When trials come, instead of murmuring against the Almighty, we ought to trust that our Heavenly Father knows best. His ways are higher than our ways. He is good and does good (Psalms 119:68a). The great hymn writer William Cowper wrote: “Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace; behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.” Allison and I encountered a frowning providence in October 2004 when we lost our first child to a miscarriage. In light of that painful season, I wrote her a poem called “Priest Most High.” I share it with you not because I think it is good poetry but rather because it expresses something of what I learned during that trial, namely, to always trust and treasure Jesus Christ as my heavenly High Priest.
I write to you in rhyming pairs
As your best friend who deeply cares
And loves you even more than life,
For you are my excellent wife.
Father and mother, you did leave.
As husband and wife, we now cleave.
Our sovereign God’s heart did please
To fuse our homes and lives in these
Past three years in which we have seen
Laughs and tears and all in between.
Remember even when we weep
The Shepherd knows and loves His sheep.
When He leads us through dark seasons
We aren’t always given reasons
For the sorrow He wisely brings.
Our great Father’s love sometimes stings.
In these sad times we turn to He
Who endured such hostility
Against Himself, and yet who spoke
Not a word against those who broke
His body upon Calvary’s tree,
Bearing the sins of you and me.
In dying, His perfect life He gave.
His rising once, our souls did save.
This risen Christ sends sweet relief
For souls attacked by unbelief.
The Savior knows well that our frame
Is weak. And we know that this same
Savior did our flesh likewise take,
God incarnated for our sake.
By faith do we draw near the throne
Pleading His precious blood alone.
Free grace and mercy, we do find
In times of need. We are refined
By all the trials He sends our way.
Yet we hear the Refiner say:
“No tempting will on you befall
That is not common to man. All
The grace you need, I will ensure
To gird you up. You shall endure!”
In times of doubt and dark despair
Our comfort lies in Him whose prayer
Before the throne of God does now
Bring to us grace. So may we bow
With covered mouths and do draw nigh
And worship Him as Priest Most High.
