Have you ever wondered about God and His sovereign control in a world full of frightening events or evil people?
It’s not just that bad things happen to good people, it’s also the appearance in the Bible of a shocking verse, Isaiah 45:6-7, where God says He creates light and darkness and also creates calamity!
But it is easily dismissed by many who say, “that was the Old Testament. Everything is different in the New Testament.”
Lie #2: Because the New Testament teaches that Jesus died so everyone who believes will experience an abundant life, nothing bad will happen to me.
One of the first verses I memorized as a new convert was, “I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10) Yes, the Bible teaches God wants to bless us abundantly. But there are other truths that cannot be ignored about God’s character and purposes. Partial truth is what the serpent whispered in Eve’s ear.
Hebrews 13:8 brings the God of the Old Testament into the New: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” If Jesus is fully God, and He is, then His personal attributes seen in the Old Testament are unchanged today.
We eagerly embrace the concept of abundant life and promises of blessing because we long for a formula for the Christian life, a way to make sense of a God who doesn’t always make sense. We want promises we can name and claim. This was true of me.
I long for certainty, for control over my world and my people because I love my life and my family and am averse to suffering and pain. I used to believe if I followed God’s rules He would always bless my life and hard things would not enter my world.
My thinking used to go something like this: because He loves me, wouldn’t He reward my desire to obey Him even though I did it imperfectly?
Near death experiences, handicaps, accidents, diseases, losses, failures, prodigals, cancer, a rape, a newborn granddaughter’s death and more have humbled me. Shaken my faith. Reordered my view of God.
I have learned, “The Lord is God and there is no other.”
I have also said with Job, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” Like Job I have not blamed God (Job 1:21-22).
I have questioned Him in my confusion, bewilderment, fear,and panic in these unabundant terrifying life experiences. But I have taken comfort knowing I am not the first to experience setbacks or calamities from God’s hand. I am also not the first to ask questions that have no answers.
God does not owe me anything. He is holy, righteous, and still “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). It is arrogance to pick and choose the parts of His character I want to follow as if the rest were mistakes.
What about you? Have you found this thinking is also yours?
Do you believe or hope that living a good life will convince God to keep hard things away?
I just read an email about a young Christian couple I know who recently discovered he has metastasized cancer. Early 30’s, one little one, what’s with that? How do you process this information even not knowing them?
Will you pray for those like this young couple when you hear of them and not turn away as if they are contagious? Will you choose to not give into fear remembering that God has promised “never to leave us or forsake us”?
Click here for Part 1 and here for Part 3.
Wow! This has been spiritually challenging to say the least. Thank you for your testimony and raw, unfiltered presentation of God’s truth! I’m eager to read part 3!
Thanks for your thoughtful blog posts. I really appreciate them. I was thinking more about this, and found an article that is helpful to understanding the passage in Isaiah so we get an accurate picture of God’s nature: https://www.gty.org/library/articles/A189/is-god-responsible-for-evil
Thank you for your honesty and for sharing this. God is so much bigger than we can possibly imagine. I’ve been telling my daughter- but since she is only 2, I’m mainly telling myself- that we wouldn’t understand God’s plans even if He were to explain everything to us; He only desires us to trust and obey Him. What a hard thing! Especially when we don’t know our God enough to trust Him.
I worked as an Oncology nurse in the beginning of my career and I just couldn’t wrap my head around why the treatments seemed to be worse than the disease itself. Recently, I believe God has led me to some answers- at the least, alternative treatments- that I believe wholeheartedly will bring hope and healing to people with cancer. For you, the family you mentioned, and your readers, please look into “The Truth About Cancer”. It’s a phenomenal documentary, and I think you’ll find that God and His creation and His plan are at the center. He is the answer. Thanks again.
https://go2.thetruthaboutcancer.com/agq/episode-3/#
With love in Christ,
Jenny
P.S. I love Family Life, your help and comments, and your husband’s insights into God and His Word. God bless you both so abundantly!
Wow. I feel like I came across your website for a reason. I hope it’s to help me. My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in June of 2015. In September our daughter have birth to our third grandson at only 20 weeks into her pregnancy. Burying that littke baby was horrible. Now last week we found out my husband’s cancer has spread. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve asked God what was up. I’ve been pretty mad at all this. I’m going to read your words more. I’m hoping to give up the anger I’m holding in. Thank you.
The year was 1985 (not that I haven’t had difficulties since then, but this year was a doozy)In January I was 9 months pregnant with our 2nd son. My husband, Ron, had just gotten a new job in Dallas TX(we lived in South Arkansas) I had the baby Jan 24. He left Feb 3 driving to start his new job feb 4. That afternoon, I was at my moms with the baby and my 3 year old son, my mom got the call that my maternal grandmother had passed away. ok….grandmothers pass away…it wasn’t that unexpected, but she had lived next door to us all our lives. The next weekend, when Ron came home, I decided instead of waiting the 6 weeks for recovery, I would go ahead and move with him….2 days before my 25th birthday. Four weeks later, my mother (43) died of a brain aneurysm. Four months after that my Uncle’s son (my mom’s brother) was killed in a freak work related accident at age 19. That same year was when I realized something was wrong with our baby boy, even though it would be years before anyone would say the word “autism” to me. Also, that same year, though I wouldn’t find out for 10 years, my middle sister had an abortion (whole long story about that). Satan was having a field day with us for sure. And yes, I cried (a lot) both tears and out to God…”What are you doing?” I will never know all the answers to that question. I still ask it sometimes. But my sisters and I talk about it occasionally…all the things that would have been different…better…worse. “We will understand it better by and by”
Thank you so much, Barbara. Your words, God’s words, have spoken to my heart following a “dark night of my soul.”