I subscribe to a magazine called
Relevant. Every two months a collection of articles and advertisements is
delivered to my mailbox, letting me know what’s going on in the world of folks
in my generation. That is, the generation of 30-something post-moderns,
somewhat jaded by the status quo of the mainstream church. Most people my age
are just as enthralled by their iPhones as the devastation in Haiti. We are
interested in striking a balance of the dichotomy of our desire to be active in
God’s bigger picture and what the world says we should long for.
In
the most recent issue, there was article titled “Where Is God In Tragedy?” by
Sarah Sumner. In this article, Sumner explores the issue of suffering, both our
own and for others. On the issue of personal suffering, she compares the
personal suffering of Job and Jeremiah with the personal suffering of Jesus on
the cross. She references Matthew 27:46 (part of our reading this week), when
Jesus cries out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This is the first
line of Psalm 22. She goes on to explain that by just saying the first line of
any passage, the Hebrew would know that that person is referencing the entire
associated passage.
Psalm
22 is about suffering to the point of crying out day and night and not hearing
anything from God in reply. However, the author, David, goes on to say that God
is still holy despite the silence. His steadfast holiness is shown by the trust
in the fathers of Israel and the deliverance they received. Sumner reminds the
reader that Job and Jeremiah ultimately could not see past their own suffering.
While they never cursed God, they did curse the fact that He let them be born. To
me, this is pretty much the same thing because they were saying God was wrong
since he allowed them to be born. God can be and is quite often misunderstood,
but He can’t be wrong.
When
we ask the question of why me or why them or why haven’t I heard form You, it
may seem like we are questioning what’s around us, but really we are
questioning God’s character. We grab that mystery of suffering and pain that
God has placed in our path with both grubby hands. We twist it and try to peel
it apart just so we can feel better about whatever circumstance we are slogging
through at the moment. We think an answer to the why will act like a salve for
our broken hearts. When we ask why, what we are really asking is why not my
way?
This
question shines a light on the fact that we are losing our trust in the
character of God. We have to understand that this mystery is what was put into
place since that first moment when man exercised the muscle of free will. By
choosing our way, we chose a level of separation that can’t be fully remedied
until the story is completed in eternity. God doesn’t want to be separated from
us and has made a way back. But the story has to play out. We have to trust
that story. We have to trust that He can’t be wrong.
I
don’t think we will ever understand God fully, even when we are with Him in eternity.
I don’t think Adam and Eve necessarily had some advantage way back then in the
garden. Yeah, they walked with Him every day, but we can do that with the Holy
Spirit now. If we are practicing the presence of God, we can know His voice,
know right and wrong, know what steps he wants us to take. If we were to fully
understand Him, what would be the point of Him being God? Besides, I saw what
happened to that guy in the first Indiana Jones movie.
This
is not to deny the process of grief or the process of seeking justice for
others. I think these are amazing parts of the footprints of God’s character in
our being. He is capable of knowing pain, suffering, disappointment, grief as
well as compassion, joy and laughter. They are a part of who He is. Because we
are made in His image, they are also a part of how we operate. Because we also
live with the legacy of the first selfish choice made so long ago, we must
remember to look to Him and the example of Jesus, who said, even while being
fully God, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup form
me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36, ESV)
So
I ask my self, do I really trust Him?
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