People write me all of the time and ask me difficult biblical questions. A friend wrote the other day and said that he does not believe that God ordains suffering and went on to describe all of the horrible things that happen to innocent people including suffering children and other things that are mind numbing and in fact make one wonder why a loving God would allow it. Why does He allow satan to have such power over this world? According to the Bible God is all powerful and all things were created by Him including satan. He allows suffering, but why?
I don’t understand God. Things like suffering are too tough, but so are other things like God not allowing Moses into the Promised Land because he struck a rock with his staff to obtain water for his people instead of speaking to it as commanded by God. This logic is very difficult, if not impossible to understand. After all Moses had done in leading the Jews out of Egypt and wandering through the desert for forty years, it seems God would have let Him slide and realize his life’s dream. He didn’t. Moses could not enter into it. Imagine how that felt. What about Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt because she looked back on the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; a little too harsh?
The Bible states that David was a man after God’s own heart and yet he was denied the privilege of building God’s temple, because he had too much blood on his hands. Or what about the guy who was carrying the Ark of the Covenant who stumbled and accidentally touched it and instantly died because God had warned that no one should touch it? Why did it rain for forty days during the great flood, and the Jews wander in the desert for forty years, or why was Jesus was tempted for forty days in the desert, or why did Jesus spend forty days preaching on earth before ascending into heaven after His resurrection?
Huh?
Someone wrote and told me they attended a church and according to their interpretation of Scripture women were not allowed to preach to men. He told me he believed that doing so was right and true, but he wanted “ammunition†to argue to others that this is scriptural.
Hmmm… It is scriptural and the Bible plainly tells us that point, but the same Bible tells us not to be divisive and I’m reticent to provide anyone “ammunition†to argue points such as these. Frankly I have no idea why God chose to do this. I know lots of Christian women that seem to me to be entirely capable of doing a good job including Billy Graham’s daughter, but God’s law is God’s law and the closer we can come to following it the happier we shall be.
I have refused to become a deacon because the requirements spelled out in the Bible tell me that I cannot serve in that capacity because I have been divorced. I’ve been happily married for forty years and believe my first marriage was not of God or by God and should not count against me as for eligibility to be a deacon. Some believe that my belief system is not correct and that the scripture actually means men are supposed to have just one wife and not be polygamous. They go ahead and serve whether they have been divorced or not. I’m sure they do fine in that capacity and I think I would make a good deacon; however I cannot go against what I believe to be God’s intent whether I agree with this requirement or not.
The Bible is full of things that make us wonder why God allows such and such, or why He has this requirement or that. My answer is I don’t know. I look forward to asking God a jillion questions when I reach heaven to find out.
I used to have an old lab named Bear that was as smart as any dog I ever owned. He could do double retrieves; I could use hand signals to make him instantly stop and lay down when ducks or doves were approaching; he would obey my every wish and command. If I tried to explain to old Bear how to write a computer software program however; he would just look at me and wag his big thick black tail and pant his smile at me with his bright eyes just glistening, all the while not having any earthly idea of what I was talking about. That is how I feel when trying to understand the mysteries of God. My comment to God in this regard, “I don’t get it boss, but whatever you say I’m all for it!â€
We must accept in this life that some things will remain; mysteries! We are told in the Bible that we can only see dimly now, like looking into a dirty mirror. One day it will be crystal clear. Until then we are to accept things that we don’t understand on faith. It’s easier for me to understand that God allows suffering when I think that He sent His only Son to suffer as no one before Him (or after) in order that we would never have to suffer anymore. He would only do that if He loved us with a love that is incomprehensible. I don’t understand grace. I would never have told God to forgive people putting me to death on a cross as Jesus did. I would have told Him to kill them all, slowly and painfully, the children first and make the parents watch. Such thinking is fleshly and wrong and of the devil.
Grace is of God and demonstrates His love for us. Understanding the depth of that love is good enough for me. I have faith in Him and His word especially where He says that all things will work out for those who love God.
One of the disciples stated that the world could not contain all that Jesus accomplished or did while on earth. Imagine the size of the Bible that could contain all of the knowledge of God and the amazing intelligence that was utilized to establish His creation. A trillion universes could not contain it all.
Solomon said that after all is said and done that we should simply fear, (respect mightily) God and obey His commands. We were created by God for God and He is holy and perfect and created higher than us.
The key is faith. Simply accept the fact that God loves us and He has revealed what He deems necessary to get us through the day and that should be sufficient. In other words don’t worry about the things you don’t understand, just do the best you know how to follow Jesus using the Bible as your roadmap.
Isaiah 55:8
My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.