When life sucks, I have a hard time rejoicing. But God wants believers to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4).
Always?
Surely God doesn't mean always. Because that's impossible.
How can we be expected to rejoice when we're stuck in a job we hate? Or when our kids are sick? Or when our marriage is at an all-time low? Or when the doctor tells us we are infertile? Or when we don't know how we're going to pay the mortgage this month?
How can a reasonable God require us to rejoice in these kinds of circumstances?
I think the answer is He doesn't.
He never calls us to rejoice in circumstances at all. He calls us to rejoice in Him, no matter what our circumstances look like.
I think this distinction is huge. It directly affects how we view God.
Philippians 4:4 reads, "Rejoice in the Lord always."
If we think God wants us to rejoice over the loss of a child or our recent divorce, then we'll see God as sadistic and unfeeling.
But if we think God wants us to rejoice in Him - His goodness and His unfailing love - while we're in the circumstances, then we'll see God as a compassionate Savior and a heroic Redeemer, offering us hope that we don't otherwise have.
Here's how that pans out in reality.
You've just moved to a new town where you have no friends or family to speak of. You are far from home. You feel isolated and depressed as you grieve the friendships you've left. You're hating life right now, loathing each and every minute. And the Lord says rejoice. If we hear this as "rejoice in your situation", we'll say, "There is nothing good about this situation. I am hurting! Even if I try to think positively about all the Lord might have in store for me in my new surroundings, that doesn't make my present pain any less." But, if we hear the command to rejoice as "rejoice in the Lord," we can say, "Lord, I hurt right now. The end of this pain is nowhere in sight. But I know that you love me, and I know you are in control. Thank you for being so trustworthy, especially when life is difficult."
The difference is, when we are rejoicing in who the Lord is instead of what our circumstances are, we are free to feel our pain. We can be honest about our emotions and don't have to feel guilty for not feeling joyful toward life.
Showing posts with label suffering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label suffering. Show all posts
5.03.2011
The Point of Pain
A popular argument agnostics and atheists like to use to justify their unbelief in God is that if God existed, there wouldn't be pain in this world. If God existed, they say, He'd be powerful enough and good enough to make our lives pain-free. There would be no tornadoes, no Osama bin Laden's, no domestic violence, no cancer, no anything unpleasant at all. In the unbeliever's mind, the mere existence of suffering proves that God, at least as we Christians define Him (all-powerful, all-knowing, completely good, etc.), does not exist.
But there is a problem with this argument.
Those who argue to this end assume they understand what God's chief objective is. They assume that God's whole point for doing anything is to make us humans happy. Don't get me wrong, I would love for that to be the case. I would love for it to be all about me. Truth be told, I often act like it is all about me and my contentedness.
But it's not.
The end all be all of life is not to have 7 billion happy people running around the planet kumbaya-ing. That would be nice. And God wouldn't mind if we managed to work that out. But, unlike John Lennon, that simply isn't God's main objective for humanity.
God is concerned about more than our happiness.
Notice I did NOT say God is unconcerned with our happiness. He is very much affected by our pain. He grieves for and with us in our suffering (John 11:33-35). He responds with great compassion when we are hurting, which He certainly would not do if He didn't care about our pain (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
But He is even more concerned with something bigger than our hurt.
His primary concern is having a living, breathing, active, dynamic relationship with each and every person on this planet. Like a father of multiple children, God longs to spend as much quality time as possible with each of us. Why? Just because He loves us. Oh, and it also happens to be in our best interest. The more time we spend really connecting with God, the better off we are. We have more peace, even in the midst of suffering (John 14:27). We gain wisdom and understanding about all kinds of things (Colossians 2:2-3). We become more effective at showing unbelievers that a personal relationship with God is not only possible, it is the most rewarding relationship we can pursue (1 John 5:10-11).
More than our earthly happiness, God wants an eternal relationship with us. And sometimes it takes pain in our lives for us to realize that.
Paul understood that. And he told the church of Corinth about it in 2 Corinthians 1:8-24. As Paul talks about hardships he faced in Asia, he said, "We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death" (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). Paul is talking about extreme suffering and pain. How many of us can relate on an emotional level? We find ourselves in circumstances that feel "beyond our ability to endure", causing us to "despair even of life."
Why does a good God let us experience such utter misery?
Paul's explanation is, "this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead" (2 Corinthians 1:9).
What?
God allows us to suffer, even though He could stop it, so we might rely on Him? You mean He is more concerned about relationship with us than He is about our happiness?
Before you tell me you don't want a relationship with a sadistically self-centered God like that, let me make one more point.
Our complete happiness can only be found in relationship with God.
We Americans tend to be an either/or society. Things are black or white, right or wrong, this or that. Never both. Never simultaneously.
Yet, this is not an either/or situation. We are not choosing between happiness or a relationship with God. We can have both. In fact, we can't truly have either independently. A relationship with God births a capacity for happiness in our lives that does not exist without that relationship being in place (John 15:9-11). I'm not talking prosperity gospel here, which says, "Accept Jesus and you 'll be healthy, wealthy and care-free." Believers certainly have their fair share of hurtful situations. But they also have the ability to find peace, fulfillment, and joy in the midst of pain (James 1:2-4). Not when it is all over; not when things are wonderful; right smack in the middle of their worst days.
Pain has a point. Pain is supposed to drive us deeper into relationship with God. If we aren't letting pain accomplish that, we are suffering for nothing.
Make your pain count.
But there is a problem with this argument.
Those who argue to this end assume they understand what God's chief objective is. They assume that God's whole point for doing anything is to make us humans happy. Don't get me wrong, I would love for that to be the case. I would love for it to be all about me. Truth be told, I often act like it is all about me and my contentedness.
But it's not.
The end all be all of life is not to have 7 billion happy people running around the planet kumbaya-ing. That would be nice. And God wouldn't mind if we managed to work that out. But, unlike John Lennon, that simply isn't God's main objective for humanity.
God is concerned about more than our happiness.
Notice I did NOT say God is unconcerned with our happiness. He is very much affected by our pain. He grieves for and with us in our suffering (John 11:33-35). He responds with great compassion when we are hurting, which He certainly would not do if He didn't care about our pain (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
But He is even more concerned with something bigger than our hurt.
His primary concern is having a living, breathing, active, dynamic relationship with each and every person on this planet. Like a father of multiple children, God longs to spend as much quality time as possible with each of us. Why? Just because He loves us. Oh, and it also happens to be in our best interest. The more time we spend really connecting with God, the better off we are. We have more peace, even in the midst of suffering (John 14:27). We gain wisdom and understanding about all kinds of things (Colossians 2:2-3). We become more effective at showing unbelievers that a personal relationship with God is not only possible, it is the most rewarding relationship we can pursue (1 John 5:10-11).
More than our earthly happiness, God wants an eternal relationship with us. And sometimes it takes pain in our lives for us to realize that.
Paul understood that. And he told the church of Corinth about it in 2 Corinthians 1:8-24. As Paul talks about hardships he faced in Asia, he said, "We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death" (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). Paul is talking about extreme suffering and pain. How many of us can relate on an emotional level? We find ourselves in circumstances that feel "beyond our ability to endure", causing us to "despair even of life."
Why does a good God let us experience such utter misery?
Paul's explanation is, "this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead" (2 Corinthians 1:9).
What?
God allows us to suffer, even though He could stop it, so we might rely on Him? You mean He is more concerned about relationship with us than He is about our happiness?
Before you tell me you don't want a relationship with a sadistically self-centered God like that, let me make one more point.
Our complete happiness can only be found in relationship with God.
We Americans tend to be an either/or society. Things are black or white, right or wrong, this or that. Never both. Never simultaneously.
Yet, this is not an either/or situation. We are not choosing between happiness or a relationship with God. We can have both. In fact, we can't truly have either independently. A relationship with God births a capacity for happiness in our lives that does not exist without that relationship being in place (John 15:9-11). I'm not talking prosperity gospel here, which says, "Accept Jesus and you 'll be healthy, wealthy and care-free." Believers certainly have their fair share of hurtful situations. But they also have the ability to find peace, fulfillment, and joy in the midst of pain (James 1:2-4). Not when it is all over; not when things are wonderful; right smack in the middle of their worst days.
Pain has a point. Pain is supposed to drive us deeper into relationship with God. If we aren't letting pain accomplish that, we are suffering for nothing.
Make your pain count.
4.05.2011
What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do
At least once a week, my three year old, Lexi, asks, "Mommy, when am I gonna get to go to Heaven?" And I say, "I don't know; only God knows that." Her response is always the same, "I wish I could go to Heaven now. I just can't wait to see Jesus!" And my response is always the same, "Me too."
Lexi's desire for Heaven is marked with great excitement and anticipation. She's learned some basic things in her short life - things like God is wonderful; God loves her; God lives in Heaven; Heaven is the most fantastic place ever; and because she's accepted Jesus, God will one day bring her to Heaven. And this knowledge births a beautiful longing in her soul to be there now.
My desire for Heaven is a little more complex than Lexi's is. It is more than just anticipating bliss. In large part, my motivation for Heaven is rooted in my desire for relief from pain. I almost don't even have to have the promise that Heaven will be full of wonderful things; I just need the promise that it will be devoid of painful things. The blissful aspects of Heaven are like a bonus, an extra declaration of God's infinite grace and love. I think I'd choose to go there even if Heaven didn't hold blessings for me, as long as I was sure it didn't hold pain.
What my daughter will one day discover is that life hurts. Relationships break. Bones break. Faith breaks. Pain traverses our hearts, bodies, and souls. And there are times when we just sit down in the mud and say, "I don't know what to do."
Enter Job.
Job loved God. The Bible says Job was, "fearful and upright; he feared God and shunned evil," (Job 1:1). In our language, Job was the equivalent of a real-deal Christian - someone who loves God in words AND actions and whose personal relationship with God thrives. Job was blessed with wealth, a large family, and fame (Job 1:1-3). He was plugging along in life, living out his faith, experiencing blessing for his obedience, and, presumably, loving life.
Then God allowed Job's world to be turned upside down.
Job's wealth was stolen and destroyed (Job 1:13-17); his children all died in a freak accident (Job 1:18-19); he acquired a painful disease (Job 2:7); his wife stopped supporting him (Job 2:8); his friends turned on him, accusing him of being weak in faith (Job 4:6) and even inferring that he was wicked (Job 15:20-35; Job 18:5-21).
How did Job respond?
He wondered why he had even been born (Job 3:11).
He said things like, "I loathe my very life; therefore, I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul" (Job 10:1), and, "My spirit is broken" (Job 17:1), and, "I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer" (Job 30:20).
In a word, Job despaired. He felt powerless and confused. He didn't know what to do.
So...
He did all he could do - he trusted God. When Job's life fell apart, he fell back on what he knew.
"To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his" (Job 12:13).
"I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth...and I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes" (Job 19:25-27).
"[God] knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).
"I know that [God] can do all things; no plan of [his] can be thwarted" (Job 42:2).
When we don't know what to do, we can take a page out of Job's book. We can fall back on what we know is true of God. We can seek comfort from His Word that He knows us, that he's for us, and that, one day, we will see Him face to face.
And, hopefully, this knowledge will give us the strength to take the next breath and press on.
Lexi's desire for Heaven is marked with great excitement and anticipation. She's learned some basic things in her short life - things like God is wonderful; God loves her; God lives in Heaven; Heaven is the most fantastic place ever; and because she's accepted Jesus, God will one day bring her to Heaven. And this knowledge births a beautiful longing in her soul to be there now.
My desire for Heaven is a little more complex than Lexi's is. It is more than just anticipating bliss. In large part, my motivation for Heaven is rooted in my desire for relief from pain. I almost don't even have to have the promise that Heaven will be full of wonderful things; I just need the promise that it will be devoid of painful things. The blissful aspects of Heaven are like a bonus, an extra declaration of God's infinite grace and love. I think I'd choose to go there even if Heaven didn't hold blessings for me, as long as I was sure it didn't hold pain.
What my daughter will one day discover is that life hurts. Relationships break. Bones break. Faith breaks. Pain traverses our hearts, bodies, and souls. And there are times when we just sit down in the mud and say, "I don't know what to do."
Enter Job.
Job loved God. The Bible says Job was, "fearful and upright; he feared God and shunned evil," (Job 1:1). In our language, Job was the equivalent of a real-deal Christian - someone who loves God in words AND actions and whose personal relationship with God thrives. Job was blessed with wealth, a large family, and fame (Job 1:1-3). He was plugging along in life, living out his faith, experiencing blessing for his obedience, and, presumably, loving life.
Then God allowed Job's world to be turned upside down.
Job's wealth was stolen and destroyed (Job 1:13-17); his children all died in a freak accident (Job 1:18-19); he acquired a painful disease (Job 2:7); his wife stopped supporting him (Job 2:8); his friends turned on him, accusing him of being weak in faith (Job 4:6) and even inferring that he was wicked (Job 15:20-35; Job 18:5-21).
How did Job respond?
He wondered why he had even been born (Job 3:11).
He said things like, "I loathe my very life; therefore, I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul" (Job 10:1), and, "My spirit is broken" (Job 17:1), and, "I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer" (Job 30:20).
In a word, Job despaired. He felt powerless and confused. He didn't know what to do.
So...
He did all he could do - he trusted God. When Job's life fell apart, he fell back on what he knew.
"To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his" (Job 12:13).
"I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth...and I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes" (Job 19:25-27).
"[God] knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).
"I know that [God] can do all things; no plan of [his] can be thwarted" (Job 42:2).
When we don't know what to do, we can take a page out of Job's book. We can fall back on what we know is true of God. We can seek comfort from His Word that He knows us, that he's for us, and that, one day, we will see Him face to face.
And, hopefully, this knowledge will give us the strength to take the next breath and press on.
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