A Theology of Suffering from the Psalter – Part 2
By: Tom Knoff, M.Div. | July 17, 5023
Suffering Develops More Authentic Character
Another result God brings about through suffering is the development of a stronger character. Throughout the Psalter, one can note how God uses adversity to discipline his people and to produce godly character. While some people reject God when faced with affliction, many others experience a deepening of their faith and trust in him. The psalmists portray people as having a choice in how they will respond in times of trial and which path they will choose. Those who respond affirmatively will better learn to assess their problems and confusion biblically and see from God’s perspective (Ps. 73:16-17). Through suffering, God will teach his people not to envy the wicked (Ps. 73:3), not to become disillusioned when their confused (Ps. 73:13), to deepen their trust in God (Ps. 55:22; 56:3-4), to develop a greater ability to persevere in faith (Ps. 62:5), to respond humbly to God’s discipline (Ps. 119:67), and to gain a greater appreciation for how God used affliction to convict of sin and restore their spiritual vitality (Ps. 119:67).
Suffering Fosters Dependence on God
The Psalms also reveal that affliction results in greater trust in and dependence on God. The sufferer discovers that God does not always eliminate pain or remove the tragic circumstances, but rather he will teach the sufferer to depend upon him in greater ways through those afflictions. In the laments, the sufferer expresses with raw honesty the deepest concerns of the heart, and as the emotional pain is voiced to God, one’s dependence on him becomes deeper. The laments are a reminder that even when affliction may lead the person to feel forsaken by God, the fact that they are calling out to him indicates that he alone is the only one who can deliver them from the darkest and deepest realities they are facing.
This desperate dependence on God is seen vividly in the refuge motif, which is prominent throughout the Psalms. The concept of God as the refuge for those in trouble is portrayed through a number of images and motifs with the intent of revealing God as the ultimate source of protection and deliverance. These images include that of “Rock” (Ps. 18), “Wings” (Ps. 63:7), “Sanctuary” (Ps. 48:12-14), “Holy Hill” (Ps. 16:1, 5), and the “King” (Ps. 93). This dependence is both revealed in and developed further through honest and desperate appeals to God in prayer (Ps. 22:1-2; 62:8; 77:1-2).[1] Those who respond in positive faith to God in the midst of suffering discover the benefit and power of greater dependence upon God.
Suffering Evokes Greater Reliance God’s Word
Another way God uses adversity and suffering in the lives of his people is that it renews their love and passion for his Word. The psalmist declared that in the midst of pain, the reader can find encouragement and hope in the examples of the past. For example, he wrote, “He has regarded the prayer of the destitute and has not despised their prayer. This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.” (Ps. 102:17-18) As the sufferer finds encouragement from the promises and examples of fellow believers in the Scripture, as well as seeing God’s promises fulfilled in their own life, they gain a greater appreciation for God’s Word.
The psalmists reveal that in the midst of suffering, one rediscovers the comfort and encouragement of God’s Word as it revives the soul (Ps. 19:7), renews joy in the heart (Ps. 19:8), gives comfort (Ps. 119:50, 52), and peace (Ps. 119:165). As the afflicted soul draws nearer to God through the Scriptures, they learn to take great delight in it (Ps. 119:92, 143), to not forget it (Ps. 119:61, 83), to not stray from it or forsake it (Ps. 119:87, 110, 157), to find hope in it (Ps. 119:81, 114), to meditate on it (Ps. 119:78, 95), and to revere it (Ps. 119:161).
Suffering Develops a Deeper Prayer Life
Finally, the Psalter reveals that through affliction, the believer develops a greater prayer life and intimacy with God. When the believer encounters serious trials and deep distress, their response is to cry out to God in desperation. These appeals saturate the Psalter as they include individual laments where the sufferer focuses more on God’s character and his commitment to them as a person, as well as communal laments where the psalmist reminds the nation to trust God as they often cite the promises and former great deeds of their mighty God.[2] The laments virtually always move from deep cries of pain and anguish to affirmations of hope and faith in God. Though their present circumstances are dire, laments move to declarations of confidence in God because he has promised to act or has already acted on their behalf. It is his proven record of past faithfulness to his people which serves as the basis for their confident hope in the future.
Prayers of lament have a transformative power as the afflicted soul learns to call out to God and meditate on his Word more deeply. It is suffering that evokes feelings of desperation, which in turn leads to lament, which then leads to passionate and honest appeals to God, which then result in hope and deliverance. As the sufferer considers God’s power, faithfulness, love, and presence, the person’s beliefs collide with their experience, and a deepening of their intimacy with God occurs as God ministers to their tortured souls. The lamenter calls out to God in times of illness and anguish (Ps. 6, 13, 30, 31, 35, 41, 51, 69, 91, 102, 130), persecution (Ps. 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 17, 27, 63), in times of personal trouble (Ps. 9, 10, 16, 36, 61, 77, 94, 109, 140), and in times of national crisis (Ps. 12, 14, 44, 53, 80, 83, 85, 90, 106, 123, 126).
The affliction one experiences leads to questions and appeals to heaven. Thus the psalmists are often recorded as asking, “How long?” (Ps., 6:3; 35:16-17; 79:5; 89:46; 94:3; 119:84) as they cry out in raw and honest prayers. They also ask, “Why?” (Ps., 10:1; 22:1; 42:9; 44:23-24; 74:1; 80:12; 84:14). These questions reveal the power that suffering has on the psalmist’s prayer life as they have no other choice but to call out with bold and desperate pleas for God to act. The degree of honesty which is demonstrated by the lamenters is uncomfortable to some modern readers, for they suppose that such language and tone are signs of disrespect to the Almighty. While there are times in the Scripture when God disciplined someone for such sacrilege, one should note the difference with the psalmists. Peterman provides a valuable clarification, noting that “God may chastise people for their presumption, but not their raw honesty in lament. Lament draws on an existing relationship of commitment and loyalty to God. So, questions of ‘how long’ call out God’s inactivity (Ps. 74:10; 94:3), and ‘why’ questions come from people perplexed over God’s lack of response (Ps. 22:1; 42:9). Clearly, God values words and tears far more than we do (Ps. 56:8).”[3]
Based on their covenant relationship with God, the lamenter could boldly approach him as the Father who promised to care for them, the King who would provide for His subjects, the Shepherd who would protect his flock (Ps. 23), and the caretaker of the vineyard who should be caring for the vine (Ps. 80).
The lamenters provided a model of how to approach God in prayer in times of trouble and deep suffering. Their prayers included honesty as they voiced their complaints to God in a “no-hold-barred truth telling” session, a bold petition in the form of an imperative “asking God to notice, attend, and intervene,” a recounting to God reasons for him to answer, and an expectation that they are entitled to God’s resolution on the matter, (e.g., Ps., 39 and 88).[4] The result of suffering is a deepening of the sufferer’s prayer life and intimacy with God, for it was “daring prayers of Israel that evoked the life-giving power of God.”[5]
Conclusion
While humanity will always seek answers to questions related to suffering, the problem of evil, and how to understand injustice in light of how one expects or desires the world to operate, the believer can find answers and hope in the Scripture, particularly the Psalms. The theme of suffering saturates the Psalter as the lamenters appeal to Yahweh for deliverance.
The Psalms reveal that suffering is an expression of God’s kindness, granted with a divine purpose and carried out with incomprehensible wisdom, maximal power, and unmitigated love. In considering what the Psalter reveals about the purpose of affliction, this article has demonstrated that suffering is the work of a benevolent God who is, in actuality, providing a divinely bestowed good. The Psalter reveals that the sovereign God, in permitting sorrow and affliction in the lives of his people, always does so for their good and his ultimate glory; it is, therefore, a painful kindness.
Notes
[1] William P. Brown, Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor (Louisville: WJKP, 2002), 18-30.
[2] Johnston and Firth, 78-79.
[3] Gerald Peterman and Andrew Schumtzer. Between Pain and Grace: A Biblical Theology of Suffering (Chicago: Moody, 2016), 90.
[4] Walter Brueggemann, From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms (Louisville: WJKP, 2014), 87-92.
[5] Ibid., 91-92
About the Author
Tom Knoff is a Senior Class Teacher of Worldview Philosophy at Grapevine Faith Christian School in Grapevine, Texas. He is in the Ph.D. in Theology and Apologetics program at Liberty University. Tom, his wife, Kim, and his family are originally from Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Copyright, 2023. Bellator Christi.
