From Pity to Praise

We are living in dark times right now, but the light always overcomes the darkness.

Here is America, as we move from summer to fall, the days are getting shorter. That means that the darkness will last later in the morning and comes earlier in the evening.

My husband leaves for work around 6am, while it is still dark and full of shadows except for the lamp that is on in the corner of the front room.

It isn’t enough light to see the entire space, but it acts as a beacon to tell him where to go.

If you open a Bible to the first page the Old Testament starts with, “Darkness covered the face of the deep,” until God said, “Let there be light.”

John 1:5 tells us, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness had not overcome it.” This verses echos the broader thing that divine light enters the world, pushes through the shadows, and ultimately triumphs over darkness.

We are going through dark times. We are being reminded of COVID again with Dr Fauci testifying in Congress. COVID was declared a global pandemic. There were deaths, enforced separation, loss of work, and many businesses were forced to shut their doors which caused severe emotional distress, that we are still feeling the effects of today. But there will always be darkness and there will always be light.

Just like my little lamp in the corner, we can’t see the entire path ahead. But we can’t see enough to be drawn into the direction we are supposed to go.

Jesus remind us in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” This verse reminds us the Jesus brings divine truth, guidance, and eternal hope, dispelling the spiritual darkness of confusion, and despair in our lives. Jesus illuminates our path so we do not get lost in the darkness.

He offers a vibrant, eternal relationship with God that transforms how we live every day.

“He summoned the multitude, and said to them, Hear and understand. That which enters into the mouth doesn’t defile the man, but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles a man” – Matthew 15:10-11

Jesus told us what really defiles a person. In the Old Testament defiled meant you were spiritually unclean or impure. It rendered you unfit for divine purposes, as in a priest could not serve while he was defiled, or a “regular” person would not be able to go to the temple, until you were cleansed.

To the Jewish people of Jesus’s day if you ate without washing your hands, or ate certain foods, touched a dead person, touched someone with leprosy, or touched bodily fluids you would be defiled and would need to go through a cleansing ritual.

Jesus flips the narrative on what the law said, and says those things don’t make you defiled. But how could Jesus do that? How could he change the law given by God? Eating with unwashed hands was not a biblical law, but a tradition of the fathers . He could change the law because He was the one who made the laws. He was fully God in His eternal spirit and divine nature.

Jesus makes it clear that the development is a matter of the heart, not the stomach. In Mark 7:18 19 Jesus told His disciples, after they were away from the multitudes, “Are you also without understanding? Don’t you perceive that whatever goes into the man from outside can’t defile him, because it doesn’t go into his heart, but into his stomach, then into the latrine, that purifying all foods?”

The Old Testament says we should eat certain things. But Jesus in the New Testament Jesus declared all foods clean.

Jesus turned certain parts of the Old Testament on its head. Not moral laws but ceremonial laws.

We become defiled when we in our hearts and minds give space for sinful thoughts, instead of shutting them down.

My pastor will stop sending the Psalm in a few weeks as there is 150 Psalms. He said he was going to start with Psalm 1 in the near future. I will begin sharing when he sends them out.

Rather than blaming God when everything is going wrong we should consider Jeremiah 17:5. Perhaps we have set our hearts on His strength not our weaknesses.

I blamed God for a lot of things in the past because I did not understand what He was doing in my life. I had indeed made some mistakes , but blaming God instead of taking responsibility for them only led to more blame. It took me years to learn that the blame game would never give me closure.

Trust is a serious issue to the Lord. He invites us to trust in him with all our hearts in Proverbs 3:5.

Isaiah 2:22 is a good reminder to always put our trust the Lord rather than man. “Stop trusting in man, whose breath is in his nostrils, for of what account is he?” It is easy to look to others for strength and hope. We seek people’s advice and worse we seek their approval, and all the while we fail to look to the Lord for these things.

There is one Bible verse I keep close to my heart. It is Psalm 142:4 in the King James Version. “I looked on my right hand, and behind, but there was no man that would know me, refuge failed me, no man cared for my soul.” It makes it easier to navigate through life when I have one question in my heart when people want to come into my life. “Does this person care for my soul?” David wrote this Psalm when he was hiding from King Saul in a cave. David felt completely alone, abandoned, and forgotten by people, realizing that human beings could not save or protect his life. The next verse he wrote says, “I cried to You, Lord. I said, You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

The truth is that man is fragile. Man ceases to breathe, ceases to live. So why do we place our hope and our strength in such fragility? Why not look to the Lord who is eternal and sovereign?

We are all guilty of depending on man. But what should we do instead – we have the privilege to look to the Lord. We should take advantage of this privilege while we still have a choice.

This type of thinking does not go well in today’s society. To the world, we are highly evolved creatures, who don’t need God. But God knows our frame, he remembers we are dust.

The world worships and praises those of high influence and status, but in the end, our frames are weak because they are dust. I think it is good to remember that we are just mere humans. We are not God, and we should not view ourselves with pride, ourselves, or see ourselves as though we are gods.

David said in Psalm 144:4, “Man is like a breath. His days are like a shadow that passes away.”

We would do well to think deeply about the day we will pass from this life into eternity.

“Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days, let me know how fleeting I am” -Psalm 39:4

I think there is a serious price to pay if we take this lightly. The Lord reminds us in Jeremiah 17:5, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man, relies on strength of flesh, and whose heart departs from the Lord.”

As we wait upon the Lord and align with His will, we experience the fullness of His grace and faithfulness.

Scripture contains many accounts of people who waited years before God’s promises came to pass. Waiting on the Lord develops character and deepens our trust in Him.

We can look at the account of David who was the chosen heir to Israel’s throne, but he spent years dodging King Saul‘s wrathful pursuit. Despite having two different opportunities for vengeance, David resisted the temptation and spared Saul’s life. He chose to adhere to God’s timetable for his coronation instead of dishonoring the Lord by killing the divinely anointed king.

In the Psalms, David reveals His intimate awareness of the Lord’s work in his life. David not only ascended the throne through patience, but he also learned that God’s way is always best. He grew in his commitment to trust the Lord rather than force outcomes through his own actions.

We cannot rush God’s timing, and our patient endurance doesn’t earn His favor, that already ours through grace. But waiting on the Lord does reshape us. David didn’t receive his blessings because he was special or because he earned them through patience. He received them because God is faithful to His promises. And that same faithfulness extends to us as we wait on Him.

One of the most difficult challenges we face in a trial is not just the pain itself, but the confusion it brings. Questions rise in our hearts. “Why is this happening? What should I do? How can I get through this?

If we look at Jacob or James (depending on your Bible) 1:2-4 in the Bible we can see he is aware of this tension, which is why he transitions from joy in trials to wisdom in trials in verses 5-8. He reminds us that endurance alone isn’t enough, we need God’s wisdom to walk faithfully through suffering.

Human wisdom often falls short in the face of any trial. Friends may offer advice, cultural may provide clichés, and our own instincts may push us toward fear or frustration. But James lifts our eyes to God, the one who given wisdom generously to all who ask in faith. James 1:5-8 tells us,

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. For that man shouldn’t think he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

When trial confuses us, God advises us to seek His wisdom, trusting that He will provide generously.

James begins with an open invitation: if any of you like wisdom, let him ask God. The first step in trials is to admit that we lack what we need. That’s humbling, because most of us prefer to be self-sufficient. Trials expose our limits and force us to confess our dependence on God. Asking God for wisdom is not a sign of weakness , it is a pathway to strength.

James describes God as generous, ready to give wisdom without reproach. He never grows tired of our repeated request. He does not shame us for not having all the answers. Instead, He delights to pour insight and direction into our lives. This means we can approach Him with boldness, knowing that He is eager to help us.

If we think of Solomon, who could have asked for riches or long life, but instead he asked for wisdom to lead God’s people. God honored his request because a humble heart that longs for wisdom reflects trust in God.  When we ask, we are positioning ourselves under God’s authority, acknowledging that His perspective is greater than ours.

But, James also speaks of a condition we must have. “But let him ask in faith, without any doubting do doubting.” Faith here is not about never having questions, but about trust in God‘s character. It is confidence that when we ask, He hears and when He promises, He delivers. Doubt, in contrast, tosses us around like waves the sea, unstable, restless, and easily driven by our circumstances.

This is a serious warning because doubt divides our hearts. James calls the daughter “double minded,” which literally means two-souled.” it is a picture of someone trying to cling to God while also leaning on self or the world for answers. Someone like this is unstable in their ways because they’re loyalty is divided. Faith causes us to stand firm, even when we cannot see the outcome.

Faith in prayer does not mean we always understand what God is doing, but it means we trust in who He is. Like Abraham and Genesis, who believes God‘s promises even when they seemed impossible. We can learn to anchor ourselves, not in sight, but in God’s unchanging Word. Faith steadies us in the storm, enabling us to receive the wisdom He longs to give.

Trials naturally shakes us, but wisdom grounds us. It gives us clarity about what matters most, discernment about how to respond, and peace that goes beyond understanding. Wisdom does not always remove the trial, but it can equip us to navigate through it with grace.

God’s wisdom is practical. It speaks to decisions, relationships, and daily choices. It reminds us of the eternal truth when our emotions cry out for quick fixes. When we receive His wisdom, we will no longer e tossed around by fear or confusion but guided by His Spirit. Wisdom allows us endure with purpose, shaping us into steadfast children of God who reflect Jesus in the midst of hardship.

James reminds us that trials are not just about endurance – they are about seeking God’s wisdom. Without wisdom suffering can make us aimless. But with wisdom, trials become purposeful, shaping us into mature children of God who trust God more deeply. The invitation is always open if we lack wisdom we can ask God who promises to give generously.

I will not tell you that I still don’t panic in a trial. Sometimes I forget to ask God for wisdom. It is natural to cry out for a quick fix. Sometimes we need to endure the trial to learn to trust God.