That is the question every person will ask at some point in his or her life. Terrible things happen all the time, and when we face situations that seem unbearable, we will wonder about what God has in mind.
An African American preacher and lecturer by the name of Charles once gave his testimony at a meeting in the Moody Bible Institute. He told the audience that he had been very successful in his ministry and contented with his work, and later on he had gotten married to the girl of his dreams. He said that he had waited so long to find a person like her, and he loved her.
Four months after they were married, his wife was coming back from a business trip, and he and his mother-in-law were waiting at the airport to meet her. As her plane was pulling up in the jet way, he looked out the window and saw hurried activity, with police cars and ambulances. Then he saw a stretcher being carried down the back steps, with a cloth laid over what was obviously a body. Someone must have died, he thought.
Then he saw his wife’s purse dangling from the stretcher.
Charles and his mother-in-law were told that his wife had a massive heart attack and died on board before the plane had even touched down. As he related this story to the audience before him, Charles said that the sorrow he felt was unlike anything he had ever felt before. He said that there was only one thing that kept him going: it was an undoubting confidence in the character of God.
Listen to that! An undoubting confidence in the character of God. Confidence that in Him there are no lies. Confidence that in Him there is no manipulation. Confidence that He Himself, in essence, is love.
When Jesus visited Lazarus’ grave and met the mourning Mary and Martha, he wept. Jesus, our Lord, the God and Creator of the universe, wept. When we cry at the loss of a loved one, we cry because of what death has taken from us, and because we are not able to restore that life. When Jesus wept, he did not cry because he was unable to restore the life that death had claimed. He cried because he was relating to the pains of His creation, of which He had become a part. Professor John Lennox, a Christian mathematician and scientist, reflected on Christ’s crucifixion and said that if Jesus Christ was God, the next logical question would be “What was God doing on a cross?” Then he said, “At the very least, that shows me that God has not remained distant from human suffering but has become part of it.”
Whatever pains we face in life, we can rest assured that our Lord knows and understands what we go through. When we suffer hunger and thirst, we can remember that He suffered hunger and thirst in the desert. When we feel lonely, we can remember that He felt alone in the Garden of Gethsemane. When we feel betrayed, we can remember that Jesus felt betrayed by a man whom He had called to follow Him. When we suffer physical pain, we can remember that His pain on the cross was indescribable. When we are heartbroken because of the loss of a relationship with a loved one, we can remember that He was heartbroken when the Father turned away from Him because of the sin He was bearing. Whatever pain we go through, Christ had been there.
I heard a speaker give a short talk on suffering, and he told us about how our responses to suffering can be compared to a tea bag in hot water. The hot water will bring out the true flavour of the tea leaves in the bag. In the same way, suffering brings out our true selves, revealing our character, foundation, and faith. The tea leaves are known by their flavour in hot water; our character is known by our responses in suffering.
Recently, a group of friends and I were fellowshipping in a cafeteria when an accident happened and two of us were scalded by hot water. Everyone was shocked to see the suffering that ensued as parents came to administer first aid, as a number of us are still very young. Our hurt friends were taken to the hospital, and we were all in emotional turmoil.
I’m sure every one of us was asking questions, mainly, “Why, God?” We couldn’t comprehend how something so disastrous could occur when everything was so happy and fine just a moment before. I couldn’t understand what God had in mind then either, but now as I think back, I see something beautiful.
As the scalded victims were rushed to the hospital, the girls grouped together and cried in each other’s arms, and the boys huddled in a tight circle to pray. Later, with the parents joining us, we came together to just pray and pour out our hearts before God. Shedding tears together, praying together, and just being together pulled us closer than we’ve ever been before. Laughing together does not bring us as close as crying together. That is what I see in the midst of this tragedy. We may also have learned some important lessons as a result of the event.
We cannot be certain why God did the things He did, and allowed the things He allowed. We can only speculate. However, we can see, throughout history, how God has worked through suffering, causing all things to work together for good for those who love Him and for His glory. And so I urge you, my brothers and sisters: do not doubt the character of God in your suffering.
Blessings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Nathanael Chong
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