One of the most common questions that I am asked is: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” During the early months of the pandemic, this question would often be asked in relation to these words from the 91st Psalm and the verses that precede it. These verses speak to God’s desire to keep us safe from all harm, to prevent anything untoward from happening to those who call out to the Lord. These words are some of the most comforting words in existence, but the fact is that no matter how much we might seek to have God’s protection, to dwell in His presence, and to be the type of people that we are called to be as followers of Jesus, we will all face trials and tribulations.
A few years ago, it dawned on me that this psalm (and, I could argue, all of the psalms that focus on the Lord providing protection) is focused not simply on the individual who offers these sung prayers to the Almighty, but on the whole of God’s people. While each of us will face times when disaster lands upon our doorstep, throughout such times, the Lord continues to protect His people as a whole. Even when Israel was conquered and her people were driven into exile, God provided this promise, “But I will spare some, for some of you will escape the sword when you are scattered among the nations” (Ezekiel 6:9) and “A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God” (Isaiah 10:21).
It would be easy for us to view these prayers and God’s promises through “me colored glasses” and miss the larger plan that He has for his people as a whole. We tend to forget that our community is more than each of us is as an individual. To truly live into the calling of being Children of the Almighty, we need to work for the moment when we will all see the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God, even as we realize that this moment is one that we may only see when we are promoted to join the Church Triumphant. That last part is the other aspect of this psalm that is so necessary for us to remember. While God seeks our good, our healing, and our protection, there are times when this cannot occur while we still reside in a mortal body. Paul reminded us of this with his explanation of the resurrection to the Corinthians: “The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).