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Job 10:3 Job 17:1 Mat 16:26 Phi 4:12 Augustine, Confession
Rom 8:28 Mat 5:45 Augustine, City
of M. Luther, Table-Talk 1 Th 5:16-18 Jas 2:20 Jas 1:27 |
To Lament or to Thank? A Lamentation For The Things In Life That Were
Denied Why have I not these that
they have? Why have I not that which
they possess? My soul cries within,
lamenting my life, Where is the Sun that I am
living in endless nights? Does it seem good to Thee
that Thou should oppress? That Thou should despise
Thy very own creation; Whither art the Justice
that Thou had promised? That Thou from me now art
hidden. All I seek is safety and
peace, Does Thy hand provide these
not? Alas, my days are but extinguished! And my spirit broken and
rot Whither art Thou, O’ Most
Merciful? Why answer not my cries to
Thee? The wicked scourge at me as
if a fool, The wise lament at my
destiny. A Thanksgiving For The Things In Life That Were
Supplied But if I own the whole realm
of man, What would I gain if I have
not Thee; If I have all the gold of
the land Losing my soul, what will
profit me? Lord, alas, my laments are
not for lacks, But those prayers are
compelled by greed, I want more than what I
had, And still more of what I do
not need. Teach me dear Lord to trust
in Thee On Thee alone I shall count That in wealth or in
poverty I know to abase, I know to
abound Teach me dear Lord, to give
thanks always None that I own that Thou
did not gave Let my petty laments Thy
praises turn For this life that I did
not earn. Teach me dear Lord to
magnify Thee In good works for Thy lovesake That Thy grace will thru me
becomes charity And mine charity will Thy
grace spake There
is a choice for each of us, whether to lament for the things denied or to
give thanks for the things supplied. Let us come to this issue with a first
thought: that all things work together
for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His
purpose. Knowing this, we know therefore that even the things that were
denied us were denied to our own profits. And for this, we ought also to give
thanks; that God, our Father, had wisely prohibited some things, which are
seemly good to us so that a greater good which only He knows, will eventually
come about in our lives. The Christian man who has tasted God’s grace and has
known Him to be a loving Father should know enough that God our Father who
even makes His sun rise on the evil…and sends rain on the unjust, will not
forsake us. Someone
once asked me, why do the good suffer
and the evil prosper? Augustine may thus answer him; “To
the divine providence it has seemed good to prepare in the world to come for
the righteous good things, which the unrighteous shall not enjoy; and for the
wicked evils things, by which the good shall not be tormented. But as for the
good things of this life, and its ills, God has willed that these should be
common to both; that we might not too eagerly covet the things which wicked
men are seen equally to enjoy, nor shrink with an unseemly fear from the ills
which even good men often suffer.” Many
a times we lament about injustice done to ourselves, about the lacks in our
lives and about the luxuries that evil people seemed to be enjoying. Let us
reflect; these are but grains and grasses; scattered when the wind blows and
destroyed when the fire comes. We should not concern ourselves too much with
pursuing the one or avoiding the other. Whenever good comes, let us receive
it with gratitude and thanksgiving knowing that it flows from our Father’s
hand, and whenever evil falls, let us remember that It is impossible for a human heart, without crosses and tribulations,
to think upon God and therefore humble ourselves to seek God knowing that
even ills befall us by our Father’s permit. Indeed rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks. When
we realized that the good and ills in this life visit everyone without
discrimination, we must always remind those who are enjoying about the vanity
of earthly luxury and encourage those who are suffering to turn away from
their burden and to trust in God. Let everyone uphold one another. Perhaps we
cannot carry one another’s burden, but to quote Samwise
Gamgee in the LOTR, I cannot carry your burden for you, but I can carry you. Our
gratitude and satisfaction of God’s providence must culminate in praises to
Him. Such adorations are not limited to singing religious hymns; sing we
must, but as we sing let us also remember those who are less fortunate than
we are. The love of God in us should compel us to love others and in loving
others there ought to be practical favours shown whenever necessary. Faith without work is dead. Grace – charis in Greek
– once transmitted to our lives should be transformed into charity onto
others’. Pure and undefiled religion
before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their
trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. |
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Some
Questions For Small Group Discussions
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