GOD has the big picture when it comes to pain and suffering and we don’t. we’re limited by our perspective. we have finite minds and experiences.
we don’t many times understand when GOD allows things to happen in our life. it’s because HE loves us, because HE’s disciplining us, trying to get us on the right track. and we blame HIM and curse HIM for the things that have happened to us. why? because we don’t have the big picture. and that's reality.
but when we do have the big picture our attitude is going to change – someday in eternity, when we have the big picture. listen to these words of joni erickson tada, “every sorrow we face will one day prove to be the best possible thing that could have happened to us. we will thank GOD endlessly in heaven for the trials HE sent us here. this is not disneyland. this is the truth!” this is from a woman who was paralyzed as a teen, who is well acquainted with pain and suffering.
GOD can accomplish something positive out of the negatives of life. HE does this by fulfilling the promise HE makes in romans 8.28 (niv), and we know that in all things GOD works for the good of those who love HIM, who have been called according to HIS purpose. GOD’s saying HE can take the bad circumstances that befall us and HE can cause good to emerge if we are committed to HIM and committed to HIS purposes.
the old testament gives a wonderful illustration of this in the life of joseph. joseph was a guy who was sold into slavery by his own brothers. then he’s falsely accused of a crime, falsely imprisoned, twelve years of pain and horrible suffering. then he’s elevated to a role of great authority where he finally can save the lives of the very brothers who had sold him into slavery and many other people.
this is what he says in genesis 50.20 (niv) to his brothers about the sufferings that he went through: you intended to harm me, but GOD intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. you intended it for bad but GOD intended to use it for good. and if you’re committed to GOD, then HE promises to take whatever pain you experience in your life and to draw good from it.
just a thought from the front porch…
Showing posts with label good. Show all posts
Showing posts with label good. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
GOD’s megaphone…
it helps me remember as i ponder this mystery of pain and evil that although suffering is not good, GOD can use it to accomplish good. HE can and does use it to accomplish good. and there are many ways that GOD does this.
one way is GOD uses pain to draw people toward CHRIST.
the CHRISTian philosopher peter craff put it this way, “the meaning and purpose of suffering in history is that it leads to repentance. only after suffering, only after disaster did israel, do nations, do individuals turn back to GOD.” suffering brings repentance. we learn the hard way.
as c. s. lewis said, “GOD whispers to us in our pleasure. HE speaks to us in our conscious. but HE shouts to us in our pain. pain is GOD’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
many of you know that’s exactly true in your own experience. if you’re going through times in your life when everything is going great, the sun is shining, the money is rolling in, the marriage is wonderful, the job’s great, it’s in those seasons when we’re less likely to turn to GOD. but when there is pain, when suffering comes, when heartbreak takes place, what’s the first thing we do? we get on our knees and we pray, “GOD, help me! i need YOU! i want YOU! lead my life! help me in this situation.”
2 corinthians 7.10 (lb), for GOD sometimes uses sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek eternal life. then look at the next sentence. we should never regret HIS sending it.
why? because if it causes us to seek GOD and to find GOD, the experience of that is so great it is worth whatever pain it caused us to seek GOD in the first place.
there was a woman once who had lived a very wild life. she had been very far from GOD then she contracted cancer and it was terminal. she had a very short time to live. she, in her desperation and in her pain and suffering, reached out to GOD. and GOD embraced her and she had the most beautiful relationship with HIM and she made a very radical statement before she died. she said, “if it took cancer for me to meet JESUS CHRIST, i say thank GOD for cancer.” that is a very radical statement. if that doesn’t compute with you, maybe one reason might be that you don’t know JESUS yet in that way. i pray the day will come when you will know HIM in that way and be able to say, “regardless of what it took for me to come to this point it was worth it for this.”
just a thought from the front porch…
one way is GOD uses pain to draw people toward CHRIST.
the CHRISTian philosopher peter craff put it this way, “the meaning and purpose of suffering in history is that it leads to repentance. only after suffering, only after disaster did israel, do nations, do individuals turn back to GOD.” suffering brings repentance. we learn the hard way.
as c. s. lewis said, “GOD whispers to us in our pleasure. HE speaks to us in our conscious. but HE shouts to us in our pain. pain is GOD’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
many of you know that’s exactly true in your own experience. if you’re going through times in your life when everything is going great, the sun is shining, the money is rolling in, the marriage is wonderful, the job’s great, it’s in those seasons when we’re less likely to turn to GOD. but when there is pain, when suffering comes, when heartbreak takes place, what’s the first thing we do? we get on our knees and we pray, “GOD, help me! i need YOU! i want YOU! lead my life! help me in this situation.”
2 corinthians 7.10 (lb), for GOD sometimes uses sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek eternal life. then look at the next sentence. we should never regret HIS sending it.
why? because if it causes us to seek GOD and to find GOD, the experience of that is so great it is worth whatever pain it caused us to seek GOD in the first place.
there was a woman once who had lived a very wild life. she had been very far from GOD then she contracted cancer and it was terminal. she had a very short time to live. she, in her desperation and in her pain and suffering, reached out to GOD. and GOD embraced her and she had the most beautiful relationship with HIM and she made a very radical statement before she died. she said, “if it took cancer for me to meet JESUS CHRIST, i say thank GOD for cancer.” that is a very radical statement. if that doesn’t compute with you, maybe one reason might be that you don’t know JESUS yet in that way. i pray the day will come when you will know HIM in that way and be able to say, “regardless of what it took for me to come to this point it was worth it for this.”
just a thought from the front porch…
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