Our remaining penitential psalms (Ps 102, Ps 130, Ps 143) do not seem, at first glance, to have much in common. Yet a closer inspection of all of them show a keen awareness of personal hurt and anguish (Ps 102:2-11; Ps 130:1; Ps 143:3-4). The Bible has much encouragement for us when we are in distress, discouraged and feel as though we are either in a deep pit or at risk of being swamped by the waves. There is tremendous relief simply to know that we are not alone in those feelings, that others before us have also walked a broken road. The causes of distress may well vary – loneliness, bereavement, pain, ridicule, opposition, to name just a few – but the feeling of desolation and isolation these things engender in us can cause our spirits to be faint within us. (Ps 143:4,7) Most of all, however, we are reassured and encouraged by the awareness that our Saviour is a ‘man of sorrows and familiar with pain’ (Is 53:5), that we do not have a Saviour who is unable to empathise with us in our weaknesses (Heb 4:15). Jeremy Camp captures this for us in the song ‘He Knows’, which declares:

‘He knows, He knows

Every hurt and every sting,

He has walked the suffering.’ (‘He Knows’, Jeremy Camp)

Another theme all these psalms deal with is the sense that we are lost without God’s mercy. Our own righteousness is not enough (Ps 143:2; see also Deut 9:5; Eccl 7:12; Rom 3:10, 20; Gal 2:16); if God kept a record of our sins, no one would be able to stand (Ps 130:3, John 8:1-11). The character of God – traced by forgiveness, mercy, unfailing love and full redemption – becomes our only hope. Each psalm may touch on despair, but each of these psalms also points to revelations of God’s nature which become our lifeline. God sits enthroned forever (Ps 102:12) and does not change (Ps 102:27); as Allen writes, ‘the assurance of God’s permanence is the answer to the psalmist’s overwhelming sense of transience.’ The fact that we can rely on God’s faithfulness (Lam 3:23, Ps 89:8, Ps 100:5) and righteousness (Ps 7:17, Ps 103:17, Is 33:5) ultimately sustains us, whether the trouble we face is caused by our own sin, by enemies or by the chastening hand of God. Our protection, salvation and deliverance come from God, in whom we can hide (Ps 143:9; Ps 17:8; Ps 31:20; ‘your life is now hidden with Christ in God.’ (Col 3:3))

At funfairs and amusements parks, there is often a hall or mirrors which distort images because of the different curves in the glass, making one’s appearance look radically different to reality. Distortion in sound is also possible, when audio signal processing is used to alter the sound of amplified electric musical instruments (most commonly the guitar.) It can be quite fun to play around visually and with audio in such a manner, but distorted perspectives spiritually are much more damaging.

Distress is well known to cause both medical and emotional problems. In Ps 102, the psalmist (described as ‘an afflicted person’) describes his distress in various poetical ways: ‘my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers’ (Ps 102:3), having a ‘blighted heart’ that is ‘withered like grass’ (Ps 102:4), complaining of physical pain (groaning aloud, being reduced to skin and bones, Ps 102:5) and emotional pain which leaves him feeling like a desert owl (a Levitically unclean bird.) Nonetheless, this psalm has clear Messianic references (Ps 102:25-27 is quoted in Heb 1:10-12 and the pain, isolation, suffering through divine wrath and a life cut short all foreshadow Christ’s suffering.)

Perhaps fixing our eyes on Jesus (Heb 12:2) is the only really effective cure for distorted perspectives. Heb 12:3 urges us to ‘consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.’ When we do this, we find that the ‘things of earth will grow strangely dim/ in the light of His glory and grace.’ (‘Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus’) That way, we can see things from God’s perspective and can be clear-eyed, even in the face of trouble.

In the run-up to the Dearne Community Arts’ Festival on 1 & 2 September, there are a variety of free workshops running throughout July and August. Why not come along to some of these and try your hand at new things?

In addition, there will be the opportunity to play crazy golf and be involved in crafts and games for children at Houghton Road Centre in Thurnscoe from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Tuesdays in August (15 August, 22 August and 29 August). So don’t ever say there’s nothing to do in the school holidays!

Recently, Stephen asked us the question ‘What is God like?’ Our view of God, A.W. Tozer said, is the most important thing about us, and C. S. Lewis once observed that the danger he faced was not that he might cease to believe in God, but that he might come to believe ‘such dreadful things about him’ because of the grief he was then experiencing. (‘A Grief Observed’) Grief and trials do that to us: they rock our foundations and make us question all we believe about God. They can erod our confidence in the goodness of God, causing us to question either His motives or His ability, or both.

Novels like ‘The Shack’ (which has recently been released as a film) attempt to tackle these difficult questions, showing us how easily sadness and grief, especially when caused by violence or terrorism, can cause us to doubt God’s nature. The Bible teaches us facts about God which appear to us to be contradictory: that God is both just and merciful, for example. We struggle with these ideas, wrestling with our limited understanding and assuming ultimately that what we know of God can be derived from our own experiences of Him.

Our knowledge of God, however, has to be based on more than our limited understanding and personal experience. The revelation of God through Jesus Christ gives us a fuller picture of God than was known in the Old Testament, but even so, we must learn to live with mystery. God is all-knowing, all-wise, all-just, all-powerful; the Bible constantly reaffirms that He is love and He is good. This is the correcting lens to tragedy, pain, bewilderment and anguish. We squint in the light, trying to see clearly; in the dark, we cannot see at all. But in all circumstances, we are called to walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Cor 5:7) What we believe matters as well as that we believe.

I recently invigilated a geography GCSE exam which had questions about coastal erosion. Coastal erosion is the wearing away of land and the removal of beach or dune sediments by wave action, tidal currents, wave currents, drainage or high winds. The nearest example to us is probably Scarborough, where the 70 metre high coastal cliffs, although protected at the toe, have been subject to a range of smallscale to largescale slumping failures. This kind of erosion is often gradual, but has dangerous consequences.

The erosion of faith similarly does not happen instantly; we are often faced with trials and difficulties over a long period of time, and these can gradually chip away at our confidence, faith and trust. David, in his youth, was persecuted by Saul over a long period of time. Even when he had the opportunity to take revenge and harm Saul, he refused to do so, realising that God would sort the matter out. (‘David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?  As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed.’ 1 Sam 26:9-11) Over time, however, David’s confidence was eroded, and he ended up taking refuge amongst the Philistines and even feigning insanity to protect himself. (‘David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.” 1 Sam 27:1) The constant pressure of living as a hunted man took its toll on David’s faith.

A similar thing can be seen in the life of Elijah, whose confidence against the opposition of Ahab and Jezebel led to the defeat of Baal’s prophets on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:15-46). Not long after, however, when Jezebel threatened his life, he was afraid and ran for his life (1 Kings 19:3), feeling abandoned, alone and defeated, so depressed that he wanted to die (1 Kings 19:4, 10).

How do we guard our lives against this kind of erosion? Faith erosion happens when our strength is depleted, when our perspective becomes short-term and when we focus more on circumstances and people than on God. David himself learned how to handle long-term pressure; in 1 Sam 29 and 30, we see him under great pressure from enemies and from dissension within his own ranks, but the difference here is that he ‘found strength in the Lord his God.’ (1 Sam 30:6) He learned to encourage himself in God by keeping his eyes firmly fixed on God, rather than on his enemies. Peter tells us to ‘cast all your cares on God, because he cares for you.’ (1 Pet 5:7) Don’t let circumstances or other people grind you down. Continue to wait and hope in the God who daily bears our burdens and saves us from certain death. (Ps 68:19-20)

Rom 13:11-4 reminds us that what occupies our thinking will determine how we live. Eph 4:17-24 makes it plain that we have to live a different kind of life to how we used to live if we are to live wisely.

Putting on the new self is not like wearing an all-in-one suit which can be put on to cover every part of our bodies:

It is more like putting on individual pieces of armour:

However, we have a tendency to ‘mix and match’ the old and the new, trying to keep some elements of our ‘old life’ whilst putting on some aspects of the new (which Garry illustrated through this rather odd attire!)

We tend to live inconsistent lives precisely because of this mismatch. Eph 4:25-5:15 shows us how our lives need to be altered by our faith (speaking truthfully instead of lying, living honestly instead of stealing, avoiding sexual immorality, living in a way where we control our emotions rather than being controlled by them.)  We need to apply God’s word to our lives so that our reactions (which reflect our true state of spirituality) conform to what the Bible says.

Where there were gaps in a soldier’s armour, the soldier was open to being wounded in battle and rendered unfit for service. We need to ensure that we hold ourselves to Biblical standards and that we put on the armour of God, not living inconsistent lives but yielding wholeheartedly to God so that our lives reflect His nature.