Dickens penned one of the greatest opening lines in a novel with “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”
It takes a whole other level of creativity to find the best of times in the worst of times; that’s something only the Author of Life can write. I’ve been through some terrible and dark times but with each has come a major plot twist: good from bad, healing from ruin, life from death.
A particularly dark time brought me into the jaws of death in 2009. None of my doctors could locate the cause of infection that was taking my life. Every day the news got more grim; every day I fell more deeply into darkness. I won’t belabor you with the entire nasty business but I will tell you this: today I look back on that time with reverence and a deeper revelation into the healing love of God.
So when David makes wild claims like “It is good for me that I was afflicted…” I don’t wince; I say to myself, “I totally get that.”
The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119 and covers the entire vista of life in God from A-Z. Each section begins with a succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the accompanying verses expand on the theme. If you move your eyes down to the ninth paragraph (vs65-72) you’ll find composer David reflecting on the greatest lesson he ever learned about trials and afflictions.
The 9th letter in the poem, TETH (‘tayt’), means essentially “the hidden goodness of God.” Take a look at the image just below: some have seen in the shape of the letter a pregnant belly, others a full pot. The ‘good’ within can only be seen at delivery or when one removes the lid.
Now take another look at the passage above and locate the underlined words. Each time it’s the Hebrew word, “Tov.”
“Tov” (“well”, “good”, “better”) is found six times, hidden in those eight verses. Its basic meaning is ‘good’ but it’s fuller definition has to do with something that is “well suited” for its purpose; something “well wrought” and “well crafted.” It’s a word found in the vocabulary of an artist.
🔹It’s a fruit of the Spirit (“goodness”)
🔹We first see it throughout the creation story (“God created….and it was good”)
🔹Satan wanted to erase all “good” from creation, plunging it all into darkness and chaos; he wanted the opposite of ‘tov’: he wanted despair and hopelessness
🔹God has preserved this aspect of creation by never removing ‘Tov’; even as Satan is busily stacking bricks to build his empire, rays of ‘tov’ spread over the earth…to the evil one’s great consternation
Satan assumed grief would be the end of us. He thought affliction and trial would cause us to curse God. He never, ever expected good to come from any of it.
The devil wanted to erase “good” for good. Big mistake. God’s good cannot be erased; this is still our Father’s world, and we can find good in our suffering.
My dad was known for having a wonderful singing voice. When called on to give a solo at church he would sometimes sing “The Love of God.” I remember hearing him give the backstory about one of the verses being found on the walls of a cell, put there by an inmate at an insane asylum:
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
and were the skies of parchment made;
were every stalk on earth a quill,
and every man a scribe by trade:
to write the love of God above
would drain the ocean dry,
nor could the scroll contain the whole
though stretched from the sky to sky.
It’s crazy to think how we can see the love of God inside walls of despair pressing in on us. It seems counterintuitive. How do you sing about the love of God from a hospital bed? How can you see the goodness of God at the graveside of your child or spouse?
After my accident in 1981 I spent time at Shepherd spinal center in Atlanta doing rehab. One day the staff psychologist called my parents into his office and said he didn’t think I was handling my disability well at all. He felt I was living in denial. I was (his assessment) “too happy.”
I can tell you that I am not the hero in any of my stories. It’s not about how strong or well-balanced I am. It’s all about the goodness of God.
One of the pilgrim psalms tells us God has a “thousand ways to set you free!” (Psa 130:7). When you begin to learn how much God loves to rescue us, you learn, even in the throes of great trial, to wait for him to show up. Because he will.
“The anvil, the fire, and the hammer, are the making of us…I have found that there is a sweetness in bitterness not to be found in honey; a safety with Christ in a storm which may be lost in a calm. It is good for me that I have been afflicted.” – Charles Spurgeon
“Good” affliction
It’s good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. (Psa 119:71)
“Good. for. me.”
“Good” has the place of emphasis. Everything else is window dressing. This passage is the Old Testament parallel to Romans 8:18-28. We know that Paul was a Hebrew scholar and in his training as a Pharisee memorized the Old Testament Scriptures. I think it’s very likely he was calling to remembrance these verses in Psalms when he was writing his Magnus opus in Romans!
So it begs the question: how can we call grief and affliction “good”?
A number of years ago, I was sitting by the graveside of my son, just talking with him about my disability and how good God has been to me throughout my affliction. It was actually on the 33rd anniversary of my accident and I just started jotting down some things. I wish I had time to share them all with you here (there’s a whole bunch more), but let’s just look at a few that tell us why trials and troubles and heartache can be called “good” in the plan of God.
▪️Faithfully enduring trials invites us into deeper intimacy with the Father
▪️It is not in suffering itself that brings glory but our voluntary, joyful acceptance of it
▪️Broken people release the aroma of Christ’s love, healing and mercy
▪️God only allows suffering when He is intent on birthing something new out of it
▪️There’s no greater evangelical “tool” than for the unsaved to encounter a broken vessel that lets the Light of Christ shine into the darkness!
▪️The afflictions of this lifetime will determine the affluence of my eternity and the pains I endure here will reciprocate to pleasures compounded daily for eternity
▪️Until faith has been tested in fire it cannot be trusted in life
▪️God is more focused on my character than my comfort – but not at the expense of His being my Comforter!
▪️Joyfully embracing brokenness leads to patience, gratitude and infectious hope
I pray you find the best of things in the worst of times. May the hidden goodness of God change your story and leave you… stunned.
But in a good way.
Selah, beloved.
Thank you for always sharing what is on your heart. You truly are a trophy of God’s grace and care!!!
I remember so well when you came back to speak in chapel that school year after all you had gone through. I believe your dad brought you if I remember correctly. What a joyous day to see you again on campus!
My dear sister Beth, you are so kind in *all* your support! I’m repeatedly humbled with your engagement and pray for your continued spiritual prospering and flourishing.
Yes indeed, Dad was with me (Mom and Sis too) and that scene is sealed in my memory as being the true moment I realized my disability (i.e., my weakness for his power) was actually a calling. And it adds such joy to my heart to know you were part of it!
How deep and rich and pregnant with meaning is the Word of God! Thank you so much for taking the time to mine the deep gems and show them to us! As I was reading this, I just thought, “Wow, God! Wow! You and Your word are just so much more than a first glance or fast read will tell. ” This one blessed me so much and made me want to dig deeper! You are one of my all time favorite miners!! Thank you!
Kelli, I am bursting. Everything you said goes straight to my heart (not my head!). You’ve touched on everything that most matters to me and keeps me pursuing this passion. Thank you for putting oxygen on the fire and keeping it alive in me. I pause to pray for you and Alan to continue to thrive in His Life and bless so many as you have mine. So much gratitude and love!