I heard an unknown voice say, “Now I will take the load from your shoulders; I will free your hands from their heavy tasks. You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you.” [Psalm 81:5b-7a (NLT)]
“He’d always looked at religion as a crutch for people who were too scared to do life by themselves,” is the way author Chris Fabry described a character in his book June Bug. That description made me think of Karl Marx’s frequently paraphrased statement: “Religion is the opium of the people.” Sigmund Freud had an equally low opinion of religion and described it as a form of wish fulfillment. Thinking of religion as little more than a man-made coping mechanism for dealing with the harsh realities of life, Fabray’s character, Marx, and Freud disparaged it along with things like crutches and pain relievers.
As the body’s early warning system, physical pain is what tells us there’s something wrong with our body. But, when excessive pain interferes with our quality of life, it needs to be dealt with. Pain relievers work with our body’s cells, nerve endings, nervous system, and brain to mitigate the pain we feel. While I’ve never taken opium, between assorted broken bones, sprains, torn ligaments, compressed nerves, and surgeries, I’ve used a variety of prescription pain medications to ease my pain and promote the healing process.
As for God being my opiate—while prescription medications help me through my physical pain, it is God who leads me through the dark valleys of grief, fear, loss, betrayal, doubt, pain, and depression that assault us in this earthly life. Like pain meds, God can be habit-forming, but the similarities end there. Unlike pain meds, His long-term use is highly recommended, no prescription is necessary, and He has no dangerous side effects. While I was thrilled to say good-by to pain meds, I never want God out of my life! He has lessened the anguish, sorrow, loneliness, and heartache of my life better than any drug ever could. He is the only prescription for the sin sick soul!
Moreover, many of those ailments and surgeries I’ve experienced required me to use crutches, a knee scooter, or a cane in order to make up for my loss of strength, range of motion, stability, coordination, and endurance. When I’ve been left with only one leg on which to stand, those devices helped me balance and stand steady by broadening my support base.
Just as crutches reduce the weight load on a weak or injured leg, a relationship with God certainly reduces the burdens of life. Like crutches, my faith in God supports me; it gives me strength and stability and keeps me from falling. God holds me steady when I’m unsure, keeps me in balance when I’m over-whelmed, and enables me to walk through the rough patches without stumbling! When I step away from Him and fall, He lifts me up again! God is even better than a crutch because, when I can go no further, He’s been known to pick me up and carry me! I will happily live in God dependence, using God as a crutch rather than live in independence only to trip and fall.
While Marx and Fabry’s character look at pain meds and walking aids with disdain, I look to them with gratitude! I don’t take offense at someone thinking of my faith in God as a crutch or drug. When properly prescribed and used, painkillers and crutches help us cope with the challenges of living with broken bodies. While they are man-made and imperfect, God isn’t! It is His hand that touches me and brings healing to my heart and soul as well as my body! I’m more than willing to admit that I’m too scared to do life by myself. It is because of God that I can cope with the challenges of living in a broken world!
As for Freud’s wish fulfillment—God has given me more than I possibly could have wished for in even my wildest dreams. He’s done more than merely fill my cup with enough; because of God, my cup “runneth over” with peace, purpose, love, and joy!
I suspect we would prefer a eulogy that shines a light on our victories and accomplishments but the man known as “the father of modern missions” chose otherwise. When William Carey [1762-1834] was asked what text he wanted for his funeral sermon, he chose today’s verse. The humble man wanted to shine a light on God’s lovingkindness and great compassion rather than his personal accomplishments.
The Israelites were camped on the east side of the Jordan River, in view of Canaan, when Moses addressed them. After spending the last forty years as nomads in the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula, can you imagine their excitement at the thought of finally having a place to call their own and their eagerness for a new beginning in a new land? There must have been some apprehension, as well. They weren’t naïve; they knew there would be conflict, battles, and even loss before Canaan was conquered.
In the first Advent, Jesus came as a suffering servant in a manger. In His second Advent, Jesus will return in righteousness as the conquering King who makes all things right. His return means the final destruction of sin, injustice, hate, disease, death, decay and evil. Our God, however, is one of both mercy and judgement and Malachi’s promise of the Messiah included a warning about the coming day of judgment.
In Mark 5, we find three stories of miraculous healings: the demoniac living among the graves in the Gerasenes, the woman who bled for twelve years, and the daughter of Jairus who was brought back to life. These are beautiful stories, but what about all the other people in 2,000 years for whom there has been no healing? Like the woman with the blood disorder, my friend has suffered for more than twelve years, tried every remedy, and gotten no relief. This man of deep faith prays for healing as do all his family and friends. His faith is as strong as that of the nameless woman and yet he’s had no relief.
Devotions of the Heart 