Faith on Trial, by Martyn Lloyd-Jones

I have never really been one to set goals or resolutions at the beginning of the new year, but for the past 2 years I have begun to do so with the remainder of the year becoming the pursuit of accomplishing those goals. Have I been successful? Thus far, the answer is yes.

This year one of my goals has been to read 36 books in one year. As of August 1, I have read 26, and the plan is to surpass the 36. Setting out to read 36 books in a year is a noble goal, but if reading is done only for the sake of reading and not comprehending then my labor is in vain. Do the books I choose cause me to think? Do they cause me to grow in faith and character? Do they point me to the cross? Do they inspire me to know more of Christ and be more deeply rooted in him? Am I choosing leisure books with a high moral tone that leave me thinking about such things as virtue, noble character, and valor? I would like to share with you one book that I consider a must read, Faith on Trial, by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. It is a reprint of a series of sermons on Psalm 73 that Lloyd-Jones preached to his congregation at Westminster Chapel in 1965. The Forward was written by Kevin DeYoung and can be read in its entirety on his blog link:

thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/07/19/faith-on-trial/

I first want to begin by saying that Psalm 73 has brought much comfort and solace to my soul for some time. I, like the author, have asked the very same questions - Why do the ungodly seem to prosper when the godly frequently suffer? I believe, if we are honest with ourselves, that it is a classic question we all ask when we run into bumps and bruises in our lives that just don't seem quite fair or to make any sense at all. Psalm 73 presents us with this very dilemma that the psalmist is facing. We will see his spiritual spiral downward and then the reorientation of his thinking leading to the upward trajectory of his trust and faith in God that culminates in verses 25-26 when he states,

"Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

In Psalm 73 we are given a window into the soul of a man who has wrestled this question down and come up victoriously. The benefit we have, as the reader, is that we are able to see in verse one the author's proclamation," Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart,"and then he proceeds to open his heart to show us how he came to that conclusion. What a mighty lesson we can learn.

Well, that is it for now. My next few posts I will share with you what God has taught me through this Psalm, and why I can join with the psalmist in affirmation that verses 25-26 are absolutely true.