"I can read my affliction as a correction, or as a mercy, and I confess I know not how to read it. How should I understand this illness? I cannot conclude, though death conclude me. If it is a correction indeed, let me translate it and read it as a mercy; for though it may appear to be a correction, I can have no greater proof of your mercy than to die in thee and by that death to be united to Him who died for me." - John Donne (1623 A.d.)
That was written by John Donne - a poet who knew great pain - the loss of a career, the death of a wife, and finally being bedridden with illness himself..One day from his bed he heard church bells ringing outside as they only did when someone had died in that community..and he wrote this: "Never send to know for when the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
The subject I speak of today is suffering - why do bad things happen to good people? And the first thing I must say is this:
This subject has been debated from as far back as humankind has existed and certainly has been discussed throughout history by greater minds than this one, but alas - I am here today..
Let me start by saying this..Suffering is a mystery. I began the process of preparation for this week thinking that I would give you some very practical solutions to why suffering is with us. I just wanted to be able to answer a few questions for you..Well - I quickly realized that this subject of pain and suffering, when you look deep into it, has the ability to make you ask more questions than you find answers for..The more you know about suffering, the more questions you have.
So, here goes..Here are a few questions on suffering and God's place in that..and along the way perhaps more questions will be revealed.
Let me start with some I believe statements:
1. I believe we will all be touched by suffering sooner or later.
Very simply, bad things do happen to good people. When it comes to suffering, the bell tolls for us at some point in life - just as it tolls for us in death as well.
Now think of the past year. How many people throughout the world saw the tragedy of September 11 th as it was happening.
How many thousands are suffering still because of that or now because of the war that has ravaged Afghanistan.
Then there are children starving by the thousands every day in third world countries all around the world -
and those numbers are much more than the total death of those in the Twin Towers - children that die every day.
But all that seems so far away - so remote at times. Let's bring it a little closer to home. Think about that someone you know or love who has been on a cancer ward repeatedly in these last months - or has lived through the death of a loved one stolen far too soon..Think about someone you know who has or is going through an ugly divorce - or who has had a financial failure - or an emotional breakdown - or yet another devastating report from the doctor..Now if you can't think of anyone personally who has just gone through those scenarios, I can. Because every one of those examples came out of this church in the past year..They just might be sitting beside you.
Suffering may be a mystery..but the pain of it is very real..and every one of us - sooner or later..in some form or another will be called to that deeper place called suffering.
VIDEO - Boats in harbor.
2. I believe we may be asking some of the wrong questions.
Questions like why? Why do bad things happen? Why didn't God prevent it from happening? Why did this happen to me? Why did that tragedy come so close to my life? Why?
Now don't get me wrong here - there are seasons for the why questions of life..But the statement on the screen says I believe - so let me tell you straight what I think. Sometimes when we live too long in the why part of life - looking for that answer - other answers about how to get better and move on and find health and wholeness are lost because we are stuck in the despair of why -
and we are asking a question we will not get an answer to..
Suffering is a mystery - and no one is exempt. And spending our lives on the why can be an incredible waste of energy. We must focus instead on how to live out the rest of our lives..even in the midst of suffering.
Another wrong question: Lee Barbour sent me an e-mail this week with this line in it that I will quote: "Seems to me the question is not just 'Why do bad things happen to good people,' but - 'why do good things happen to bad people?'" The world is full of God's grace and goodness - but we hardly notice. No - we take it for granted every day.
Question - "Maybe God only allows the rule (suffering) to reappear in the midst of all the exceptions (grace) in our lives."
Let that soak in - what he means is this..Could our focus be on the wrong question - Maybe we should be asking - why does anything go right and good in this world that so arrogantly stands against the plans of God.Why wouldn't suffering be on us always?
Maybe God, by His grace, gives all the good things we have in life and steers the tide of suffering much more than we realize..even though we live in a sinful, evil world. God's grace allows so much good to surround us.
3. God does not create suffering.
This is not an I believe statement..this is simply a fact.
I believe God has a higher goal for our lives than simply suffering..meaning suffering/pain is not just a random chance thing that just happens to us in life - without reason, or without any redeeming aspects to it..God uses suffering (notice again I didn't say He created suffering) - but He uses it to produce something within us. God uses suffering to change us. Pain and suffering has value in our lives. Let me talk about 3 or 4 ways God uses suffering..
1) God uses suffering to develop our character.
"We can rejoice when we run into problems.they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady." (Romans 5:3-4)
Ah yes - the development of patience in our lives. How else does patience get developed unless by perceived suffering..Someone has to say wait..not now - hold on - when we don't want to wait or hold on..or we will never understand patience. And once we have patience, our whole character gets strengthened..At least that's the theory.
This truth may be more meaningful for people with a similar personality to mine..I hate waiting - and I don't have a whole lot of patience. Now I have a lot more than I used to..And I can honestly say this..Any patience I have learned has come from enduring some suffering - whether large or small..
Patience with time - Learning that a 2-1/2 hour drive for everybody else isn't a 2 hour drive for me has meant suffering for me..financially - speeding tickets, cost of driver's license.
Lost my license - early on - too much in a hurry.
Sickness - Learning that simply taking an afternoon off (maybe) when you have a cold or the flu..instead of being patient and taking off a couple days..actually created more pain later on as the cold lasted for 10 days instead of 5 - or you get so run down, you just catch twice as many colds as everyone else..
Finances - learning to invest and save a little at a time over the long haul, over many years, will bring about great wealth - takes patience..
Suffering comes with hasty financial decisions with great risk involved..or buying too quickly or selling too early.And with that comes sleepless nights and frustration and stress and fear.
Sometimes, however, the only way to learn some of these things - the only way to learn the wisdom of patience - is to endure some suffering along the way.
Tree planting story..First you get good, then you get fast..I didn't care - wanted to make money. Planted them all wrong - had to rework/replant all the trees the next day - total earnings in first full day - $22.
Suffering produces patience, which produces someone with a strong character. Think about it - most patient people we know are pretty solid people. Usually if they're patient duck is in line, then their wisdom and integrity and kindness and character ducks are in a row too..That's just the way it works. Patience brings strength of character..that's how God tends to work in our lives. But don't miss the principle here. It is suffering that produces the patience. Show me someone with strength of character brought on by patience, and I'll show you someone who has tasted suffering. God is much more interested in our character than He is our comfort..
Does God create suffering in our lives? No - but he sure uses it to help us learn about patience - which in turn develops a strong and enduring spirit and character within us..
Along a similar line..2) God uses suffering to deepen our faith.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4)
Notice..James doesn't say IF trouble comes your way.but WHENEVER it does - He assumes we will have troubles and that it is possible to profit from them.
Here's what I think this means..We can't really know the depth of our faith until we see how we react under pressure. It is easy to say you have faith and live like you have great faith when everything is going well..But how do we react and treat other people and respond to God when life is treating us unfairly? We may say we walk with God - but does our walk match our talk when the chips are down?
Suffering and pain has this incredible way of moving our faith to a whole other level. I heard a preacher once say.."There are no atheists on a cancer ward."
For some, suffering forces us to call out to God for the first time..First perhaps in anger or frustration - but later the prayers turn into faith and love.
For others, suffering begins a long, deepening process spiritually in our lives that brings with it a maturity - a completeness - that can only be received as we get a clearer picture of who God is..People who have suffered and have used it as an opportunity to deepen their faith all say the same thing later on..They say "I thought I knew God before, but this is at a whole new level now."
Let me tell you more on this later..(I'll develop this more in a moment).
This week, Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday, sick with the flu/cold/fever - whatever. Now, I don't get sick very often..but when I do, I usually get good and sick. So this week I got knocked down pretty hard. Now, like I said before, I don't suffer much and I'm not sure this counts..And really, I'm no good at being sick. But even with this little bit of pain, my first response was: God - What's going on? You know I need to be on top of my game this week. You know I can't afford this time..And here's what I think He said..
Dean, I hear your complaining (whining) - and you can do as much of that as you like. Or - you could just spend some time thinking about where your life is going and where we could take it together..and use it as an opportunity to build our relationship..See, when you're flat on your back.say, with a sickness.or suddenly have ample opportunity to be alone - what happens? People usually have a lot of time for inner reflection - and there's time for questioning God and for listening for His answers. People - hear this. God never wastes a question or a prayer sent in His direction - and He always listens to a soul that is turned in His direction.
Suffering and pain provide a way for us to see God clearer - to connect with Him on a deeper level - to ask questions of Him we probably would never have asked had we not been suffering..and it allows us to find some answers - The biggest one being: God will provide the strength we need to endure any hardships or problems or pain that comes our way.
So, what's the principle? God doesn't create suffering, but He uses it in our lives to deepen our faith walk with Him..
3) God uses suffering to change our direction.
Here's what Proverbs 20:30 says."Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways." The truth of the matter is..sometimes God uses problems - or pain - to point us in a new direction, or motivate us to change.
Now, I've got a story for you - some of you have heard some of this before.(farm story)
Now - was that suffering? Maybe..Did God cause all the events of our lives to lead us up to that place? No. Did He cause us to lose money? No. But - did He use it to allow a huge change of direction for me in my life? Absolutely. Would I have made the right directional decision in my life anyways? Maybe. But God allowed me to learn it quicker this way. Hassles? - yes. But am I on a better track for me? Without question. Does God create suffering - No. But He uses it in our lives to change our direction.
4) God uses suffering to clearly show us His power.
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."
(2 Corinthians 4:7-9)
Paul says that when we walk with Jesus Christ, when He is active and alive and real in our lives, there is a great power that comes with that reality..But it is by a paradox that he describes the power..
He says it's like putting a "great treasure" in a clay pot. Now, the pot it expendable - breakable - kinda cheap - compared to what's inside. But still that breakable clay pot contains the treasure.
See, what we must realize is this - that Jesus Christ is very alive and desperately wants to live strongly in our lives by faith every day. He is this incredible treasure that we (the clay pots) hold within us..
Now, follow the analogy through. How do we best see and get at the treasure? By breaking the clay pot that holds it. It is in the breaking of the pot that the richness of the treasure can truly be seen.(and so it is with God's power in us). When we suffer, that pain tends to weaken us - whether it's mentally, emotionally, financially, or physically..and if we suffer enough we become familiar with the word broken.
We become broken..by the shear harshness of life. Now here is the paradox Paul describes.and we've gotta wait for it, because God has the amazing ability to use our weakness - our brokenness - to shine His strength into our lives..
Somehow the more broken we are, the more powerful His Spirit works in our lives..Because of suffering and in our brokenness we find the treasure.
And Paul understood this - because he lived with pain. In 2 Corinthians 12 we read that Paul had what he called a thorn in his flesh - a physical ailment. Many believe it was an eye disease - that caused him much pain. And even when He prayed, God did not heal him. But listen to what Paul heard God say."My grace is sufficient for you (Paul) - my power works best in your weakness." (2 Cor. 12:8) And Paul immediately responds."That is why I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor. 12:10)
People do you hear the paradox of truth? A few years ago, a beautiful woman in this church got cancer (Joanne Ditmar)..and through her first bout with the horrible disease, she suffered greatly. But through that suffering, she found Jesus. And He began to change her life. Now, I'd like to say Joanne just got better, but she didn't.
For 5 years she suffered much..and every day that she suffered, the power of Christ could be seen more evidently in her life. Literally hundreds of people were touched by God's power through Joanne's life - as was she. God was so close to her that you could almost see Him and touch Him. It was an honor and privilege and a spiritual experience just being around her. Why? Did God cause the cancer that eventually took her life? No. Why was Joanne sick? I don't know. Why didn't she get healed? I don't know. Why did she suffer so much? I don't know. But this I do know - Physically, Joanne's body was riddled with pain. But I have rarely seen a more spiritually powerful faith-filled human being than Joanne during those last months. She had found her strength - and it had nothing to do with health or money or wellness or even happiness. Her strength and power showed up when she was at her weakest point. When the clay pot was clearly broken, Jesus Christ powerfully shone in her life.
What's the principle? Does God create suffering? No. But He uses it to clearly show His power in our lives.
Conclusion: Here's another line from the e-mail that Lee Barbour sent to me this week. "The greatest creative power demonstrates the ability to redeem that which is most beyond repair." No - God clearly does not create suffering..but He knows how to redeem us even in our brokenness by His power that is working in us, even when we are beyond repair.
Listen to these two Psalms - which in most Bibles fall on the same page..
"The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead. So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed." (Psalm 143:3-4)
"Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge." (Psalm 144:1-2)
People, the question is not - why suffering? The question is - what will my focus be when I suffer?
Will it be the enemy in life - whether that is relational struggles, financial crises, time pressure, physical ailments or emotional battles..Will it be those enemies that I focus on..and will I dwell in darkness - my spirit faint - my heart dismayed? Or will God be my focus? My Rock who trains me for battle against these enemies. A loving God who is my Father - my Stronghold - my Shield - my Refuge - my Deliverer..
Do I huddle in darkness alone? Or do I advance across the battlefield of life, trusting in God's power and protection - even in suffering..And this may be the line of the week: "Better to die with sword in hand than be slowly crushed by my own dismay."
People, in your suffering, turn quickly to God. Know that He is very near to those who suffer. Trust His heart - feel His power. Soak up his grace. "God weeps with us so that we may one day laugh with Him" - Jurgen Moltmann
And no matter what you face, know that the One who suffered greatly (Jesus)..know that the One who bled and died a horrible and painful death on the cross..Know that the One who endured much so that we might know forgiveness and life eternal..Know that in your pain - Jesus is with you..in the midst of your suffering. |
