Paul had been given extraordinary endowments of mind, education, energy, and experience that uniquely qualified him for the ministry he’d been called to do. No doubt he at first saw the “thorn” he speaks of as an inconvenient (and probably painful) impediment to his work for the Lord. And so he prayed earnestly and repeatedly that God would remove it. Rather than removing the difficulty, however, God revealed to Paul its purpose. Once Paul accepted that his physical affliction was a necessary safeguard against the sin of conceit, and also that it allowed him to glorify Christ all the more, Paul stopped asking for relief and rejoiced instead.
Most of us are inclined to celebrate blessings and lament thorns. It is absolutely right, of course, to thank God for comfort… health… and every other source of happiness, as today’s petition exemplifies. But did you ever think to thank God for “thorns” and for blessings withheld as well? Have you considered that God knew these were for your overall good?
Perhaps God didn’t grant your desire to marry your first love because he had someone much better in mind, or because his best for you was life as a single person. Perhaps he withheld a certain person, thing, ability, or experience from you for your own safety. Has he never given you the wealth (or beauty or fame or power) you crave, knowing that these things would lead you into temptations you weren’t strong enough to resist? Has an illness – not a cause for rejoicing in itself – ended up working for your higher good in some way? How have you seen God’s hand of protection and the sufficiency of his grace in these situations? The hardships you’ve come through have no doubt strengthened your character. They may also have prepared you to effectively minister to others for God’s glory.
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us… (Romans 5:3-5)
Perhaps Emma’s character would have been more soundly formed if she had been given a few less blessings and a few thorns instead!
Let Us Pray
Lord God, King of Heaven, we rejoice that you know us altogether – our pasts, our futures, our strengths, our weaknesses. You know better than we ourselves what will prosper our characters and what will harm us. Help us to recognize and thank you for not only the blessings you give but also the blessings you withhold for our ultimate good. We ask for your grace, in this and in all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
Let Us Praise
Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp. For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. (Psalms 149:1-4)
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Fatherly Goodness
…imploring their continuance from Thy Fatherly goodness, with a more grateful sense of them, than they have hitherto excited.
When considering ongoing blessings from the hand of our Father God, as in today’s petition, there’s no shortage of examples I could cite. God created and sustains us. He has given his Son as our savior, faithfully provided for our needs, and promised us a glorious home with him in heaven when the time comes.
But when looking for sterling illustrations of fatherhood in Austen, it’s a different story. We have a deceased father (Mr. Dashwood). We have Mr. Bennet (indolent, negligent), Mr. Woodhouse (self-absorbed, fearful), Sir Walter Elliot (irresponsible, thoughtless, vain), General Tilney (greedy, vindictive), and Mr. Price (drunk, vulgar). Sir Thomas Bertram, serving as Fanny’s surrogate father, doesn’t seem too bad, except he’s absent a lot, leaving awful Aunt Norris in charge. Only some minor players (Mr. Gardiner, Mr. Musgrove, and Mr. Morland) seem to measure up.
Perhaps Austen can teach us most about this topic by showing some of what happens when vital fatherly goodness is absent. Lydia is wild and willful, and Emma self-centered, at least in part because their respective fathers fail to exert strong guidance for them. Elizabeth Elliot became a carbon copy of her vain father, while Anne’s better character was undervalued and her needs disregarded. The Bennet and Dashwood girls are poor because their fathers failed to provide for them financially.
Mr. Bennet had very often wished, before this period of his life, that, instead of spending his whole income, he had laid by an annual sum, for the better provision of his children, and of his wife, if she survived him. He now wished it more than ever. Had he done his duty in that respect, Lydia need not have been indebted to her uncle, for whatever of honour or credit could now be purchased for her. The satisfaction of prevailing on one of the most worthless young men in Great Britain to be her husband, might then have rested in its proper place. (Pride and Prejudice, chapter 50)
Mr. Bennet’s belated remorse proved as transitory as it was ineffectual. Wishing changed nothing, and his thoughts soon moved on to being glad the crisis had been resolved with so little inconvenience to himself, for his chief wish at present, was to have as little trouble in the business as possible.
In contrast to all of these examples, our Heavenly Father spares no trouble for our sakes. He is never absent or lazy. He is never irresponsible or vulgar. He disciplines in love, and his love never fails. Here’s God’s solemn promise to David concerning his son Solomon:
“I will be his father and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him… Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:14-16)
God, who had been faithfully by David’s side his whole life, now promised to do the same for David’s son and successor – to be Solomon’s father forever as well. Notice that dispensing discipline is part of God’s fatherly role, but also that his love is never in question. God’s favor would never be withdrawn, no matter what trouble Solomon got into. David knew this to be true from his own experience. Though David had often sinned and failed – sometimes spectacularly – God his Father had never turned his back on him. God’s fatherly goodness continues forever, and his promises are always fulfilled. In this case, David’s throne was permanently established through his greater descendent, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Regardless of what kind of earthly father you had – a Mr. Bennet or even a Mr. Price – you can count on your heavenly father to be all he should be. God’s love is permanent and unconditional. He is always ready with blessings and discipline according to what his children need, ready to hear our prayers and give good gifts. Jesus said:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7-11)
Do you desire a more meaningful relationship with your Father in heaven? Do you want to know him and his ways better, to feel his powerful love and guidance in your life, to experience the good gifts he continually gives, and to pass that heritage on to your own children? Then spend time with him. Speak to him in prayer, and then remember to listen and obey as well. Fellowship with his people. Look where God has chosen to reveal himself: in his creation, in his Word, and through his Son – the exact representation of his being (Hebrews 1:3). As Jesus said,
“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me…” (John 14:9-11)
May God bless you as you grow in fellowship with
your Father in heaven.
Let Us Pray
Holy Father, there is no other like you. Your unfailing kindness to us is beyond our understanding. Draw your children closer to you day by day, and teach us your ways so that we may more closely reflect the image of your greater Son, Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Let Us Praise
Children of the heavenly Father, safely in his bosom gather; nestling bird or star in heaven such a refuge ne’er was given. Though he giveth or he taketh, God his children ne’er forsaketh; His the loving purpose solely to preserve them pure and holy. (traditional hymn: “Children of the Heavenly Father,” text by Simon Browne, 1680-1732)
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Comforts and Character
May the comforts of every day, be thankfully felt by us, may they prompt a willing obedience of thy Commandments & a benevolent spirit toward every fellow-creature.
Whether we recognize it or not, one reason we love the story of Pride and Prejudice so much is that Jane Austen designed very satisfying character arcs for both Darcy and Elizabeth to travel over the course of the novel – learning, growing, and ending as better people than they were before. Elizabeth had her “I never knew myself” moment (chapter 36, featured earlier in Faults in Every Disposition). But Darcy made a comparable confession later on.
“I have been a selfish being all my life… As a child I was taught what was right but I was not taught to correct my temper. I was given good principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit… I was spoilt by my parents, who though good themselves… allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing, to care for none beyond my own family circle, to think meanly of all the rest of the world, to wish at least to think meanly of their sense and worth compared with my own. Such I was… and such I might still have been but for you, dearest, loveliest Elizabeth! …You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled.” (Pride and Prejudice, chapter 58)
Considering Mrs. Reynolds’s high opinion of him (“He is the best landlord, and the best master”), Darcy’s mea culpa might have been somewhat overstated. But he obviously felt deeply convicted by Elizabeth’s words rejecting his first proposal. So he was right to earnestly address the sins revealed to him: faulty temper, conceit, pride, and selfishness. We (and Elizabeth) are able to see the change in him by the end of the book.
Today’s petition suggests that the daily “comforts” we enjoy – whether great like Mr. Darcy’s, or small – should stimulate a definite response in us. First and foremost, they should make us thankful to God. Then in turn, they should prompt willing obedience toward God’s commandments, and generous benevolence to all those around us.
A man like Mr. Darcy would have been able to do a lot of good for others because of his wealth and power. So it’s tempting to excuse ourselves from doing very much, on the grounds that we don’t possess the same resources… except for two things. First, we are all called to be obedient to God’s commandments (including the many directives to share what we do have with the less fortunate). And second, sharing resources doesn’t always mean money. Paul writes to Timothy,
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
This passage does issue commands, but that’s not the only thing we can take away from it. We’re reminded of the truth that God, not our accumulated riches, is our provider and our true hope. We’re encouraged to aspire to a different kind of wealth: to be rich in good deeds, which includes being willing to share generously out of what God has given us. Then finally, we’re promised a glorious result for obedience in this, that we will be taking hold of life that is truly life and laying a firm foundation for the coming age. What a promise!
I’ve particularly noticed in Jane Austen’s prayers the phrases that rightly infer that Christians can (and must) continue to improve their characters with God’s help. We may claim to already appreciate our blessings, but Austen prays God will give us a more grateful sense of them, than they have hitherto excited. We may acknowledge God’s mercy, but she prays we would feel it anew and awakened: quicken our sense of thy Mercy. We may think we have accomplished a lot of worthwhile work for God over the years, but Austen prays that we would make a better use of what thy goodness may yet bestow on us, than we have done of the time past.
Many years ago, there was a popular bumper sticker with this cryptic message: PBPGINFWMY. Do any of you remember it? Its hidden meaning is, “Please be patient. God is not finished with me yet.” It’s so true. God’s work of sanctification (making us holy as he is holy, conforming us to the image of his Son) is never finished; it will continue until the day we go home to be with the Lord forever. In the meantime, pray for a malleable heart, and look forward to what God has in mind. Although Jane Austen was a talented story teller, the Author of the Universe is better by far. He has a satisfying ‘character arc’ designed specifically for you, and he will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).
Let Us Pray
Prompt us by your Spirit, O Lord, to consider our daily comforts with a grateful heart. You have been generous in supplying our needs; may we in turn learn to be obedient to your command to share generously with others out of that bounty. Thank you that you are not content to leave us where we began. Continue your work in us, we pray, day by day drawing us closer to conformity with the image of your Son Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Let Us Praise
Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. (1 Chronicles 29:12-14)
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Eternal Perspective
Have mercy Oh gracious Father! upon all that are now suffering from whatsoever cause, that are in any circumstance of danger or distress. Give them patience under every affliction, strengthen, comfort & relieve them.
One of the first lessons I had to learn when I began writing is that without conflict there is no story. In other words, three hundred pages of “and they lived happily ever after” does not a good novel make. Even though we know it’s fiction, and even though we are prepared to suspend our disbelief about many things for the sake of the story, as readers we will not accept that anybody’s life can play out without some kind of strife or suffering. That idea strikes us as inherently false, no matter what the setting.
So although every one of Jane Austen’s novels gives us a satisfying happy ending at last, it only comes after considerable suffering. That’s certainly true of Sense and Sensibility. Elinor and Marianne have both lost their father, their home, most of their money, and the men they love. Then Elinor nearly loses her sister and Marianne her life to a fever.
It was then about twelve o’clock, and she returned to her sister’s apartment to wait for the arrival of the apothecary, and to watch by her the rest of the night. It was a night of almost equal suffering to both. Hour after hour passed away in sleepless pain and delirium on Marianne’s side, and in the most cruel anxiety on Elinor’s… (Sense and Sensibility, chapter 43)
But it’s not only for realism’s sake that novels include a generous dose of conflict. It’s also because the deeper the lows are in the middle, the higher the highs can be by contrast when we get to the resolution at the end. Would we have been as thrilled when Elinor and Edward finally came together if we hadn’t first suffered with them through the tragedy o
f a seemingly permanent separation? Would we have been as delighted for Marianne when she a last found happiness with Colonel Brandon if we hadn’t seen all she had gone through and all she had learned along the way? We gain appreciation and perspective by what has come before.
Even more surely than in a novel, we will have trouble in this world. Jesus told us exactly that in John 16:33 (In this world you will have trouble), and we have seen and experienced it for ourselves. We are surrounded by suffering of every type – some from natural causes (disease, natural disaster), some brought on as a direct result of our own or another’s sin, and some for the sake of Christ. Having seen and experienced the sufferings of this world, we long for heaven and are sure to more fully appreciate by contrast its glories, where sin is banished and God and his perfect will preside unchallenged. But that isn’t all we have to hold onto in the midst of affliction.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith, of greater worth than gold… may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9)
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