“What’s going on?” It’s an age-old question. Why are my circumstances turning out this way? Why do I feel the way I do? Why am I discouraged like this?
And as Christians, when we ask such a question we don’t direct it into thin air; we don’t ask some chaotic universe. We plead with God himself: “What’s going on, God?”
Psalm 22 begins with such a question:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?” (Psalm 22:1)
Yes, Jesus quotes this on the cross (Matthew 27:46). The suffering of the Son of God in the place of sinners is the ultimate fulfillment of such a question. Why would his Father forsake him? Answer: He was being abandoned so that we might be reconciled to God (1 Peter 3:18).
But instead of focusing there and considering the forsaken death of Christ, in this post I want to focus on this in the psalm itself. This was a psalm of David—a man who often got discouraged. And this question for him was heart-felt and genuine—he felt forsaken by God. He felt that God was far from helping (or “saving”) him, distant from his groaning and confusion and despair. In other words, David is here acting just like one of us. He’s discouraged, confused, and wondering “What’s going on, God?”
And this continues in the next verse:
“O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.” (Psalm 22:2)
So here is a man who is wondering why things are the way they are. He is seeking answers, but getting none. He is seeking a rest for his weary soul, but finding nothing.
How do we answer such a man? How do we answer ourselves in such confusion and discouragement?
Four words. And they begin the next verse (technically, it’s only two words in the original Hebrew). David simply yet powerfully answers his confusion and discouragement,
“Yet you are holy…” (Psalm 22:3)
Yet you are holy. There’s our response to discouragement, to our “what’s going on, God” questioning.
Yet. You are holy.
Before moving onto how “you are holy” could be a sufficient response, let’s not move so fast past the “yet.” This short conjunction is significant because it shows that although his feelings are legitimate and there is something awry in his life, yet something else is true. His discouraging circumstances are a reality, yet there’s a corresponding, conjunction-warranting reality.
What is this reality? God is holy.
Now before you think that this post is going be an obscure devotional idea that vaguely helps, consider what God’s holiness is and how this truly is a sufficient answer to David’s discouragement (and ours as well).
God’s holiness is his who he uniquely is. It’s who he is that sets him apart. It’s his beautiful, lovely, special, unique character.
Even more specifically, God’s holiness is the essence of what makes him glorious. Simply put, his glory is his holiness on display. This is why when the angels in heaven sing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts,” they then say, “the whole earth is full of his glory.” God’s glory is his holiness on display. And this means that God’s holiness is simply all the unique (“set apart”) realities about him that make him glorious.
Like what? Here’s five main aspects of God’s holiness. And notice how these could help respond to our discouragement. “Yet you are holy,” meaning:
- God is all-powerful and in control.
- God is perfectly loving and good.
- God is always just and righteous.
- God is infinitely wise.
- God is morally pure.
All of these are what is means for God to be holy. We usually default to the last one about God’s moral purity, and while his holiness does include this, God’s holiness isn’t mainly or merely about purity. Rather, God’s holiness is this glorious set of unique characteristics that make God God.
Why does this help with David’s discouragement. Why would it help us? Remember, the question is, “What’s going on, God,” and the response is four simple words, “Yet you are holy.” How does this help us when we’re discouraged?
- God is all-powerful and in control. Meaning, whatever is happening that makes us discouraged is not happening because God couldn’t stop it from happening. God is still Almighty and in control. In fact, since God is all-powerful, we can take heart that whatever is happening is occurring under God’s all-powerful control.
- God is perfectly loving and good. Meaning, whatever is happening that makes us discouraged is not because God doesn’t love us. In fact, since God is perfectly loving and good, we can take heart that whatever is happening is occurring because our Father loves us; he’s letting it happen for our good.
- God is always just and righteous. Meaning, whatever is happening that makes us discouraged is not because God is off on his sense of what’s fair or right. In fact, since God is perfectly just and righteous, we can count that he, as the righteous Judge who knows all, will in the end make right whatever is unjust and wrong.
- God is infinitely wise. Meaning, whatever is happening that makes us discouraged is not because God doesn’t know what he’s doing or that he’s winging it. In fact, since God is infinitely wise, we can take heart that he has every step of this discouraging situation planned out.
- God is morally pure. Meaning, whatever is happening that makes us discouraged is not because God is wicked—even in the slightest bit. This may seem obvious, but it needs to be pointed out. He never has any slight moral inclination away from goodness and love and justice and purity. And so, since God is morally pure, we can take heart that he is acting in our case in accordance with such infinite purity.
Now we can see why “yet you are holy” is such a helpful response to discouragement. We may be very confused. Our situation may truly be tough. Our emotions may be jumbled. Yet, God is holy. The living God is powerful, loving, just, wise, and pure. And he’s all these things in our situation, in our hearts which feel discouraged.
Knowing this is why David then proceeds the way he does:
“Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.” (Psalm 22:3-5)
David turns from the “yet you are holy” to emphasizing trust in God. Which makes sense, doesn’t it? Contemplating that God is all-powerful, loving, just, wise, and pure isn’t merely for contemplation’s sake. It makes us trust him. Reflecting on God’s holiness leads us to rely on him. If he truly is these things—if he truly is holy—then he certainly is trustworthy.
So, may these four words—”yet you are holy”—be our response to our confusions and discouragements. God truly is real, and it’s encouraging and uplifting, even in the hardest moments, that he is holy.
