As I read the Psalms, it becomes obvious the writer is wrestling, grasping, struggling to understand who God is and why God does some of the things He does. King David is thirsting, clinging, hoping, panting to know God. There is only one real roadblock: having a teachable soul.
In our humanity, even as leaders, we want to connect deeply with God. Again, that requires a certain amount of adaptability. Without it, my soul cannot sing well.
Genesis refers to Joseph being a dreamer who was hated by his brothers and thrown into a pit. While in slavery and imprisoned, we read, “The Lord was with Joseph.” Now, mind you, if I were Joseph, this would’ve been hard to accept. I’m guessing he didn’t fully comprehend these moments. How could God be with me in the good and bad times?
It takes a teachable spirit.
In fact, much of Hebrews 11 contains Hall of Faith stories of godly men and women who suffered deeply, yet remained true to God.
Much of the faith deals with apparent contradictions, messiness and mystery. Perhaps that is why most of us have memorized Proverbs 3:5-6, which not only challenges us to trust in the Lord, but also not to lean on our own understanding.
My own understanding gets me in trouble when it comes to knowing and loving God because my brain isn’t big or bright enough to figure out why evil happens, why babies die or why God allows some excruciating experiences.
Maybe at the heart of having a mustard seed of faith is allowing discrepancies and confusion to be a part of the tension. Maybe Christian faith is saying, “God, I just don’t get why this is happening, and I cannot figure it out; but I will trust You.”
Don’t overthink life’s sufferings. Life will throw some stuff at us that we never will be able to understand or explain. Human existence has plenty of ambiguities.
Perhaps you have lost your song. Isn’t it time for your soul to sing again?
David Olshine is the author of Studies on the Go: James, 1-2 Peter and John 1-3 (Zondervan).
