The “Even So” Faith

[Psalm 31:9-14]

In the Bible, in the book of Daniel, when King Nebuchadnezzar threatened to throw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fiery furnace because they would not bow down to the golden statue he had set up, they answered the king as follows:
“…O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)

When I think about this answer, I want to call the faith of Daniel’s three friends the “even so” faith. What exactly is the “even so” faith? We can consider it from three aspects:
(1) The “even so” faith is the faith that trusts in God (3:28).
(2) The “even so” faith is the faith that obeys God’s commandments. Daniel’s three friends obeyed the first and second commandments of the Ten Commandments.
(3) The “even so” faith is the faith that sacrifices for the glory of God. Although Daniel’s friends had assurance of salvation, even if God did not save them, they resolved “not to serve your gods or worship the golden image you have set up.” They were determined to obey the Lord’s word even if His will was not to save them, a decision to risk their lives for obedience.

Today, in Psalm 31:14, we can see the “even so” faith:
“But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’”
The psalmist David had faith to trust only in the Lord no matter what situation he was in. Today, as I meditate on David’s “even so” faith, I want to emulate his faith. Let us reflect on five situations where David trusted the Lord and apply them to our lives.

First, the “even so” faith trusts the Lord even in the midst of pain and sorrow.

Look at Psalm 31:9:
“Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also.”
Starting from verse 9, David describes the extreme painful situation he faces, and the first things he declares are “my pain” and “my sorrow.” In other words, David was experiencing his own personal pain and sorrow. What was the cause? It was “all my enemies” (verse 11). But that is an external cause. The deeper, internal cause was that David was suffering because of his own sin (verse 10). Just as the righteous and loving God disciplines His people when they sin and do not repent, David was sorrowful because of his sin and was also suffering the discipline of God through his enemies. Do we realize when we are sorrowful and suffering that it is because of our own sin? Or do we ignorantly blame others and circumstances, thereby committing a greater sin against God? David was sorrowful because of his sin, and as a result, his eyes, soul, and body were all wasting away from grief (verse 9). In other words, he was physically and spiritually weakening because of sorrow. Yet, even amid this pain and sorrow, David trusted the Lord and sought God’s mercy: “Be gracious to me” (verse 9).

Each of us has a pain that only we feel and experience. It is “my pain,” not “our pain.” Because of that “my pain,” we worry, and eventually, through that worry, we grow weak both physically and spiritually. When we are in such a state, how should we rely on the Lord even more? The Bible verse Isaiah 38:17, “Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but You have loved my soul from the pit of corruption, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back,” gives us a consistent biblical perspective on the issue of suffering. It teaches us that suffering is actually beneficial for us. For King Hezekiah, the benefit of suffering was the opportunity to experience God's love. In other words, in the midst of suffering, it became an opportunity to receive God's salvation (deliverance) and the forgiveness of “all his sins” (38:17).

The biblical perspective on “worry” is found in 2 Corinthians 7:10:
“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
When we face many worries, they must be worries according to God’s will, not worldly sorrow. In other words, in the midst of worry, we should repent. We must repent before God, even in our weaknesses, both physically and spiritually.

Second, the faith of the “even so” trusts in the Lord even when we are in sorrow and groaning.

Look at Psalm 31:10:
“For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.”
The “sorrow” and “groaning” that David speaks of here are beneficial sorrow and groaning. That is, in the midst of all the painful experiences (the persecution of enemies), David mourned according to God’s will because of “my sin,” and it became beneficial sorrow for him (verse 10). This sorrow eventually bore fruit, for it led David to confess his sin in the midst of his groaning (32:3). Our Lord presses down on us day and night with His hand when we do not repent (verse 4). Therefore, even in pain and sorrow, even in groaning and lamenting, we must trust in the Lord’s mercy and commit all our sins to Him.

We should also remember the word from Psalm 30:11, which we have already meditated on regarding “sorrow”:
“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing…”
Even when we are mourning and groaning, we must trust in the Lord, who will turn our mourning into dancing (joy). The reason is that “His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime” (verse 5). Certainly, for those who trust in the Lord, though we may weep at night, joy will come in the morning (verse 5).

Third, the faith of the “even so” trusts in the Lord even when we are reviled.

Psalm 31:11: "I am the scorn of all my enemies, and even of my neighbors, I am a dread to my friends; those who see me on the street flee from me."
David was hated and opposed by his enemies because of his righteousness (Park Yun-seon). In the midst of this, David was also alienated by his neighbors and friends. Not only his enemies, but also his neighbors and even his friends turned away from him. Those who met him on the street fled from him. David had no one around him. In this situation, he relied solely on the Lord. Even in a situation where he was socially ostracized, David relied solely on the Lord (Psalm 25:16).

Our instinct is to fear being alone. To put it differently, we have an innate desire to be recognized and praised by others. The reason for this is that no one wants to be alienated by others. Who would want to be rejected by those around them? Yet, in the text today, we see David being thoroughly alienated, and through this, we can learn that sometimes we need to experience alienation. The reason is that in such situations of alienation, we need to test our faith—whether we rely solely on the Lord, like David did. We are often too focused on living our faith for others. We are living a faith centered on people, not on God. We must listen carefully to the words of Dr. Park Yun-seon:
"... A believer should not be concerned with the praise or slander of the people in this world. A believer should care only about the praise and judgment of God, and live according to His standards."

Fourth, the "even so" faith is the faith that relies on the Lord even when we are forgotten.

Psalm 31:12: "I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel."
David was abandoned by human society. He was rejected "like a broken vessel." Here, "broken vessel" refers to something that is useless. In other words, David felt like a worthless person, like a broken vessel. He became completely useless in society. The Bible describes him as "forgotten" in Psalm 31:12. Even in such a state, David relied solely on the Lord. Though everyone rejected him and he became a forgotten person, David continued to trust only in the Lord.

How often do we say, for various reasons, "I am useless in my family, in society, in the church, etc."? How often do we think or say, "People have forgotten me. My prime is already past, and I should just die"? Personally, when I think of Sister Park from our church, who struggled with dementia and then passed away, even though she had no memory and in some ways had been socially excluded, I have the certainty that God did not forget her and certainly remembers her.
We must have this clear assurance. Even if everyone turns away from us and we are forgotten by society, we must remember that our Lord will never forget us.
Let us hold on to Isaiah 49:15:
"Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you" (cf. Psalm 27:10).

Fifth and last, the "nevertheless" faith is the faith that trusts in the Lord, even when we are in fear.

Look at Psalm 31:13: "For I hear the slander of many; terror is on every side; while they take counsel together against me, they scheme to take my life."
The persecution David was experiencing had three aspects. First, his enemies tried to destroy him through public slander; second, they attempted to terrify him with threats; and third, they made plans to kill him (Park Yun-seon).
Even in the midst of such a fearful situation, David trusted only in the Lord.

We, too, must trust in the Lord even when fear surrounds us, just as David did. In those times, let us all hold on to the words of Isaiah 41:10!
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

The "nevertheless" faith, the faith that declares we will trust in the Lord no matter what situation we find ourselves in, is the faith that David ultimately confessed: "You are my God" (Psalm 31:14).
Even though there may be pain and sorrow, even though there may be grief and groaning, even when we are insulted, even when we are forgotten, and even when we are in fear, God is still God.
Acknowledging God's sovereignty, even when we do not understand His will, we must believe that we are in His will and confess with faith, "You are my God."
This is the faith of those who possess the "nevertheless" faith. I pray that both you and I will become those who possess this kind of faith.

With a desire to trust in the Lord alone,

Pastor James Kim
(In weakness)