God's justice even now, but we are seeking more than that, and so is God. Deceitful and unjust men crucified Jesus. In the centuries before and after that key event of all human history, Israel and the church have faced unjust assaults from men and angels. Surely the Name of God's Son and the people who are His bride must one day be defended. Most of all, God must glorify His own holy Name.

For now, though we experience deep mourning and may even feel as if we have been rejected by the Lord, we continue to take refuge in Him. Though our greatest hopes will only find their complete expression when all of God's good plans have been fulfilled, we still have immediate needs today. We are human beings, creatures with bodies that are suitable for the mortal world in which we now live. We need food, shelter, useful labor, the company of friends, hope for the next generation, health, peace, and so many other good gifts that come to us from our heavenly Father. Yet even if we seem to lack one or more of these blessings during some brief season in our journey toward the world of fullest joy, we can still rejoice in the Lord if we are able to have the mind of Christ.

The Apostle Paul had this mind. He faced sufferings beyond what we have experienced, but he said, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). His advice to the church is powerful in every age: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

We will only have this mind of Christ through the Word and Spirit of God. This is why the true worshiper urgently pleads with the Lord for divine light even more than any immediate improvement in his circumstances. If he is going to move further toward a vibrant hope in God, and a living awareness that he will soon praise God in a place of perfect light, then he must have the Word.

The Lord must send forth His light and truth from above. These will lead him away from a fascination with his disappointments, and toward the Lord God Almighty and a life of perfect worship and steadfast love. The light and truth of God will take him out of the disappointing spiral of downcast thinking. They move him on to the holy hill of God that people of faith have sought for centuries; not a place in Jerusalem, or a favorite church building, but a city that is above, a Paradise that will soon come down from on high as the new heavens and the new earth.

The Word of God will lead us to that place. It is a place of exceeding joy. There the blood of Christ speaks a better Word than the blood of Abel, a Word of forgiveness, restoration, and liberty. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” Hear the Word of light and truth. Hope in God. Hope in Him through the most severe affliction. You shall certainly praise Him forever. He is your salvation and your God.

This is the way to talk to your soul: “Soul, hope in God based on the work of Jesus Christ. Soul, the joy of heavenly worship is your destiny.” Of course, there are other alternatives that are popular. 1. Here's a guy with no arms and legs. He's happy. Why can't you be? 2. Think happy thoughts and all will be well. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens... 3. Life is governed by Murphy's Law. Embrace negativity. You'll never be disappointed, and you will appear lighthearted and clever to others. 4. Pretend. A good mask in public can save you from unnecessary embarrassment. 5. Be right. It is more satisfying than being happy.

These methods will not see you through a truly serious trial. Jesus did not take the debt of your sin on the cross so that you could pursue happiness in any of these ways. His plan is the only healthy way. Take in the light and truth of His Word and have a serious conversation with your soul. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”