Why?

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit. - Psalm 34:17-18

"A dark hour makes Jesus bright." - Robert Murray M'Cheyne

"The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. The harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually, even while our bodies waste away." –J.I. Packer

Faith in God entails many levels. For instance, I have found it relatively easy to have faith that God exists given the scientific evidence that shows creation, design, art and order in this world and universe. Science has shown that life can't come from non-life and matter can't arise from nothing so it is only logical to believe that there is a Creator.

Faith in Jesus' resurrection is not as intuitive as we don't have any other example of someone rising from the dead after three days. Still, I have found this miracle relatively easy to embrace due to historical evidence including the inability of ruling authorities to disprove the claim, the 180 degree turn in the disciples' courage and conviction and Paul's assertion that he interviewed hundreds of individuals who saw Jesus after his resurrection. If we truly believe Jesus is divine then this becomes even easier to believe as God is sovereign over life and death.

However, what about our faith in God's heart toward us? We look at the cross and can see that God loves us. We can't grasp His love fully but each Christian has some sense of the sacrifice involved. Yet, it is very difficult to take that ultimate example and allow it to saturate our souls so completely that we are unshaken when the tragedies and sufferings of this life threaten to drown our hope. Each of us have been let down at one time or another by people we know love us. We begin to wonder, "Is God really any different? Has He forgotten about me? Is He not listening? Why does He allow a child to brutally suffer or prolong the life of an older person who continues to endure the effects of a long-term debilitating disease? Is He really close to the brokenhearted as the Psalmist proclaims? He couldn't seem any further away. I don't see God delivering me or my loved one from trouble."

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.'" - John 9:1-3

I often come back to this verse. We often simply see what is visible and obvious and it makes no sense to us. The disciples attempt to find a reason for this man's blindness but aren't even close. They look for a worldly reason, namely sin, as the cause. Jesus says no. There is something much larger going on here. Jesus then restores the man's sight.

I once heard Piper give a sermon in which he said that when God is doing one thing He is actually doing a thousand things. We may be able to see a few but literally have no idea regarding the scope of His plan. God is working His plan to ultimately show His glory, which is also for our ultimate good, and this case was no exception. When we attempt to join our finite idea of what is just and good with God's infinite omniscient plan of what is right and true the result is confusion, frustration and doubt.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31

This is another big aspect of faith...the faith that agrees with God that His glory should take precedence over everything. Doesn't that make God sound like a megalomaniac? Yet, that is exactly what Jesus taught us to pray for in the Lord's prayer. The first petition is "Hallowed be your name". I wonder how many of us really know what we are saying. If we are sincerely praying that then we are agreeing with the Son that the Father's name should be made holy everywhere. God's name should be treasured, set apart and glorified above all else.

If we come to the understanding that there is nothing more beautiful, wonderful and meaningful that God can give us than Himself, then we will agree that His glory takes precedent and is being manifested in ways that are a complete mystery until the Spirit opens our eyes or until we learn all the answers in heaven. Still, God has promised us that we will have trouble in this life.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33

We can understand that we will have trouble in this world because we live in a sin-filled broken world. But wait a minute. Didn't the passage at the beginning of this blog say that God will deliver believers from their troubles? Isn't this a contradiction? Not at all...unless we once again have confused the temporal with the eternal. God's deliverance ultimately came through Jesus' death and resurrection which delivers us from trouble for all eternity. However, God offers us many promises as we must deal with earthly trouble in the here and now.

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28:20b

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

Finally, it's not just that God allows trouble for the sake of trouble or that trouble is only used to demonstrate our weakness and need for God. He also uses trouble to change, conform and mature His children.

"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." - 1 Peter 1:6-7

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

"Whatever your losses have been, or may be, you enjoy present salvation." - C.H. Spurgeon

"Great hearts can only be made by great troubles." - C.H. Spurgeon

"One sees great things from the valley, and only small things from the peak." - G. K. Chesterton

For further insight on this topic you may want to check out "Why? Trusting God When You Don't Understand" by Anne Graham Lotz as well as:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/02/07/keller-on-jonah-and-jesus/

http://tumorhater.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-love-hate-relationship.html


A Story | Tears of Hope from Adam Kring on Vimeo.



http://michaelhyatt.com/seven-better-questions-you-can-ask-in-the-midst-of-adversity.html