Agradar a Dios en medio del confinamiento

In this writing I would like to share with you some reflections that we can learn from some people in the Bible who went through very difficult times and that we can apply in our days with respect to these moments of confinement and isolation in our homes.*

David’s response to suffering

Let’s see what the following verses in the Psalms say:

Save me, O God, For the waters have come up to my soul. I am drowned in deep mire, where I cannot stand; I have come to deep waters, and the flood has overflowed me. I am weary of calling; my throat is hoarse; my eyes fail from waiting for my God. (Psalm 69:1-3)

Lift me up out of the mire, that I may not be drowned; Let me be delivered from those who hate me, and from the depths of the waters. Let not the flood overwhelm me, Nor let the deep swallow me up, Nor let the pit close its mouth upon me. Answer me, O LORD, for Your loving-kindness is gracious; Look upon me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies. Hide not Your face from Your servant, For I am in distress; Make haste, hear me. Come near to my soul, redeem it; Deliver me from my enemies. You know my reproach, my confusion, and my disgrace; All my adversaries are before You. Scorn has broken my heart, and I am in distress. I looked for a compassionate man, but there was none; I looked for comforters, but I found none. (Psalm 69:14-20)

We can see that in these verses David is going through very difficult times; he expresses to God that he feels desperate, troubled, tired, distressed and dismayed.

But there is something else regarding David’s attitude in this situation that is revealed to us verses later:

I will give thanks to the name of God with a song; I will exalt him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than a sacrifice of an ox, or a calf with horns and hooves. (Psalm 69:30, 31)

What was David’s response after expressing his deepest feelings to God? What did he say he would do? Did he say he would turn away from God or forget about Him? Of course not, he said he would praise God’s name with songs!

Habakkuk’s response to tribulation

David was not the only one who had a similar reaction. The Bible tells us the story of another who suffered tribulation, and in the midst of his troubles, he praised the name of God with songs:

Though the fig tree does not blossom, Though there is no fruit on the vines, Though the olive crop fails, Though the fields yield no food, Though the sheep are cut off from the fold, Though there is no herd in the stalls, Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Lord GOD is my strength, He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. (Habakkuk 3:17)

What did Habakkuk do when he heard this terrible news from God? He composed this beautiful praise in response! Habakkuk is aware that when misfortune after misfortune comes he will fall into grief, a reaction anyone would have. But will he let the pain consume him? Not at all! He promises that he will rejoice in the Lord.

Paul and Silas’ response to confinement

Now let’s see what Paul and Silas did when they were thrown into prison:

After they had severely beaten them [Paul and Silas], they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them safely. When he had received this order, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners heard them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. All the doors were immediately opened, and everyone’s chains were loosed. (Acts 16:23-27)

I don’t know about you, but if I got beaten up and then put in jail, the last thing I would want to do would be to sing. But notice that despite being in that situation, Paul and Silas prayed and sang to the Lord. Why? I don’t think they did it because they were happy, rather, I think they did it because they knew it would please God.

Our response to suffering and pain

The automatic response for most of us to suffering and pain is to grieve and mope, to feel sorry for ourselves, and to hope for comfort and encouragement from those around us. These people’s reaction was different. And they are a model of how we should respond to times of pain and tribulation in a way that pleases God. When you and I are at our best, when everything is going well, we have no problem praising God. However, praising Him when things are going badly, when everything seems to be going downhill, is not easy at all. The last thing on our minds is probably singing to Him! And yet, that is what pleases God: praising Him, exalting Him, thanking Him in the midst of suffering, that pleases God’s heart. I know it is very difficult to think of praising God because it pleases God, because you might think that He is pleased to see us suffer, but that is not the case. Praising God in the midst of pain shows something about us: that we have faith in Him, and this will open a way for God to work in our lives.

Three ways to please God in the midst of confinement [1]

What to do in times of confinement? Once again David seems to shed some light on this:

For he will hide me in his tabernacle in the day of trouble; he will conceal me in the secret place of his dwelling; he will set me high upon a rock. (Psalm 27:5)

The psalmist tells of a time he was living in when God would hide him and protect him from evil. From the context, it seems that David wants to teach us that, in the time of war, in the time when his kingdom was invaded, God would free him from his enemies by placing him in his tabernacle, His temple (Psalm 27: 3).

Now, think about our current situation where we are advised or commanded to stay at home to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. It seems that we can get at least three lessons from verses 3 to 5 of this psalm where David will be hidden in God’s dwelling place and then put him in a higher place where he cannot be reached.

Deepen our relationship with God

Observe what David will do in the time of confinement, in the time of hiding:

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)

We see that in the midst of the crisis (Psalm 27: 2, 3) David makes only one request: to be in the house of God all the days of his life. The first lesson we can learn here in this time of confinement is to deepen our relationship with God. David’s recommendation is not to invest time in passing entertainment, but to take this time that we are at home to meditate on how we are carrying out our relationship with God. Are we doing what pleases Him? Take David’s example, he says that he will make a plan to be closer to God while he is in hiding. Take some time to read or study the Bible, read books or take a time of prayer.

Contemplate the beauty of God

Verse 4 also tells us that David only wanted to contemplate the beauty of God. This does not mean that we try to “see” God and remain in a kind of trance, but rather to reflect God’s love through our attitude. How do people around you notice when you are in love? Your attitude. Your attitude changes towards others: you become kinder, more caring, more helpful. Who will we reflect this attitude with? With our family. Maybe on normal days you don’t spend time with your family because everyone does some activity that prevents you from relating to them, but nothing prevents you from spending time with your loved ones now that we are in confinement. Spending time with your husband(wife), child(ren), brother(s) can be hard, no doubt, there may be more friction than usual, but David says that this is the best time to manifest God’s love with our loved ones through our attitude. Do not allow boredom, tiredness or annoyance to make you take it out on your family. Take advantage of the time to unify more with the beings you love.

Deepening our knowledge of God

Finally, verse 4 tells us that David desires to inquire in His holy temple. To inquire means to get to know something through questioning. During this time of confinement, we will be tempted to distract ourselves with social media, streaming series , video games, whatever. But how much time will you spend to increase your knowledge? David tells us that when the time of confinement comes, he would use the time to investigate, ask questions, question himself to increase his knowledge. Entertainment at home is not bad, of course, but do not forget to use this valuable time that you may not have again to read the Bible or to study a book by a Christian author.

Grades

[1] I thank Pastor Josafath Izquierdo for his help in this section of the writing.

*You can find the video of this article here: https://youtu.be/julXojCRNAE

Recommended resources in Spanish:

Stealing from God ( Paperback ), ( Teacher Study Guide ), and ( Student Study Guide ) by Dr. Frank Turek

Why I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist ( Complete DVD Series ), ( Teacher’s Workbook ), and ( Student’s Handbook ) by Dr. Frank Turek

Jairo Izquierdo is a member of the Social Media team and an author for the Christian organization Cross Examined . He studies philosophy and theology, with his current focus being classical logic, epistemology, Christian doctrines, and philosophy of language. He is co-founder of Filósofo Cristiano . He is a member of the Christian Apologetics Alliance and a worship director at the Christian Baptist church Cristo es la Respuesta in Puebla, Mexico.