WHERE IS GOD IN MY TIME OF CRISIS?

I have been considering this subject matter for my blog for quite a while, but the holdup has been…how do I get it started, and can I get it all into one posting?  While I’m still not totally satisfied with my first choice,  it will at least open the door and from here I’ll let the Holy Spirit guide me.  But I feel certain now that today’s posting will be the first in a mini-series of at least two or more blogs.  After all, books – many books – have been written on this subject by authors whose experience and credentials far exceed mine. But what interests me is…their insightful presentations are not always copacetic. 

If you were to look up “sovereign” in the dictionary, you would get words and phrases like “superior”, “greatest”, “supreme in power and authority”, “independent of all others”, and “ruler”.  But if I’m going to talk about God’s sovereignty, I must add to that impressive list of accolades such words as omnipotent; omniscience; omnipresent; immutable; God-head of the Trinity; and Creator of the all things seen and not seen.  So the simplest way to condense all of that into a bite-size sentence is to say, “God is in complete control of all things.”  In fact, Psalm 46:10 is even more succinct: “Just be still and know that I am God.” To everyone who has a relationship with God, it is incredibly comforting to know that He IS in charge, especially when we stand on the truth of 1John 4:8: “God is love.”

But the reason I want to take my shot at today’s subject matter is…regardless of “how good” this news IS, it can – like so many other good things, be a double edged sword.  For instance, how many times have you heard people ask, or perhaps you have even asked …“Why does God allow_____ to happen” (you fill in the blank).  Or the question I find particularly disturbing; “Well if God is a loving God, why does he allow ____ to happen?   After all…He IS in charge!”

Sometimes God receives praise for being in charge. Other times people shake their fist and blame him because in their mind he should have stepped in and changed the situation.  I know this to be true because there was a time in my life when I asked those same questions…even after I was a Christ-follower.  But thankfully, my perspective on this matter is different today.  While I certainly do not claim or pretend to have THE answer to this weighty question,  I am happy to be able to share the Scriptural truths that have led me to my current perspective.

First, I have come to believe without question that God is love and He wants a relationship with each of us. Those two truths jump off each page of the Bible, and even if not stated that boldly, they are certainly inner-woven in the scriptures themselves.   I also believe God is a sovereign God.  We are told in Ephesians 4-5: “Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.”

Therefore I believe God’s loving plan has been in effect even before the world was created, and will remain in effect even after the world comes to an end.  Revelation 21: 3-5 tells us: “…Look, the home of God is now among his people!  He will live with them, and they will be his people.  God himself will be with them.  He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.  For the old world and its evils are gone forever. And the One sitting on the throne said, “Look I am making all things new! And then he said to me (Apostle John, who was in heaven “in the spirit”), “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”  I believe what Apostle John wrote about was an account of what we will experience after death and after the second coming of Jesus Christ.

When we are born into this world, I believe we are born into a morality play that has been, and will be, playing out through eternity. We are here to contribute our part. And the premise of that play has been – is – and will be, “good” vs “evil” in this fallen world. And let me remind you, the world at creation was Paradise.  The world we see today is the result of sin entering the world!  Does the world look like Paradise to you?  What you see today is the result of evil taking its toll.  The consequences of sin include sickness, sorrow, famine, war, injustice, disease and death, and we (mankind) have been cursed by their very presence.

The author of all goodness is God.  The author of all evil is satan.  Jesus tells us in John 10:10, “Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy.”  And again in 1Peter 5:8 we are warned: “Be careful!  Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.” So our option during our brief time on this earth is to either opt in or opt out of God’s plan or satan’s plan.  Remember, we all have free will so our choices are OUR choices.

No doubt our life will be blessed if we opt into God’s plan, but there are still inevitable crises that we all will have to face, and unfortunately many times they are beyond our control.  Why?  Because we are involved in this process called “life”!  And even under the best of circumstances, “life” in this fallen world; in this culture; and in these fleshly bodies is certainly a challenge.  Unfortunately, even for Christ-followers, our human nature sometimes takes over.  In that scenario, too often our circumstances look bigger to us than our God.

During King Solomon’s lifetime, he was the most wise and wealthiest man alive.  When sharing with an audience his perspective on “the seasons of life”, he reminded them in Ecclestiastes, 3:1,2,4 “There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.  A time to reap; a time to sow.  A time to laugh; a time to cry.  A time to grieve and a time to dance; a time to live and a time to die.”  Unfortunately every human being has been and will be adversely affected by the wages of sin.

Now let’s back up for a moment and look at God’s nature and his eternal plan. Since God is love (1John 4:8), and we are told in 1John 1:5: “God is light and in him is no darkness at all”, therefore God can only beget goodness.  Wow!  Sometimes it certainly doesn’t seem like that does it?  I mean where can the goodness be in sickness and/or death?

Now let’s look at his plan.  Remember this plan was put into effect before creation and will continue after the world ends.  And since God is a God of love and goodness, his plan must also be a plan of love and goodness.  Wow, again? “Why didn’t the person recover?” or “why did the person die…even when prayers were being offered up?”  Where’s the love and goodness you’re talking about?

Next week we will look at these questions and specific examples that hopefully will be of help to all of us who have, or will, struggle with challenges to our faith.  What I am looking forward to sharing has certainly given me hope in my challenging times, so my prayer is that this perspective will be of comfort to you as well.

My question for you today is… “have you had to face a challenging life situation, and if so, was your choice to turn to God as your hope and refuge, or did you shake your fist and ask, “Why me?  Why me?  Why are You allowing this to happen?”  Feel free to share your story and give feedback on what I have written so far.

Best wishes to Ya…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)