When God Seems Not to Make Sense - A Word to the Discouraged and Going Through Tough Times. (It is a bit long and require some patience, But I am sure it will do something to your life) This piece is intended for those who are struggling with circumstances that dont make sense. In my work with families who are going through various hardships, from sickness and death to marital conflict and adolescent rebellion, I have found it common for those in crisis to feel great frustration with God. This is particularly true when things happen that seem illogical and inconsistent with what had been taught or understood. Then if God does not rescue them from the circumstances in which they are embroiled, their frustration quickly deteriorates into anger and a sense of abandonment. Finally, disillusionment sets in and the spirit begins to wither. In fact, the majority of us will someday feel alienated from God. Why? Because those who live long enough will eventually be confronted by happenings they will not understand. That is the human condition. Let me say it again: It is an incorrect view of Scripture to say that we will always comprehend what God is doing and how our suffering and disappointment fit into His plan. Sooner or later, most of us will come to a point where it appears that God has lost control or interest in the affairs of people. It is only an illusion, but one with dangerous implications for spiritual and mental health. Interestingly enough, pain and suffering do not cause the greatest damage. Confusion is the factor that shreds one’s faith. The human spirit is capable of withstanding enormous discomfort, including the prospect of death, if the circumstances make sense. Many martyrs, political prisoners, and war heroes have gone to their graves willingly and confidently. They understood the sacrifice they were making and accepted its meaning in their lives. By contrast, believers who become confused and disillusioned with God have no such consolation. It is the absence of meaning that makes their situation so intolerable. As such, their depression over a sudden illness or the tragic death of a loved one can actually be more severe than that experienced by the nonbeliever who expected and received nothing. It is not uncommon to hear a confused believer express great agitation, anger, or even blasphemy. When the heat is on and confusion mounts, some believers go through a horrendous spiritual crisis. They “lose God.” Doubt rises up to obscure His presence and disillusionment settles into despair. The greatest frustration is knowing that He created the entire universe by simply speaking it into existence, and He has all power and all understanding. He could rescue. He could heal. He could save. But why won’t He do it? Satan then drops by for a little visit and whispers, “He is not there! You are alone!” If you are among those people who have been separated from God because of disillusionment or confusion, I have written with you in mind. I know you are hurting. I understand the pain that engulfed you when your child died or your husband betrayed you or your beloved wife passed away. You could not explain the devastating flood, earthquake, or the fire, or the terrible hurricane, or the unseasonable rainstorm that ruined your crops. The examples are endless. The great danger for people who have experienced these kinds of tragedies is that Satan will use their pain to make them feel victimized by God. What a deadly trap that is! When a person begins to conclude that he or she is disliked or hated by the Almighty, demoralization is not far behind. For the heartsick, bleeding soul out there today who is desperate for a word of encouragement, let me assure you that you can trust this Lord of heaven and earth. There is security and rest in the wisdom of the eternal Scriptures. We will discuss those comforting passages in subsequent chapters, and I believe you will see that the Lord can be trusted even when He can’t be tracked. Of this you can be certain: Jehovah, King of kings and Lord of lords, is not pacing the corridors of heaven in confusion over the problems in your life! He hung the worlds in space. He can handle the burdens that have weighed you down, and he cares about you deeply. For a point of beginning He says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). God’s timing is perfect, even when He appears catastrophically late. One of the greatest destroyers of faith is timing that doesn’t fit our preconceived notions. We live in a fast paced world where we have come to expect instant responses to every desire and need. But God doesn’t operate that way. He is never in a hurry. And sometimes, He can be agonizingly slow in solving the problems we bring to His attention. It’s almost enough to make an impatient believer give up and try something else. Before bailing out, however, we should take another look at the story of Mary, Martha, and their brother, Lazarus, as told in John 11. The members of this little family were among Jesus’ closest friends during the time of His earthly ministry. Verse 5 says, “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” It was reasonable, given this affection, for them to expect certain favors from Jesus especially if life threatening emergencies ever occurred. Indeed, they were soon confronted by precisely that situation when Lazarus became desperately ill. His sisters did the logical thing they sent an urgent note to Jesus, saying, “Lord, the one you love is sick” (v. 3). They had every reason to believe He would respond. Mary and Martha waited and watched the road for Jesus’ appearance, but He did not come. Hours dragged into anxious days with no sign of the Master. Meanwhile, Lazarus was steadily losing ground. He was obviously dying. But where was Jesus? Did He get the message? Didn’t He know the seriousness of the illness? Didn’t He care? As the sisters sat vigilantly at his bedside, Lazarus soon closed his eyes in death. The sisters were grief stricken. Also, they must have been extremely frustrated with Jesus. He was out there somewhere performing miracles for total strangers, opening blind eyes and healing the lame. Yet here they were in critical need of His care, and He was too busy to come. I can imagine Mary and Martha saying quietly to each other, “I just don’t understand. I thought He loved us. Why would He abandon us like this?” They wrapped Lazarus in grave clothes and conducted a sad little funeral. Jesus did not attend. Then they said good bye to their brother and lovingly placed his body in a tomb. Mary and Martha loved Jesus with all their hearts, but it would have been reasonable for them to have been annoyed when He showed up four days later. They may have been tempted to say, “Where have You been, Sir? We tried to tell You that Your friend was dying, but we couldn’t get Your attention. Well, You’re too late now. You could have saved Him, but apparently there were more important things on Your mind.” Mary’s actual words were much more respectful, of course. What she said was, “Lord, . . . if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). She wept as she spoke and the Lord was “deeply moved in spirit and troubled” (v. 33). Jesus then performed one of His most dramatic miracles as He called Lazarus out of the tomb. You see, the Master was not really late at all. He only appeared to be overdue. He arrived at the precise moment necessary to fulfill the purposes of God just as He always does. With no disrespect intended, let me say that what happened there in Bethany is characteristic of life. Haven’t you noticed that Jesus usually shows up about four days late? He often arrives after we have wept and worried and paced the floor after we have sweated out the medical examination or fretted our way through business reverses. If He had arrived on time we could have avoided much of the stress that occurred in His absence. Yet it is extremely important to recognize that He is never actually late. His timetable for action is simply different from ours. And it is usually slower! From my study of the Scriptures and from personal experiences, I have drawn the conclusion that God’s economy of time and energy is very different from ours. Most of us are motivated to use every second of our existence for some gainful purpose. But the Lord sometimes permits our years to be “squandered,” or so it would seem, without a backward glance. Obviously, there is no “tyranny of the urgent” in God’s scheme of things. He acts according to His own ordered schedule. Even Jesus, who lived 33 years on earth, spent only three in active ministry! Think of how many more people He could have healed and how many more divine truths He could have imparted in another decade or two. God bless you
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 16:15:11 +0000
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