Dear Church Family,
Except for a devotion by a special person (next week I hope) we will continue to dig into “When Grace Comes Home” written by Terry Johnson for the next ten times. Today we see a topic that all of us have, are and will wrestle with all of all lives. If this is not true for you, please check to see if you have a pulse. The issue is how we deal with adversity and Terry provides insight on the role of God’s grace during our times of trouble and testing.
Certainly the time of adversity the world has faced over since three months ago has revealed the need for something to get us through and after it is over not just be glad we survived, but that it has been good despite the bad things that have taken place. Terry opens with three stories of people in ministry who suffered great loss. He observes, “Each believed in the sovereignty of God. Each understood God’s justice, His mercy, His absolute rule, and each received their circumstances as from His hand for their good and submitted to it.” Chew over those rich words and let them sink in, especially the last four, that God’s grace make so sweet.
His insight grows as he deals with the problem of pleasure. We fail to understand the depth of grace. It is the unearned favor of God. We deserve nothing because of our sin. We have earned God’s wrath and eternal judgment. Most people turn that upside down and have an entitlement mentality. We want pleasure, not pain. Adversity “is viewed as an unfair or unjust intrusion into the life of one who is undeserving.” So if we encounter any rough time we wonder how a good God could have allowed any such thing to happen. Yet any good thing we have comes only because of God’s grace.
He goes on to explain “the problem of suffering as Jesus interprets it is not a problem of pain at all. Pain can be explained easily. We live in a fallen world that is under judgment. Terry then tells of a honeymoon trip with his bride Emily to a beach where it began to rain. She asked, “Why would God do this to us?” He quickly responded with sensitivity, “Why hasn’t it rained every day? Why did He allow us to come here at all?” He adds, “Once one understands the doctrine of the Fall and of the depravity of man the philosophical problem is not that of explaining why God allows suffering but why He shows mercy and grace.”
The suffering of Jesus provides the Biblical (therefore correct and honest) perspective on our adversity. Paul declares in Romans 8:17-18 that we by faith in Christ are co-heirs with Him “if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worthy comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Surely Paul’s readers knew the story of Joseph who told his brothers though they intended evil “God intended it for good to accomplish what is being done now, the saving of many lives.”
Terry closes with more words of hope. “Only when we understand that God has ordained our suffering can we begin to make sense of it. Only then can we be certain that He has a purpose I it. When tragedy comes, when adversity strikes, we will not be shaken. Yes, we will cry. Yes, we will grieve. But we will move on confidently knowing that God is on His throne, that we are in His hand, that our circumstances are His doing, and He is working them for our good.” Amen!
With great hope in His grace,
Pastor Gillikin