July 8, 2022
The Almost Daily will be on Summer Vacation until August 8th. But fear not! You will receive a devotional each Monday through Friday from the excellent Mockingbird Devotional entitled Daily Grace. Enjoy! - Paul Walker
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed... (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
When legendary New York Times crossword puzzle guru Will Shortz was asked to account for the abiding popularity of his section, he said something interesting. So many of life’s problems defy clear-cut solutions, he noted, that it’s very satisfying to achieve momentary perfection via a collection of immaculately aligned correct answers.
People love crossword puzzles, in other words, because life is perplexing. We move from decision to decision, most of which are not between Good and Bad, or Right and Wrong, but Kind of Okay vs. Possibly Alright.
Unfortunately, being a Christian does not absent a person from this plight. We thought we knew what God was doing, then something unexpected happened, and our clarity vanished.
Maybe the job we lobbied so hard for turned out to be a bust. Or the school we thought was perfect for our child chewed them up. Or the relationship we thought was “the one” didn’t pan out. We find ourselves back at the drawing board, genuinely baffled. And yet, that bafflement can be an occasion for faith just as much as for doubt.
I remember when a friend and his family spent five months in a hospital with his daughter suffering from potentially terminal heart disease. Her courageous comportment, even up to accepting death in prayer, affected many in the hospital. She eventually recovered, thank God. As they were leaving the hospital, my friend thanked the staff for all they had done. The head physician replied, “No, I want to thank you. The presence of your family has transformed this place.”
My friend said simply, “Maybe I have finally learned to stop asking why God allows problems and difficulties and started asking what God’s plan is right in the middle of them.” Beautiful.
Perhaps another name for the God who dwells in perplexity, who uses confounding circumstances to bring us near, is the Crucified God. Perhaps the perplexity of our lives—how could this happen?—is meaningful insofar as it illuminates the perplexity of the Cross—how could that happen?
And perhaps that is why perplexity doesn’t need to drive you to despair today. It points instead to the one who was driven to despair, afflicted, forsaken, to ensure that you will never be.
That much is clear.
[David Zahl, Daily Grace - Mockingbird Devotional Vol. 2]
