Alone again, naturally

"To think that only yesterday I was cheerful, bright and gay
Looking forward to well wouldn’t do
The role I was about to play
But as if to knock me down
Reality came around
And without so much, as a mere touch
Cut me into little pieces
Leaving me to doubt
Talk about God and His mercy
Or if He really does exist
Why did He desert me in my hour of need
I truly am indeed Alone again, naturally."

Anyone remember Gilbert O'Sullivan?  He wrote a popular song in the 1970's called, "Alone Again, Naturally." This song tells the story of him being jilted at the altar and trying to figure out why. I find it interesting that his perception of the heart-wrenching event was that God left him. 

Our belief system is only as strong as our experiences. If we believe that God is good, then...nothing bad will happen to us. If we believe that God is ever-present, then we will never feel alone. And when the bad things come and the lonely times creep in, we either have to rethink who our God is or...rethink our circumstances in light of who he is. If bad things come and my God is good, then I need to rethink my description of what is bad. It is bad in terms of something not going well, hurtful, or difficult but it may be for my good in the long run. 

I am reminded of the Scripture that says, "Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?" (Lam. 3:38). In this passage Jeremiah reminds us that we should be thankful for any good that comes from the hand of God because we are all sinners deserving the calamity. 

It's hard to rationalize this when you think your doing your best to please Him. But maybe that's the problem. Perhaps equating God's mercy with my works is the wrong equation. "God will have mercy on whom he will have mercy..." The judge does what he wants according to his perfect justice and in spite of my understanding of it. It's why it's called "mercy."I'm not getting what I deserve nor what I understand to be justice (in a positive way).

So for all you Gilberts who are trying to figure out why things are going so badly, look for the mercy of God and know that He is with you. God does, indeed, work together  for the good of those who love Him and are called to be conformed into the image of Jesus.

May God have mercy, naturally.