Is Your Hut Burning?

I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told. (Psalm 40:1-5 ESV).

As is true with many of David’s psalms, this one today is no exception. It is born out of adversity. As David found himself more and more a target of the wrath and jealousy of Saul, pursued like an animal, he cries out in praise to the Lord. The following story illustrates an important attitude that each of us ought to cultivate in the midst of our own walks.

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

I have noticed in my life that it is easy to pray and praise the Lord when things are going well. However, it is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. As tough as it is to remember, we shouldn't lose heart. God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Paul wrote, "... I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (cf. Philippians 4:12). Paul had confidence that good would come out of everything, so he learned to be thankful, not bitter, even when he was suffering.

Someone recently asked me why such bad things happen to so many good people. Of course there are easy theological reasons that may be offered, though none of them give very much comfort in the midst of trial. Usually I try to do two things in the middle of my own trials. First, I seek out a trusted friend. All of us need to have God “with skin on” in a time of trial. Find that special friend God has given you to comfort and encourage you through the difficulty. Second, I do my best to remember that when my little hut is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God. His plans really for us really are too numerous to list. If we try to recite all His wonderful deeds, we would never come to the end of them!