For many
people, January 1 represents a reset or a new beginning. People start over in any number of different
ways or areas of life. It can be a very
hopeful time.
For others,
perhaps some of us at Providence, there is less a sense of newness than there
is of old trials hanging on for yet another year. January 1 then may seem like just another day
on the calendar, just the next day in a seemingly endless series of days
dealing with a bad situation. Rather
than asking questions like, “what do I want to accomplish this year?” or “what
resolutions do I want to put in place?”, we may be asking, “Why is this
happening? How long is this going to
continue? Why isn’t God doing anything?”
This is
the perfect time to take a break and answer those questions. We probably know the answers, but we need to
hear the answers repeatedly so that we think biblically in the midst of
difficulty. God knows us well (Psa 139). He knows that we tend to forget and we are
easily distracted by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Blessedly, God is good, so He gives us
answers over and over, both in the Scriptures and by putting people in our
lives to remind us of the truth. It may
be the case that some of us need nothing more right now than to hear answers we
already know.
Why is this happening?
“This” is going to be unique to everyone of us, but assuming that we are
believers, the answer will always be the same.
This is happening because God
loves us so dearly. Yes, this painful
circumstance is a mark of God’s great love for us. Hebrews 12:6a reads, For the Lord disciplines the one he loves… When we see the word discipline, we may tend to think exclusively of punishment or
correction. But the Greek word
underlying the text refers to childrearing through instruction, training, and
correction. The following verse seems to
confirm that correction alone is not in view, but any kind of trial: It is for discipline that you have to endure
(Heb 12:7a). The whole passage compares
God to a loving father who trains his children for adulthood. Our earthly fathers trained us and we
respected them; we ought to respect God much more (v9).
But we may
want to know what this has to do with God’s love? How is it loving for Him to allow us to
endure trials? What is the outcome? The writer of Hebrews anticipates the
question and answers it: he disciplines
us for our good, that we may share his holiness (Heb 12:10). The good that God wants for us is that we
would be like Christ – loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful,
gentle, and self-controlled (Gal 5:22-23).
That may
sound nice in a Sunday School sort of way, but in the heat of a difficult
trial, we may wonder, “what is the practical benefit of that? I need relief!” The author of Hebrews anticipates this as
well: For the moment all discipline seems
painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of
righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Heb 12:11). Get that – the fruit of righteousness that
comes from enduring trials is peaceful. Let’s put it another way: Christlikeness is relief. Imagine if you were like Him in all the ways
listed above. There would be no trial
that could be thrown at you that would affect your joy or your peace. What an amazing way to live! This is what God wants for those who belong
to Him. And it is what He is working in
us through these various trials (James 1:2-4)
How long is this going to continue?
This question is rather simple to answer in light of the above. It will continue until God accomplishes His purpose
for it. But here is a wonderful thing to
consider: He never fails to accomplish His purposes. Isaiah 46:9b-10 reads, “I am God, and there is none like me…saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose.’”
It is a part of the very character of God to always succeed. Paul describes Him in Eph 1:11 as the God who
“works all things according to the counsel of His will.” This means that for the believer there is no
such thing as meaningless suffering or a wasted trial. With every difficulty, He moves us closer to
conformity to the image of Jesus (Rom 8:28-30).
Why isn’t God doing anything?
Isn’t this a silly question in light of all that the Bible says about
God? This is a tireless God, always at
work, One who never sleeps nor slumbers (Psa 121:4). It’s a silly question and yet we ask it, don’t
we? Perhaps a more honest question would
be, “why isn’t God doing what I want?” The
answer is that He knows better than we do.
How many times in the Scriptures did God bring far greater eventual good
than the immediate lesser good desired by one of His own?
Consider
just one example. Joseph was sold into
slavery in Egypt through no fault of his own (Gen 37).
After doing the right thing in
Potiphar’s house, he ended up in prison (Gen 39).
He had the occasion to correctly interpret the dreams of Pharaoh’s baker
and cupbearer. His only request to them
was, “please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of
this [prison].” But Joseph was not
remembered and remained in prison (Gen 40). This
is where so many of us would have asked the question above, “why isn’t God
doing anything?” But the story bears out
the answer, “God knows better.” As you
know, at the right time, Joseph not only got out of prison, but became second
only to Pharaoh in all of Egypt. This
alone seems magnificent, but God’s ultimate aim was to preserve the seed of
Abraham and so keep the promises He made to the patriarchs and the promise He made
in Eden (Gen 3:15), ultimately fulfilled in Christ. God used Joseph’s pain “that many people
should be kept alive” (Gen 50:20).
God knows
better. He is always working. The good that He has for us is always better
than the good we desire for ourselves. The
Scriptures testify to this repeatedly. We must meditate on these things.
In all
this, there may be nothing you’ve never heard before. Praise the Lord. May the repetition of things you already know
have His intended affect. New year, old
trials, old truths, renewed faith.
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