Hear the word of the Lord as recorded in the 116 psalm which will serve as our meditation today. The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living; (Psalm 116:6-9).

As many of you know, today is father's day. On this day, I'm preaching on a psalm that talks about suffering and the Christian's response to it. What does suffering have to do with being a father? Well, maybe nothing or maybe something, depending on your experience of being a father or mother. Suffering is something that everyone experiences to some degree or another. I personally can't recall my first suffering experience. I'm sure it had something to do with a dirty diaper or hunger or getting slapped on the rear-end. I'm sure my parents could fill in those details.

The family is not something we may think of when we think of suffering. Suffering seems to be too strong of a word. Maybe "stress" is a better one. There are plenty of things about families that can create stress in our lives. Marriage is one; the birth of a child; the raising of that child. Playing with children can be relaxing, until we or they get hurt. Children growing up and getting married and having children of their own can be stressful. All of these we would probably say are good things in life; the things we live for and are important. Sometimes, family relationships can create suffering in our lives. When our loved ones lead lives that are unhealthy or when they've been diagnosed with terrible diseases, then being in a family can cause us to suffer depression, anger, sorrow, loneliness and even powerlessness.

Suffering in life is nothing new in the Bible. Today, in the Scripture lessons, we were given two accounts of families suffering. The first takes place in a widow's home during the time of Elijah the prophet The widow is a non-Israelite, probably never worshiped the true God all her life. She was housing Elijah, a prophet, a man of God during a drought and with God's help was keeping him fed. One day a parent's worst nightmare comes true, her only son becomes ill and dies. The first thing she does is go to Elijah and asks, "What did I do to deserve this?" She had been feeding and sheltering a prophet, a man of God, and this is the thanks she gets in return?. She may have felt that she deserved a little break from suffering. But her son is dead, and she naturally blames Elijah and God.

Elijah does something interesting. He takes the boy upstairs to his room and prays. But Elijah's faith is shaken as well. He asked God why He has allowed this calamity to come upon the widow? Sure, the widow was suffering, but so was Elijah, because he didn't know what was going on. He certainly didn't need this in his day. He may have been wondering, "Where is God and why was He allowing this to happen?"

The other story we have sounds like a copy of the other one. Jesus is traveling around in Galilee to a city called Nain when He comes upon a funeral procession. The funeral was for another only son of a widow. I'm sure that the scene was very depressing because we are told that Jesus was moved to have compassion on the family. The widow may have had the same questions that the Elijah's widow had; "Why me? What have I done to deserve this? Where are you God? How could you allow this to happen?" She probably didn't even notice Jesus or knew who he was because of her grief. If she had, maybe she would have come after Him like the other woman did when she saw Elijah.

We are not strangers to suffering. We have either experienced it our selves or have witnessed it in other people's lives. Because suffering is such a common experience it is easy for these reactions to sound familiar to us. Maybe some of us have asked the same questions or have heard others ask those questions in the midst of suffering. The reason these reactions may sound so familia is that it seems natural to wonder about God and His will when we're in pain. What doesn't seem natural is the approach of psalm 116:1-9 to suffering.

The psalmist doesn't get caught up in asking, "Why did God do this?" Instead, the author of psalm 116 writes about who God is when we are suffering. To ask "why" about suffering forces us to make one of two conclusions about God. Either God is not completely good or He is not all powerful. Neither answer lines up with what God says about Himself in the Bible. I personally am uncomfortable with the idea that God is either a being who allows suffering to happen to people just to be mean or the idea that God does not have complete control of His creation. Apparently the psalmist agrees and gives the Christian alternative.

Psalm 116 speaks of a person who was suffering, probably from a dreadful illness like cancer, that showed no hope for recovery. Death entangles him like ropes would a swimmer trying to stay above water. His limbs are tired and he is having trouble making it to shore. As if that isn't enough, the anguish of the grave, the fear of death pounces on him like some hungry animal that lurks in the forest. He is surprised by it, perhaps the illness came quickly. Finally, depression and trouble overpower him. The powerlessness he feels is as if he lost the use of his limbs. The despair is so intense, he can't even move. Because of his hopeless situation he does the only thing he can. He prays to God and asks for help. This isn't a quiet little prayer he mumble in his spare time or at the end of the day. This was an immediate shout for help. He probably didn't care who heard him, as long as God does.

The strangest thing about this psalm is where the relief comes from. The relief does not come from God's immediate action, but instead, relief comes from remembering who God is. Who is God? Probably the most important identification that God gives of Himself is Merciful Father. What doe it mean that God is Merciful Father? Luther told us what it meant. When I was in confirmation and had to memorize the meanings in the small catechism, I was amazed at how much Luther got out of the first sentence of the Apostle's Creed. "Our Father who art in heaven." "What does this mean?" There is a whole paragraph of what it means that God is Father. "I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them; also clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and home, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life; that He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil; and all this out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness to me." Where did Luther get all of this? He got it from the psalmist.

The psalmist tells us that God is compassionate. This is one of the first revelations God made about Himself to his people. "And [God] passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin;" (Ex 34:6-7a). God was compassionate at the garden when Adam and Eve sinned. He allowed them to live and have a family. Jesus had compassion on the widow and her family. He heard her cries of pain and raised her son from the dead.

God is a god who hears His people. Psalm 116 starts out with "I love the LORD." Why? Because He hears. Our God is one who is interested in what we have to say to Him. Weather it is thanking Him, having a request, expressing our anger or frustrations or when we are suffering. This is a promise He has always made to His people. "Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I;" (Isaiah 58:9). And again, "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear;" (Isaiah 64:4). "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you;" (Jer. 29:12). The psalmist has a wonderful picture in the original Hebrew of God stretching out His ear to his people when they call on Him. He will not turn a def ear to us. Elijah's story is an example. After Elijah prays to God, God heard and answered his prayer.

God is righteous. This may be the most difficult for us to swallow in a time of suffering. The reason is that when we are caught up in an emotional reality. The feelings are real. The anger, sadness, frustration, confusion and loneliness are a part of our experience. The saints of the Bible went through many of the same feelings, but they always acknowledged the truth that God is morally right in everything He does. Jeremiah asks God why do the wicked and faithless have an easy life while His servants suffered. Jeremiah wasn't blind to what was happening around him. Yet in the same breath he confesses that, "You are always righteous, O LORD, when I bring a case before you." Despite the circumstances, the absolute truth of the matter is that God is righteous and gracious, and a loving and provider of everything we need.

The greatest promise that God has for us when we suffer is that He is present with us. It may be difficult for us when we are suffering to sense this, but another part of the experience of suffering is the presence of God in our lives. So present and close to us that the Father became one of us and lived as we lived. Jesus suffered from life's hardships just as you and I do. "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted;" (Heb 2:18a). Jesus promises to us that He is with us even to the end of time, (Matt 28:20).

Reflection upon who God is brings a great deal of comfort while we are surrounded by troubles. To wonder why God has allowed some tragedy to happen is the wrong question. It's a perfectly normal response, but the witness of the Bible is that it's not the best response. The more important issue is the graciousness of God and the compassion of God in our lives. This is clearly God's response in the two lessons we heard today. Elijah prays for the widow's son and God brings the boy back to life. Jesus has compassion on the woman and touches her dead son and gives his life back to him. This shows us that God is in control despite the circumstances, God has compassion and love for us, His people.