I don’t know if you read Jalen Hurts’ farewell letter to Alabama fans since he is transferring to Oklahoma. If you haven’t looked it up on social media. He talks about his past year as an Alabama football player being hard, but that it has been formative and worth it. In his closing he references John 13:7, “Jesus answered him, What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Though Jalen does not understand all that has happened he trusts that the One who does can be trusted to do good with what Has been given. This is pretty strong stuff and an impressive perspective for a 20 year old college student in a “me” culture. Team mates and coaches laude his humility and have nothing but good to say about his attitude and effort in the midst of a tough situation.
My Bible reading this morning was Genesis 39-42, the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. Joseph has become the head of Potiphar’s household, but is falsely accused of assault by Potiphar’s wife and is thrown into prison. Because he is a man of character and is faithful in his duties he becomes a leader in the prison, a favorite with the warden. After accurately interpreting dreams for a couple of prisoners he finds hope in the promotion of the cupbearer, one of the dreamers, back to the Pharaoh’s court. He is hopeful that with an advocate in Pharaoh’s court he too might be released. But, the cupbearer forgets about him. For two years! For two years there is nothing but silence.
What would I do with two years of silence or a year sitting on the bench? Would I run out of hope? Would I be faithful with what I was given?
As I contemplated the above questions I turned to my Psalm for this morning, Psalm 13 and read…
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
What do we pray when we don’t understand the circumstances of the moment, when it seems everyone and God too has forgotten about us? Chris Wright, in The God I Don’t Understand, notes that God seems to be ok with the rawness of our laments. The Psalms, our prayer book, is full of them, as are the prayers of the saints in the book of Revelation. (i.e.Rev 6:10.) God seems to welcome our laments, the “how longs” and promises that in the fulness of time all will be right and good. He seldom, if you will notice, seems to feel an obligation to explain the why of our circumstances in the moment. He is much more inclined to ask if we trust, not if we understand.
The "how long" question vs. the "Why". It is a bigger story than just this life and this world or this particular circumstance. The why can only be experienced in the full story not explained in the partial story, therefore, "How long", is all that can be addressed in the partial story as we experience it today and maybe even tomorrow and the next. When we experience the full story in eternity the why's will become clearer. Maybe. If not clearer maybe our trust will become such that the why's will seem unimportant.
Joseph was one of those who was allowed to see at least more of the big picture as time unfolded and he was quick to give God credit for all that was good even thought it came about at his expense. Joseph’s brothers, as you will recall, had sold Joseph, into slavery in Egypt. That was how he had ended up as Potiphar’s slave to start with. By God’s providence he did get out of prison, experienced a meteoric rise to second in command in all of Egypt, and later found himself in a position to extract revenge on his brothers. Joseph is open to a larger story, however, and this is his response in Genesis 45:4-8. So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God.
If you are not familiar with the story of Joseph I invite you to read it. What a great story! Joseph knows that “it” is not all about him and lived out a life of trust, sacrifice, and openness to a story larger than himself written by the One who breathed him into being in the first place.
I love the end of Psalm 13:
5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
Peace comes, not with understanding, but by trusting. There is a guy named Palmer, I have no idea who he is but he said this, "Faith is not belief without proof, it is trust without reservation." Jalen and Joseph have lived that before me today, and I am grateful.
Jalen is a man mature beyond his years. God bless you Jalen, you rock! I look forward to what God does in you in the days ahead.
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