Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. (John 11:5-6)All well and good ... except ... that word, "so." In this context, the word is a "therefore," an effect from a cause. It says, "He stayed two days longer in the place where He was." That "so" indicates a reason for Him staying. For what reason did Christ stay longer? "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." See that? Because He loved them, He stayed away ... until He knew Lazarus was dead (John 11:11).
We see this in our lives all the time. We encounter a problem. We pray. God doesn't answer. (Or, at least, says "No" or "Wait.") And we're left hanging. "If You had only been here, Lord ..." (John 11:21). We're disappointed, distressed, maybe even angry. He let us down. He messed up. It's one of the biggest reasons for people to question Christianity. God ... didn't ... answer. What's wrong with God? But ... in this story, because Jesus loved them, He ... didn't answer. How does that work? Well, the story, in this case, gives us the answer. Jesus did go later and did make Lazarus well again ... in a very spectacular manner. He says in His prayer, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me" (John 11:41-42). Jesus used this tragic event, and the delay He caused because of love, to show in an irrefutable, mighty way that He was sent from God. It was "for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it" (John 11:4). It was exceedingly good.
When Job encountered horrible tragedy, he responded, "YHWH gave and YHWH has taken away. Blessed be the name of YHWH" (Job 1:21). Not "Where is God??!!" After Joseph's brothers tried to kill him, threw him in a pit, then sold him into slavery, he said, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive" (Gen 50:20). Not "God failed me!!" Paul says, "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Rom 8:28). So when you think He's not listening, when you feel like He let you down, when you wonder if God may not even like you, remember. He does what He does because He loves you and it's always for good.
3 comments:
I'm reading Ferguson's "Union With Christ". A point he makes is that we should not be reliant on our current circumstances to determine whether God loves us. We have all the evidence we need from Scripture and our lives up to now as proof that God loves us. We can stand on the faith proven by history that all will be for our good.
I think that this post addresses one of the most difficult aspects of “trusting God”--especially for those with a “what’s in it for me?” kind of “faith.” It seems counterintuitive to us that the Supreme Being would not desire and ensure that all our paths be smooth and our lives carefree, and when that doesn’t happen as we expect, we “lose faith” rather than consider that God is doing something we cannot see--and for reasons we cannot fathom. In the case of raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus sought to demonstrate an even mightier power than a temporary healing of illness; as urgent as that might seem, clearly, we have far greater needs--like the need for new life. When tragedy visits me (as it is bound to do), may I remember that God’s loving Hand is guiding the circumstances for my good and His glory.
As is often the case, I have several books in my home library that relate perfectly to this post; including this one: Trusting God (Even When Life Hurts) by Jerry Bridges (a favorite author of mine). An excerpt from the back cover reads, “In an effort to strengthen his own trust in God during a time of adversity, Jerry Bridges began a lengthy Bible study on the topic of God’s sovereignty… [i.e.] the scope of God’s power over nations, nature, and the detailed lives of individuals.” Bridges includes a look at an improper view of God’s sovereignty presented in another (best-selling) book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Rabbi Harold Kushner, who wrote that Job (to use your example) was “forced to choose between a good God who is not totally powerful, or a powerful God who is not totally good… [and Job] chooses to believe in God’s goodness…. God wants the righteous to live peaceful, happy lives, but sometimes even He can’t bring that about. It is too difficult even for God to keep cruelty and chaos from claiming their innocent victims.”
This is, of course, not the God of the Bible, thankfully. The death and resurrection of God’s Son--whom Rabbi Kushner doesn’t know--makes the truth of God’s absolute sovereignty over all things clear.
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