I have a good friend that I'd like you to meet. His name is Andrew. Andrew is 30 years old and was born three months prematurely, lost oxygen to his brain, and as a result has cerebral palsy. Andrew is confined to a wheelchair. He has no use of his legs, minimal use of his right arm, and limited use of his left arm. When he wakes up in the morning he lies in bed until his brothers come and help him get ready for the day. He can't drive, bathe, or go to the bathroom without help and so far has no wife or girlfriend with whom to share his love. Pity party? Nope, just the facts. I didn't meet Andrew because he was looking for a handout or for help. I met him as he preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to 150 homeless folks at a local shelter, a shelter where Andrew works most days. Despite the fact that his body has many limits, Andrew has two things that work really well: his brain and his heart. Oh yeah, and his mouth. Man, can Andrew preach!
So, if God is so good and loving then why would he have allowed this man to suffer as he has? If God is so good and loving then why would he have allowed you to suffer like you have? Why would he allow wars, murders, accidents, and natural tragedies to go apparently unchecked? Maybe you don't even believe in God because of this conflict in your mind or if you do believe in God you either don't trust him or you're angry with him. I want to share some thoughts that may help you to to see the magnitude of who God is and how he works in your life.
I'd like to give you a Reader's Digest (or Cliff Notes) version of the story of Joseph in the Old Testament book of Genesis. Joseph was the youngest of Jacob's twelve son's but the Bible says his father loved him more than the rest. So how did the the other eleven handle not being the favored sons? Well they threw Joseph into an empty well then sold him to traveling merchants who, in turn sold him into slavery in Egypt. The brothers took his robe, covered it in goat's blood, and brought it back to their father, telling him that Joseph was killed by a ferocious animal. In Egypt, Joseph was a slave to the captain of Pharaoh's guard, a man named Potiphar. Potiphar has a wife who thought Joseph was quite handsome so she tried to get him into bed but Joseph on more than one occasion told her to hit the road. The last time she was so mad that she ran out and accused him of trying to molest her so poor Joseph spends the next two years in jail. While Joseph is in jail, Pharaoh had a dream and he heard that this kid named Joseph could interpret dreams. Joseph interprets his dream and as a reward gets to be Pharaoh's second hand man. Things are looking up! OK, David get to the point! Here is the point. There is a wicked famine in all of the land but Egypt has stored up plenty of grain to last through the drought. Joseph ends up saving his family and all of Israel because he was in this position of power. He is reunited with his nasty brothers and his broken hearted father and forgives his brothers saying,
"Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children."
God is sovereign (he is in control and can do what he pleases), he is omniscient (he knows all things), and he is omnipotent (he can do all things within his nature ~ I mean he can't lie or sin or make a square circle). I shared with a friend a couple days ago that this poses a problem for some. If God is all loving and all knowing but is powerless to stop evil then he is impotent and weak and not a God at all. If he is able to stop it but doesn't then is he loving? That is where I want to wrap this up. God is able to see the beginning from the end. He can see how every single circumstance and every single life fit together. His view of the tapestry of life is beyond our imagination. He knew that there was going to be a famine and that Joseph's crazy journey to Egypt would save the nation Israel. The other issue with evil is this. Every single attribute of man (and woman) that we consider "good" can't happen in the vacuum of a perfect world. We can reveal courage only when there is the possibility of danger or death. We reveal compassion only when there are circumstances of suffering or pain. We reveal grace and forgiveness only when we have been hurt or wronged. We reveal faith when we are in the midst of trials and we can't see a way out. What Satan purposes for evil God can use for good.
You are probably in one of these three groups: 1. You don't believe in God at all 2. You believe but are struggling with the whys of your circumstances 3. You believe and even though you are struggling, you are walking in faith.
I know both from my own life and from the clear teaching of Scripture that God uses our circumstances to draw us nearer to him, to prune us (make us more mature in our walk with him), and to accomplish his will. I can't fully understand how we can have free will yet God can still work in our lives but maybe the "free" isn't complete. Like, Andrew isn't free to walk and Joseph wasn't free to leave Egypt. But here is the lesson: If your circumstances are difficult. If you are lost, scared, hungry, sick, financially broken, lonely, guilty then understand this: If you are not walking with God then he is calling you home. Maybe you have denied him for your whole life. Maybe for some his call may be really loud right now. Is he mean? No, he knows our pride and our stubborn hearts and he knows what we need. He knows our best lives are lived with him and not outside of a relationship with him. If you are walking with him but are discouraged or feeling hopeless, understand that there is ALWAYS hope in him. You may be in the dark but it's not dark to God so stay close and he'll lead you out. Lastly, the Word says that God chastens (disciplines) those he loves, so if you are a believer and are living in sin then maybe he is pruning off some dead stuff from your life. It might not feel good but it will make you better.
Only God completely knows the reason for your circumstances but there is a reason. Spend some time today asking God to help you believe, to help you have faith, to help you persevere, to help you grow. If you have a prayer need or just want to share your struggle please drop us a note and we will do what we can. Confidentially if you prefer. If you want to hear Andrew's testimony go to the media/podcast section of The I-61 Project and you can catch up with Andrew on his blog "Speaking for Him".
Peace and Love,
David
