Articles
When the World Is Too Much to Bear
Everyone has likely experienced the everyday troubles of life at some point. If you haven’t already, it is inevitable that your day will come. The stresses of everyday life are almost inescapable and, at times, unbearable alone — or even with someone who stands with us. Stresses from work, traffic, marriage troubles, sick children, troubles at school, bullying at school, friends that turned out to not be genuine, mechanical problems with the car, maintenance on the house, weight gain, headaches, colds, allergies, aches, pains, taxes, credit card debt, car payments, the mortgage — and on and on it goes. With all these things and more, it is clear we live in a high-stress society.
So, how can we find relief when everyone else is experiencing the same stresses? What do we do and to whom can we turn when life gets too much to bear? Unfortunately, the answer is too often rejected because we know it will demand more of us than we are willing to offer, and a commitment we are unwilling to make because the answer rests in the God we don’t want to believe.
It is not unusual for people who suffer from various physical ailments to seek treatments or cures, only to reject the potential solution because of what it will mean for them [nausea, discomfort, other side effects too numerous to list]; they choose suffering over the cure. It is also not unusual for people who suffer various physical ailments or who suffer through dangerous living situations to just never seek a solution because it would demand a drastic change. These situations are sad, and we mourn and wonder over those who choose to simply continue suffering, but it is not unusual.
But if you seek relief from much of this world’s problems, there is a solution, and it will bring reward far beyond this life. Will it demand change? Absolutely. Will it be difficult? Most likely, yes. Will it mean we have to swallow our pride and make decisions that will align us with those most of society ridicules, excludes, and maybe even persecutes? Without a doubt, yes. Yes, the solution is not without its ‘downsides,’ but the ‘upsides’ are more than worth it.
The answer comes from a man described by God as “a man after His own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14) — one who dedicated his life to serving God to the best of his ability and who was abundantly blessed because of it. That is not to say he had no troubles; that would be a foolish claim for anyone. But because of his choices and because of the promises of God to the faithful, he was able to endure through whatever came his way, and was blessed far more for having made such a wise choice.
For today, let us consider some of his words, as found in Psalm 25. These words were written when he was seeking relief from his enemies and those who troubled him, but they are good advice for any who seek relief from this world’s troubles. But we must choose to do what he did.
Trust in the Lord for Deliverance. The psalmist begins with a declaration to the Lord about His mindset: “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You” (Psa. 25:1, 2). Let me very blunt in saying this: I cannot expect God to deliver me if I don’t believe in Him, and certainly not if I don’t even believe He is real! The psalmist was one whose trust was fully in the Lord, a synonym for another word we may be familiar with: faith. Yes, the psalmist had faith in God — a faith that trusted that what He said was true, that His promises were certain, and that His blessings would come. That faith moved him to obey the Lord without doubt or hesitation, and his life reflected that faith in every aspect. He was not a ‘Sabbath-day’ believer.
And, yes, this level of trust demands something from me; I must first get to know God and determine whether He is worthy of such trust. What I find is that He is “God, who cannot lie” (Titus 1:2); in fact, it is said “it is impossible for God to lie” (Heb. 6:18). I cannot find any man of whom that could be said, so there is no greater degree of trust I could ever hope to find!
This trust in His deliverance must begin with trusting that He can deliver me from my sins. Here is where we need to swallow our pride, our self-deception, and our self-righteousness and acknowledge we are not ‘good,’ and most certainly not righteous, because “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23), and that includes me, no matter how ‘good’ I may think I am. Sin separates me from God and I need deliverance. Only God can do that through the death of Jesus Christ. As Paul once wrote after agonizing over his inability to live a sinless, righteous life and wondering, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” He answers his own question in the next verse: “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:24, 25).
If you become, or are, a Christian, then you can have the assurance that God will continue to deliver you from life’s troubles. Again, that is not to say there will be no troubles, but He has also promised to the faithful, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). With that, His people can say — even in difficult times — “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17). God never promised freedom from trials and suffering; He has promised He will not leave you, and He has promised something far greater beyond this world. He has promised rest and reward! But we must trust in Him!
Learn His Ways. The next thing the psalmist asks of the Lord is needed today, too: “Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me” (Psa. 25:4, 5). As one who trusted in the Lord, he could now say with the greatest confidence to God, “Show me the way to live and where I should go.” What is amazing to me is that men so easily trust in their GPS, which sometimes gets it wrong, but they don’t want to trust in God, who is never wrong.
If we understand His ways — specifically, the words of Jesus Christ — will be the words by which we are judged (John 12:47-50), then we must know those words and follow those words if we expect a reward after the final judgment. When the psalmist asked the Lord to show him His ways, it was with the intent of following and obeying those ways. Are we as willing?
Seek His Mercy. The psalmist then asks, “Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O Lord” (Psa. 25:6, 7). In short, the psalmist is seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness for his sins.
Here, again, is where we need a big dose of humility, and we must acknowledge we need forgiveness. As noted earlier, all have sinned, so that must necessarily mean all need forgiveness. But even Christians will still sin, and they must seek God’s mercy and forgiveness when they do (1 John 1:8-10). The comforting thing about this is the fact God has promised He will forgive and “their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Heb. 8:12). That, friends, and brethren, will bring relief greater than you could ever imagine. That, in turn, will give us a whole new perspective on life and the burdens of this world will seem far lighter.
Do you seek relief? Seek the Lord! He is waiting for you. — Steven Harper
