Growing in Faith in the PsalmsНамуна

Psalm 2: Why?

"Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed"

Psalm 2:1-2 NIV

Why dad? Why mom? Why? Why? Young children are relentless in asking why. As the parent of three inquisitive children, the constant barrage of the “whys” nearly drove me crazy! I am sure I did the same to my parents.

As an adult, I have continued to do the same on a smaller scale. Most often, the why pertains to something more serious than the curiosity of a 4-year-old. I have found myself asking, “Why did this or that happen? Why did they do what they did? Why?”

How do you navigate the questions of your soul when you are shocked by what you must deal with? How do you navigate the emotions of your heart when there does not seem to be an immediate answer to the why?

David, the author of this Psalm, asks why. The nations surrounding Israel were conspiring together to attack and destroy them. The wonder and beauty of this Psalm is the strength of David’s faith in the Lord. The why he asked in verse one is full of faith. This Psalm has twelve verses. David gives the why the attention of three verses. Then, his faith shouts a response to the why for eight verses.

Psalm 2 is a testament to how we can live in faith in the why, especially when we do not have an immediate answer to our why.

Surviving the Why #1: The Psalmist processed his situation with faith in what he knew to be God's will for his life. He did not have all the answers to every question, but he knew enough for his faith to lead his heart and mind in the current situation. I believe he wrote Psalm 2 as he wrote with his quill pen and journaled his thoughts on his papyrus (paper). He processed the issues he was facing. His why is not a “poor me” kind of why, but a faith-filled kind of why as to the absurdity of the intent of his enemies. His faith is leading his processing. Too often, we allow our thoughts and emotions to torpedo our faith. To our demise, we cast our eyes upon the situation and rarely lift them to focus on the sovereignty of our God. These moments have led Christ-followers to lift their fist and shake them towards the heavens as they shouted their faithless whys. We must learn to fix our eyes upon Him as the issues around us have fixed their eyes upon us. When we do, we too will say, “How absurd of the enemy to think he can attack a child of God with impunity.” When faith leads our thoughts and emotions, our why is a vastly different kind of why. It becomes the kind of why that is directed at our circumstances and the enemy of our soul. The faith-filled why says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31b NIV).

I remember the time I was sitting at a restaurant with my wife after having left the doctor’s office. The doctor had just told me the biopsy he had performed a few weeks earlier confirmed I had cancer. We were overwhelmed and stunned by the report. We sat at our table, weeping. Thankfully, the Lord had taught me to turn to Him in every trial. I reached across the table and asked my wife to put her hand in mine. She did. I said to her with tears streaming down my face and hers, “Sweetie, my faith is not in charge of my emotions at this moment. But give me a day or two to process what we have just heard. My faith will rise to lead my thoughts and emotions.” Friends, we must learn to allow our faith to rise to the occasion. In our humanity, we must learn to be faith-filled God-followers who have placed their trust in their Sovereign God. Every trial is a trial of your faith. Every trial is an opportunity for your faith to rise and demonstrate that you serve a sovereign God. The Psalmist gave voice to his faith as he sat and journaled. So must we.

Surviving the Why #2: The Psalmist understood who he was in God’s eyes. God appointed him to be the King of Israel. He knew his God and some part of God’s plan for his life. He allowed what he did know to lead in moments he did not know what he would have liked to have known (verses six through nine).

As Christ-followers, we must never forget or lose confidence in who we are in Christ. We are the apple of His eye (Zech. 2:8; Deut. 32:10; Psalm 17:8). We are the temple of His Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). We are members of God’s household (Eph. 2:19). We are His children. Every enemy that absurdly appears before us is also appearing before the One enthroned in heaven who laughs, scoffs, and rebukes them in his anger as He terrifies them in his wrath. (verses four and five). In His time and His way, we will experience the “Then” of His sovereignty, as mentioned in verse five.

The Psalmist began with a faith-filled why. He finishes with a statement he knew you would agree with if you experienced God’s presence as he had. “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Psalm 2:12b).If you currently have more questions than answers. If you are enduring a trial that makes no sense to you.

If you find yourself wanting to ask why, then read this Psalm and ask the Lord to strengthen your faith in His sovereignty. Ask Him to encourage your thoughts and emotions with His peaceful and powerful presence. Focus on what He has done for you in the past and what He is capable of doing today. And when this day is over, if you are still in need, repeat this process until your faith leads your thoughts and emotions. Prayerfully declare yourself as a child of God and allow His presence to energize your faith for this day.