Thursday, February 3, 2011

Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Part II

I wanted to take some time to share with any of you who might be reading something that is weighing very heavily on my heart.  I have a dear friend who has recently learned that her mother has stage 4 stomach cancer.  In the few weeks since the diagnosis, the news just keeps getting worse and worse.  I want to console my friend, but there is not a lot you can say.  I've just told her to "trust in the Lord, it's part of His plan.  Let Him carry you through these tough times"
She is understandably distraught, but also angry.  Why should someone like her mother, who has already been through so much, have to go through this?
It isn't really my place - or anyone's for that matter - to question our Father on His plan, but I have been quite desperate to give her some kind of assurance.  The best place to turn when you have questions like this is to prayer, and scripture.  I turned to one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible - Romans chapter 8.
The first time I really tried to read the Bible with understanding something changed in me when I got to this chapter.  At that time I was a new mother and life was really stressing me out.  I was constantly feeling ashamed for not being good enough. When I got to Romans 8, I finally understood that I could not keep relying on myself to do anything.  I really truly learned about my new life in the Spirit "because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2
I will soon tell you more about how Romans 8 changed my life (you've really got to read it), but right now I want to share more about my friend.
So I turned to my trusty chapter and read a verse about suffering. "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Romans 8:16 & 17 and then later "As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." verse 36.  
This "suffering" that is mentioned - I knew about that.  They were talking about all the saints who'd come before us and died defending their faith.  Or future Christians during the great tribulation that will perish in the name of Jesus...right?  Never had I considered that all of us will suffer here and now just because of who we are.  
But then I remembered "For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matthew 7:13,14).  If being a Christian were easy, everyone would be jumping on board, but its not.  It's not just hard to stay away from temptation and lead a holy life, but everything is going to be hard: marriage, parenting, work, school, health - all of it.  We have to remember that these hardships, as devastating as they may be, are paving the path to glory.  And "...our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" verse 18.
I'd like to ask you to pray for my friend, her mother and their whole family.  Please pray for God's will first and foremost.  Pray for her mother's health.  Pray for healing - God willing, and peace and comfort.  Please pray for my friend and the rest of her family.  Pray that they will surrender to God's will and that they will be able to trust in Him completely and allow His Holy Spirit to carry them through this trial.

"Father in Heaven, thank you for giving Your Word as an instruction manual to life. Thank you for letting us come to You in prayer and always hearing us. Thank you for sending us Your Holy Spirit to intercede when we are so devastated that we don't even know how to pray.  Thank you for bringing your precious Son up from the grave to sit at your right hand and also pray for us.  Thank you for letting nothing separate us from Your love for us.  Please guide us in letting nothing separate us from our love for You.  Amen"

1 comment:

  1. Amen, lovely post. I will pray for your friend.

    I like how you said that you cannot rely on yourself to do anything. I am still learning that everyday! There is a good book I read that talked about that. It gave the example about how we sometimes pray, " Lord, give me more patience, love, understanding, etc." It said this is the wrong kind of prayer! All we need to pray for is more of Christ, because He is all of these things! He wants to give us more of Himself. Then what will be expressed is God, not us! You know those verses that say,"love is patient, love is..." The Bible says that God is love. See...he is all of these things!

    ReplyDelete