Trials and Tribulation part two

Yesterday in response to my statement that I don’t really know why God allows bad things to happen to good people, one of our readers responded that I already knew the answer and it was in WFTD. It is so that we can develop perseverance and character. Although this is a good point and is definitely one of the results of experiencing dark times, it is by no means God’s only purpose for allowing it. For example, God allowed terrible things to happen to the Egyptians when the pharaoh would not release the Jewish people from bondage. God demonstrated His awesome power to pharaoh and he and his nation suffered greatly, and as a result the Jewish people were allowed to leave for the Holy Land. It appears clear to me that God’s purpose was not to develop perseverance and character in the Egyptian people, but to get the Jews out of bondage and to demonstrate to the then mightiest nation of the world, His total dominion and power over the world and that He alone is God.

This is a very difficult and complex subject and entire books have been written about it. The bottom line to me is that we do not have the capacity to understand why things that we perceive as being bad happen.
Yesterday’s paper contained an article about a six year old boy that was killed while having an MRI. When an MRI is conducted, you cannot have any metal in the room. Someone had carelessly left an oxygen tank in the room and when the electro-magnetic force was activated it hurled the tank across the room and hit the child in the head; he died as a result.
Did God allow this to happen in order to teach the survivors perseverance and build their character? Did he allow it to happen because He wanted to protect this child from ever having to experience a tragedy like this in his life and wanted to take him instantly to heaven? Does God want children in heaven as well as adults? Did God want someone else to draw close to Him because of this tragedy and to become saved as a result of this terrible accident? Is someone being punished? Is this just the natural result of sin that originated in the Garden of Eden and has been passed down to the rest of humanity ever since? Does God want us to suffer as He suffered in order that we might one day be glorified with Him? I could ask questions like this for some time, but the truth of the matter is that no one but God knows why things like this have to occur.

One thing is certain God is grieved by it too. He is our Father and we are His children. He loves us more than we can realize. The Bible states that when Jesus was told that his good friend Lazarus had died, Jesus wept. Now why do you suppose that Jesus wept when He knew that He would be raising Lazarus from the dead shortly? It is just speculation on my part, but I believe that Jesus felt sorry for the survivors who were mourning the loss of this good person. I also think that He reacted as any Father would when He heard the news that His son had died. Jesus grieved for him. When the six year child mentioned above was accidentally killed, did Jesus cry? Does He grieve when a good Christian suffers? Based on this illustration in the Bible, I believe that he does grieve right along with us. Even though He knows full well that He will be raising them from the dead, giving them a beautiful new glorified body and that He will be living with them in paradise forever, I believe Jesus suffers through the dark times with us. The Bible teaches that God’s love for us surpasses all understanding. Obviously He cannot enjoy seeing His children suffer and some things must grieve Him tremendously. We get through tough times by concentrating on the future and not dwelling in the past. When facing these dark times look to eternity, not the present and certainly not to what occurred yesterday.

________________

Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
For you did not receive the spirit
of bondage again to fear, but you
received the Spirit of adoption by
whom we cry out, Abba, Father.
The Spirit Himself bears witness
with our spirit that we are children
of God,
and if children, then heirs-
heirs of God and joint heirs with
Christ. If indeed we suffer with
Him, that we may be glorified
together.
For I consider that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in us.
For the earnest expectation of
the creation eagerly awaits for the
revealing of the sons of God.

———————————-