Social media platforms have become obituaries.
We tend to expect suffering to be an obvious outcome in the lives of those who behave recklessly. When people deliberately abuse themselves, or mistreat others, we aren’t surprised by the consequences. We want swift justice and even demand harsh penalties for those who thoughtlessly and viciously wreak havoc.
Galatians 6:7 warns, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."
It's easy to go directly to that passage of scripture, along with the familiar, "What goes around comes around" when it seems that personal wrongdoing is the reason why someone is facing difficulties. Payback definitely is a dog, but is every instance of suffering the consequence of some transgression, or is suffering simply a part of life for everyone?
When suffering visits those who do wrong, we don’t flinch. We may even think they deserve it. When suffering visits the lives of those who seem to be doing everything right, however, our faith is shaken up a bit. What did they do to deserve it? Are the chickens in their past coming home to roost? Is there some secret sin, or some hidden transgression? Why do bad things happen to good people? Is it because they're not as good as we thought? Did they bring it upon themselves?
John 9:1-3 reads, “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned-- this man or his parents--that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him."
We are often encouraged by those who seem to be shining examples of patience, especially in times of suffering. We pray for them, and want to see them and their lives restored to normalcy and health. There seems to be something grossly undeserving about the suffering that some people face. It makes us question God's sense of fair play. We want God to get the glory in our lives, but if we had it our way, we'd want to suggest to him how he should go about getting it. "Lord, I don't mind you being glorified in me, and I'm honored, but could you see your way to leaving out the painful stuff, please?"
The questions we ask, that are borne out of suffering, are among the most honest, and can lead us to the authentic relationship with God that he desires. God certainly doesn't mind if we come to him with our concerns.
Peter 5:6-7 reads, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." Too often, we cast our anxiety upon each other, instead, because it is easier to fight and argue with, or challenge people than it is to confront God. It is also easier to abandon God when his ways, actions, or inaction seems harsh or unreasonable.
When the character of God becomes a point of contention, a believer in Him must be having a very difficult time. Sometimes there are no answers to our questions. Other times, there are very good answers, we just don't happen to like them, or they don't suit our arguments. We just have to come to the same realization as King Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel 4:35 records his testimony; "At the end of the seven years, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked to heaven. I was given my mind back, and I blessed the High God, thanking and glorifying God, who lives forever: “His sovereign rule lasts and lasts, his kingdom never declines and falls. Life on this earth doesn’t add up to much, but God’s heavenly army keeps everything going. No one can interrupt his work; no one can call his rule into question."
It's a reminder that God does what he wants, when, where, and how he wants, and requires neither our permission nor approval. What we need to work on is cooperating and trusting more, and complaining less. We run into trouble when our complaining is actually accusation. There’s no way we can get answers if we think we already have them. Why ask if we’ve already made up our minds? And where did we get the idea that God ever has to answer to us?
Looking for excuses and scapegoats is a natural response to unpleasant occurrences in our lives.
We either want someone to blame, or some reason to take matters into our own hands. We respond to adversity with shock and disappointment, as if our lives should be exempt of trouble, simply because we are Christians, or consider ourselves good people. It would do us well to remember the scriptures, specifically the attitude of Jesus Christ, when we are in times of crisis.
John 16:33 reads, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
Jesus had just shared with his disciples the trouble he would soon face, yet at no time did he question the presence or character of God.
There is the common error of mixing apples with oranges. Sometimes, one thing has very little to do with the other. God is good. Period. In this life, there is suffering. Period. The goodness of God is not reduced or forfeited simply because we have trials. God is morally excellent, virtuous, righteous, and excellent. Everything he is and does is right and of superior quality. He established the concept of goodness. When he saw the light, the land, the seas, the vegetation, and the animals he created--everything from Genesis 1:4 to Genesis 1:25 the Bible says "And God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:31 goes further-- "God saw all that he had made, and it was" what? "VERY good". Right there, amongst all of his creation, is goodness. At no time do we read where God said he'd made an error. Everything he did, by his own command and design originated, not merely from a spirit of excellence, but from excellence itself. He saw what was good, and he also understood what was not. However, we have to take a look at what we consider goodness to be.
According to Jeff Benner of the Ancient Hebrew Research Center, God called "his handiwork "good". It should always be remembered that the Hebrews often relate descriptions to functionality. The word "tov" would best be translated with the word "functional". When God looked at his handiwork, he saw that it was functional-- kind of like a well-oiled and tuned machine. In contrast to this word, is the Hebrew word "ra". These two words, "tov" and "ra" are used for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. While "ra" is often translated as evil, it is best translated as "dysfunctional".
So, when we say, "If God is good" what are we really trying to communicate? Are we expecting him to be merely functional, or an overly compassionate super hero?
I think we have expectations that nothing bad should ever happen to us. When calamity or problems arise, sometimes the first person we point a finger at is God. We want God to swoop in like Superman and save the day, seconds before the bad guys in our lives show up. We want God to stamp out hatred and lack, and all of life's evils. If we read Psalm 121, we tend to have an expectation that he will do just that.
"I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."
After reading that, it may trouble us that God could be somewhere sitting, twittling His holy thumbs, watching and allowing bad things happen, and refusing to intervene. We can't process the notion that God, who is always awake, and sees all, and knows all, would sit on his hands while wars are plotted, senseless murders are committed, children are abused, natural disasters are leaving people dead and homeless, and diseases ravage communities. Would a good God do that? The problem with that thinking is that we’re expecting him to clean up messes he didn’t make. A part of God's goodness is his consistency and the truth of his word. We have to remember why our world, and even our lives are in their current states. Sin is the number one answer. Every one of us at some point will know what it is to suffer.
Understanding it is probably one of the most difficult things, especially if we regard ourselves as basically good people. Suffering, however, does not discriminate. One thing we can be comforted by is that, even in the midst of our suffering, God is there.
Modern science has allowed us to investigate and comprehend the gravity of Jesus' suffering before and during his crucifixion. We now know of the multiple traumatic injuries and scientific names of medical conditions that contributed to his eventual death. Nowhere in the Bible, however, do we get suffering with such vivid written detail as we do in the book of Job. Between Jesus and Job, you couldn't find two nicer, more upstanding guys, and yet their suffering was unimaginable, horribly unfair, and undeserved. We can learn quite a bit from the two of them--especially how to maintain confidence in God in spite of what we may be facing.
Job 30:26-31 reads, "Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness. The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me. I go about blackened, but not by the sun;
I stand up in the assembly and cry for help. I have become a brother of jackals, a companion of owls. My skin grows black and peels; my body burns with fever. My lyre is tuned to mourning, and my pipe to the sound of wailing."
We read Job's account and suddenly, our own circumstances don't seem so bad after all. He is not exaggerating. He is illustrating his current condition, and it is pretty bad. He's not exactly happy with God, but notice how cautiously he speaks where God is concerned.
We have conditioned ourselves to believe that God is perfect and good, doesn't make mistakes, and has a reason for his every action. Even in death, we make statements like, "He, or she is in a better place". We are simply optimistic and trusting when it comes to the God we serve. There are times, however, when we do ponder the way that suffering simply doesn't match up with our idea and expectations of God, and what he is able to do. We wonder if God is simply not willing to do certain things on our behalf. That's where the "why" questions come in, and they cause us to hang on to our faith for dear life. We will dismiss everything and everyone else, but when it comes to God, letting go is not an option. We remember Hebrews 13: 5 and it comforts us: "God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
Still, when suffering comes, we wonder, and get a good idea of the degree to which we actually trust God, and surrender our lives to Him. He is our God, but he is not our equal. He doesn't have to follow our script or plan.
Isaiah 55:8 reads, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways”, declares the Lord.”
That's not coldblooded, that's just the way it is. Some of us may not be satisfied with that declaration. We probably weren't satisfied when we heard our parents say, "Because I told you so", either. We want details and explanations and reports. When it comes to our own suffering, we want to know who, what, when, where, why and how. We wrack our brains searching for reasons, but when you're not in control, you have to rely on the person who is. If that individual is faithful, trustworthy, and has a good track record, you can relax a little. You look back and see how the person in control handled every circumstance concerning you, and how you came through them successfully. You also have to acknowledge that there were others who experienced the same or similar circumstances who didn't fare nearly as well as you did.
In the book of Job, we see a man who has suffered a great deal more than most people. The Bible implies that his situation was worsening by the day. He was quiet at first, and then all he could do as a result of his constant pain and devastating loss, was moan and complain.
What I like is the confidence that God obviously had in him. What I am also fascinated by is that God allowed the situation to occur. We know that, but Job doesn’t. God gave authority, but reserved responsibility for himself. Job suffered, but he was also greatly rewarded.
God's glory is always at stake in our lives and can even be seen in times of trouble. Our inclination to ask “why” can cause us to take our eyes off of God, and think we have to rely on our own knowledge, ability and strength.
Do we ever consider that the suffering we face is not some random, accidental situation, but a very carefully orchestrated plan of God that will result in us emerging better and stronger than we've ever been before?
Job 42:1-6 reads, Then Job replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. "You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
If we never understand how important it is to truly know God, we know from these verses. Ours cannot be a secondhand relationship.
Job’s words also assure us that the Lord is not going to allow his children to stray too far away in thought or deed. He hears every word we say; he knows our thoughts, and fortunately, will correct us--even in our suffering. Reading Job chapters 40 and 41 are a must. It seemed as if God had heard enough from Job and his friends. He orchestrated the whole situation, but he was not going to abide their ignorance or their false conclusions. I believe he feels the same way about us. He wants us to know who he is and not be deceived--not by ourselves, others, or our circumstances.
Read Job 40:7. “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me." When God got finished letting Job know who he was, and just how good and superior he was, Job had no choice but to change his tune. He knew he hadn't done anything wrong, but his friends were implying that he must have committed some sin to deserve the suffering he endured. Even though he called them miserable comforters, Job's issue wasn't with his friends. His real issue was with God. Although he had every right to be angry, hurt and confused, he was making statements without having all of the facts to back them up. Certainly he was an upstanding citizen, and felt he had done nothing wrong. He had no idea, however, that God allowed the suffering. God never did completely answer all of Job's questions. What Job did, and what we must do is get to the point where a solid relationship with God is sufficient.
We are not God's peers. We don't have to know everything, or be in control of everything if we truly trust Him. God is good. There is no IF about it. Attempting to challenge him, or question his judgment when things go wrong is unwise. God knows quite well who he is. It would be to our advantage to be confident in his unfailing character no matter what we face. Suffering does not negate God's goodness or his ability. It provides an opportunity for us to see just how good he really is. Nothing, not even our suffering is too hard for him. Read Psalm 34:19. "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all..." I checked, and “all” means the whole; every, any; each; everything. That’s the promise of a good God, and it sounds very good to me.
Suffering is inevitable, but God is still good anyway.
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