Two important realities are present in the life of the believer. They are, at times, hard to reconcile. The first is the presence of a loving, powerful, personal God to whom we belong and who promises us victory. The second is the presence in our life of overwhelming difficulty and trouble. Are these two realities isolated from one another? I like to use the word insulated, not isolated.

The world often looks on the child of God with scorn or even mockery as the Christian seeks to simultaneously embrace these realities. They pronounce, “If your God is so amazing, why all the trouble?” The world gets that perspective from the devil, who is the ultimate “accuser of the brethren.”

Finding Biblical Perspective

Even the church struggles with the coexistence of these two realities. There are complete theological systems built on the premise that these two things cannot coexist. “If God is good and powerful,” they say, “His will for us is always happy and victorious.” They deny, renounce, and resist hardship as having any role in the will of God in the life of the faith-filled believer. On the other hand, the monastic lifestyle embraces suffering as a means of salvation. Both are wrong.

The Bible tells us something very different and something much more liberating and powerful—God’s children are blessed and victorious even in the midst of difficulty, danger, and trouble; they are insulated, not isolated.

God’s children are blessed and victorious even in the midst of difficulty, danger, and trouble.

A Song with Two Portrayals

David understood this and illustrates it so well in Psalm 27. This beautiful and powerful Psalm is the “tale of these two realities.”

In the opening verses David sounds confident, victorious, and blessed. He begins with those familiar words, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?” He continues in the first half of the psalm declaring that God is the “stronghold of his life,” the one who caused his enemies “to stumble and fall,” and that even if an army ganged up on him he would not fear because God was on his side. He rejoiced in the presence of God that was available to him and declared that God would protect and shelter him.

I like the sound of all of that, and it’s true.

But David then does something unique. He completely switches his tone and message. The second half of this psalm pictures a man desperately crying out to God for help. He is asking God to not “forsake” him or “cast him off.” He tells the Lord that his family has abandoned him and that people are lying about him and threatening to destroy him.

Wait a minute! In the opening verses, I thought David said that everything was going to be amazing if I trusted God. What happened?

In the unfolding of this song David is teaching us that as children of God we live both in the reality of being in the strong and mighty hand of our Lord AND in a broken, sinful, and troubled world that ushers grief and heartache into our lives; that we are insulated, not isolated in our troubles.

Insulated, Not Isolated is Beautiful and Liberating

While this may sound a bit discouraging, this is actually a beautiful and liberating truth. Even in the midst of trouble, God is still there. And even though God is still present, I will at times experience the impact of this fallen world.

To deny these truths leads one to a life of despair because the problems of this world seem too big. We can wander to a place of utter disappointment in God because He has let us down. To embrace the truth of this allows us to look beyond our circumstances to a God who is good, wise, powerful, and who will bring us through!

My relationship with the Lord and my faith in God do not isolate me from the problems of this world; rather, walking with God insulates me from ultimately being destroyed by them!

My relationship with the Lord and my faith in God do not isolate me from the problems of this world; rather, walking with God insulates me from ultimately being destroyed by them!

We are not guaranteed that God will keep us FROM every trial. We are guaranteed that God will use those terrible things that come our way as objects of growth and understanding. They can serve as instruments to make us more dependent upon Him. Ultimately the battleground in our life becomes a stage for God to show us who He is in a more powerful and personal way!

Ultimately the battleground in our life becomes a stage for God to show us who He is in a more powerful and personal way!

When I understand this, I can live a life of peace, confidence, and victory even when things are crazy. I can live isolated, not isolated. Yes, I have challenges, but I can say what David said at the end of Psalm 27:

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord

    in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord;

    be strong, and let your heart take courage;

    wait for the Lord! (vv. 13-14)

BE ENCOURAGED—WE’RE CHRISTIANS!

©2024 Troy Keaton. All rights reserved.

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Pastor Troy is the founding pastor at East Lake Community Church at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia. East Lake is a growing, dynamic, generous church with a God-size vision to Multiply Believers, Leaders, and Churches. Troy is passionate about prayer, the Word of God, and seeing the church experience renewal. Troy and his wife Janel are blessed with 4 children and 8 grandchildren. Pastor Troy’s greatest blessing is loving his wife through her difficult journey with cancer.

[This excerpt was taken from Troy Keaton’s blog. For more of Pastor Keaton’s equipping blogs, click HERE.]