Bombarded by the same idea from different sources--confluence. This morning, the confluence of sources (a book, a sermon, a dear suffering friend, and milk for the cat) deals with whether God is for us or against us--the emotional challenge of this most important of all questions.
Last nite, I was getting into bed and Debbie had put a plate of cat food in the pathway to the bed. This morning, in the kitchen, although I had put a saucer with milk for Sunny in a safe place last nite when feeding Sunny, Debbie did not put milk in that saucer, but put out a new saucer only two feet away which was directly in my path. I know this sounds inane, but she has done it for years. She knows how it irritates me--I clumsily wind up kicking cat food and/or spilling milk, then having to clean it up. I couldn't help but think--she must be against me. She knows this irritates me, but yet put out a new saucer rather than using the one only two feet away. Or, if she's not consciously against me, she must subconsciously be "getting back at me" for being a difficult husband for all of those years. If such small things make me question my wife's love for me, then how much more must people question God (or even His existence) when they are struck by cancer, divorce, etc.
I have two dear friends in deep pain--one dealing with cancer, the other dealing with divorce. The first friend (understandably) wonders why God has beset her with a life that has been fraught with so many difficulties. The second friend is berating himself--thinking that the divorce has resulted from his not following God closely enough. I so feel for both of my friends. I try to speak words of truth and grace, but God, through Tullian, does a much better job.
Tullian is preaching on Job, and he describes God's answer to both of these questions. First, suffering is part of this broken world--we may never know why particular things happen. However, God is sovereign--He feeds the sparrows, He created a universe of infinite proportions made up of sub-atomic particles, He has kept the world from nuclear annihilation on several occasions (at least twice--once under Kennedy and once under Reagan), and He dialogues with His creatures. Yet, He doesn't give Job an explanation for the suffering. You see, when we seek explanations, we want to fix things so that the suffering won't come again. Instead, God points us to Himself, and He does this most significantly on the Cross. God is with us in the suffering of this world, but we are assured that, at the end of the day, He will set all things right.
Second, we certainly can bring pain and suffering into our lives through bad choices, but this doesn't answer the questions of suicide, murder, cancer, etc. When we focus too much on how we may have strayed from God's desires for our lives, we have no hope (a false hope in ourselves). We may believe that we can change, and we try, but ultimately we fail. However, we have one chance--AA gets this. We have to recognize our inability to change and cast ourselves upon the mercy of God. God's mercy is the only change agent. It is the only response to suffering. It is our only chance for "getting out of this life alive."
P.S. After reading this post, Debbie assures me that she's not out to get me. Well, I've got almost 26 years invested in her, so I'm not going to let cat food get in the way.
Last nite, I was getting into bed and Debbie had put a plate of cat food in the pathway to the bed. This morning, in the kitchen, although I had put a saucer with milk for Sunny in a safe place last nite when feeding Sunny, Debbie did not put milk in that saucer, but put out a new saucer only two feet away which was directly in my path. I know this sounds inane, but she has done it for years. She knows how it irritates me--I clumsily wind up kicking cat food and/or spilling milk, then having to clean it up. I couldn't help but think--she must be against me. She knows this irritates me, but yet put out a new saucer rather than using the one only two feet away. Or, if she's not consciously against me, she must subconsciously be "getting back at me" for being a difficult husband for all of those years. If such small things make me question my wife's love for me, then how much more must people question God (or even His existence) when they are struck by cancer, divorce, etc.
I have two dear friends in deep pain--one dealing with cancer, the other dealing with divorce. The first friend (understandably) wonders why God has beset her with a life that has been fraught with so many difficulties. The second friend is berating himself--thinking that the divorce has resulted from his not following God closely enough. I so feel for both of my friends. I try to speak words of truth and grace, but God, through Tullian, does a much better job.
Tullian is preaching on Job, and he describes God's answer to both of these questions. First, suffering is part of this broken world--we may never know why particular things happen. However, God is sovereign--He feeds the sparrows, He created a universe of infinite proportions made up of sub-atomic particles, He has kept the world from nuclear annihilation on several occasions (at least twice--once under Kennedy and once under Reagan), and He dialogues with His creatures. Yet, He doesn't give Job an explanation for the suffering. You see, when we seek explanations, we want to fix things so that the suffering won't come again. Instead, God points us to Himself, and He does this most significantly on the Cross. God is with us in the suffering of this world, but we are assured that, at the end of the day, He will set all things right.
Second, we certainly can bring pain and suffering into our lives through bad choices, but this doesn't answer the questions of suicide, murder, cancer, etc. When we focus too much on how we may have strayed from God's desires for our lives, we have no hope (a false hope in ourselves). We may believe that we can change, and we try, but ultimately we fail. However, we have one chance--AA gets this. We have to recognize our inability to change and cast ourselves upon the mercy of God. God's mercy is the only change agent. It is the only response to suffering. It is our only chance for "getting out of this life alive."
P.S. After reading this post, Debbie assures me that she's not out to get me. Well, I've got almost 26 years invested in her, so I'm not going to let cat food get in the way.
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