This is a big question it would appear in many hearts...mine included..."Why does God allow pain and suffering to continue in our lives?" I mean, after all, if He is this "God of Love"...and yet there are times I really "don't feel the love"....right?
There seems to be a "Balance in Life" on how our friendship with God and our earthly lives... just don't balance too well...I'm just sayin'. And what makes it more complicated is....everyone seems to have an answer. Some tell you God is only an ancient myth, others point a finger and say things in life happen because you "had it coming to you", while others say God is distant and doesn't meddle with the affairs of men.
I mean...let's face it...how does a child who is sexually abused relate to this God of love? How do others who face pain staking horrors in life...respond to "God loves them?" And then of course we seem to get on either side of "the equation"...either trying to defend this God we serve...or...letting go and simply saying "the hell with it...following Him is a total joke."
All I have come to know at this point of my life is: when I gave my heart and life to the Lord Jesus....it does not exclude me from "the pains of life" we all encounter at one time or another." What I have come to realize...and I think this thought is often "buried", is my friendship with Him fresh and alive?....Do I really "go after Him" in my everyday life?
If I do...does this give me some type of guarantee that I will avoid the tragedies life sometimes bring? No, I don't think it does....but I also know that if I seek Him daily...there are things that happen that help me to avoid some of life's pains and tragedies.
Have you ever been with someone and they share a "painful story" of life they are going through...and you answer: "I'll keep you in my prayers"...or the "modern term"..."You are certainly in my thoughts"?
I think I have discovered this" God gives us free reign as to our own will, desires, accomplishments, and all that stuff as we pursue in this journey we call "life"...the thing I have to ask myself...."Do I discuss these matters with Him?...Do I include Him at all in "the affairs of men"? Do I really lift up others in prayer when I say I would...and what does "keeping someone in my thoughts actually mean"...it sounds tender and sweet...but is it going to help a friend who is going through it.
I think this "friendship with God thing" demands attention...daily...that is if you find His friendship inviting. Look at how we pursue our friendships with others....get a call on my cell phone in the morning and my buddy has something exciting he or she wants to talk about....going out to grab something to eat....a festival is in town....or simply hangin' out and watching a ballgame or seeing a movie....Am I equally excited or even wanting to give a portion of my daily time...to God...like I would a friend?
Honestly, I don't think any of us "have all the answers"...as the saying goes. Yet, one thing I am quite comfortable with...."When the stuff hits the fan (I am being nice)", I wouldn't want to face life without Him. I can't explain why terrible things happen to people...but then I am not sure I am suppose to explain to anyone why things happen...that isn't really my job...anymore than when I run into difficulties in my own life.
Yet, when they happen....I need to react...to friends...to relatives...to the news we read about...and spend some time with my Friend...the Lord Jesus Christ...that He would intervene and help the wounded find their joy in life....trusting Him.
For me, it goes back to my daily friendship with Him...and letting Him know how I feel about things...and then listening to what He says about things....that is where it begins...at least for me.
In Jeremiah 15:16-21, the prophet Jeremiah brings up a couple things that I can relate to. Oh, one more thing I would like to mention...I think there is a "type of protocol" on having God as a personal friend. For example, I wouldn't call a close friend at 2 in the morning to see what he or she is doing...unless of course a situation demanded it. Normally, we all respect each other's time frames and call or meet at times that are good for the both of us.
In my friendship with the Lord, I don't think the time of day is an issue with Him...He is always awake..but I do think respect for Him is due. If I am "pissed off" because of what has happened to me, or I don't think He really "had my back" on a certain situation...I know I am free to express myself to Him....yet, I need to do this as I would any other friends I have. I simply don't say "I don't want to be friends anymore", or "rip God for being a lousy friend without hearing out what He might have to say". There is an element of having a grateful heart, respect for who He is, and hopefully a depth to our friendship that has no desire to ever lose Him as a friend...just as I cherish the friends around me...even if I don't understand how certain things may have happened in their lives...or how they react.
Bottom line for me: "Have I talked with Him lately?...or am I just one of those who talk to Him...when I need Him?"
Gleaning from Jeremiah 15:16-21
" I have come...looking for You! And...there You are! You have given me Your fresh Word to comfort and give me strength. You spoke these words for me....and now I store them in my heart.
And I must admit, Your Word has been a much needed joy that I desperately needed, in fact it has caused my mind and heart to beat to Your "Rhythm of Grace", the song that keeps me goin'. And this was all made possible...because You sought me to be Your friend...and You filled me with hope once more...all because I openly volunteered to "Bear Your Name". I still find it amazing that when my name is mentioned in conversation...I often hear the response: " Be careful when you approach him, he belongs to the "God of the Angel Armies".
No longer do I find myself having to search for the "joy of life", going to this party or that, clubbing from one bar to the next...simply to try and fill this void in my heart that is called "Joy".
For the joy of life I have discovered...is our friendship..."mano y mano"...our arms draped over one another's shoulders...embraced in a joy of friendship...regardless of life's circumstances the we might be facing.
And even the "angers of life", which we all seem to face...are no longer based on jealousies...like others getting "better breaks in life" than me, or desiring what others have and I don't...those type of angers have been banished from my heart.
The anger I have now is when I hear phrases like: "We don't need Him" or "He is a joke". People who makes those type of remarks seem to be looking for the "joy in life"....only to gain friends like Bitterness or Resentment.
I must admit though my King, I do have a question that really bugs me. Why do You let the suffering in life...continue?...including the suffering I am facing? Are the wounds we have encountered just too incurable? Sometimes it seems You help towards me is like a seasonal brook or stream....all dried up when "the heat is on".
Then, it was my King's turn to respond in our conversation...and He wasted no time in zeroing in on my heart: " Ok, obviously you think I didn't hold up my end of our friendship...right? Yes, I do realize their are pains in life that seem incurable...but that does not make it true. I am your Healer....and don't let the circumstances you face in life be the determining factor...in our friendship. You don't treat your other friends like that...do you?
Suffering is a part of life...it goes way back...to the beginning when man and woman was first created. As far as the choices you make in life...have I not always respected you and your freedom to do whatever in life you think you need to do? When tragedy hits...it doesn't mean I have forsaken you...or caused you this harm in the first place.
Life is certainly a battle at times...and the choices people make in the "heat of battle" brings about certain outcomes...some choices stemming from selfish hearts, others from resentment, and still others from simply being cruel....and with that...there are victims...victims that somehow revert to Me...that I was the cause of all their suffering. Simply having freedom to choose always has a price....the price is often someone hurting someone else.
Yet, you can have true freedom....My freedom...by keeping My Word in your heart. When the "tough times" do approach...it is those very Words that can have influence over the circumstances you face....not the other way around.
You will have to trust Me....at all times....I will walk with you..right through it...and will do what I said I would do...rescue you from permanent harm...and you will find your strength in those times. The "clutch of the ruthless" is horrible..and have pages of history written with their atrocities...but there is a way through....keep your hopes and trust....in Me."
Note: My heart goes out to others on facing some despicable and crimeful acts in life, as well as those who have innocently been "taken hostage" by the various harms life sometimes bring....yet, I still trust Him...and cling to His Word...as the True Source of Life. There is Hope....in Him.
I mean...let's face it...how does a child who is sexually abused relate to this God of love? How do others who face pain staking horrors in life...respond to "God loves them?" And then of course we seem to get on either side of "the equation"...either trying to defend this God we serve...or...letting go and simply saying "the hell with it...following Him is a total joke."
All I have come to know at this point of my life is: when I gave my heart and life to the Lord Jesus....it does not exclude me from "the pains of life" we all encounter at one time or another." What I have come to realize...and I think this thought is often "buried", is my friendship with Him fresh and alive?....Do I really "go after Him" in my everyday life?
If I do...does this give me some type of guarantee that I will avoid the tragedies life sometimes bring? No, I don't think it does....but I also know that if I seek Him daily...there are things that happen that help me to avoid some of life's pains and tragedies.
Have you ever been with someone and they share a "painful story" of life they are going through...and you answer: "I'll keep you in my prayers"...or the "modern term"..."You are certainly in my thoughts"?
I think this "friendship with God thing" demands attention...daily...that is if you find His friendship inviting. Look at how we pursue our friendships with others....get a call on my cell phone in the morning and my buddy has something exciting he or she wants to talk about....going out to grab something to eat....a festival is in town....or simply hangin' out and watching a ballgame or seeing a movie....Am I equally excited or even wanting to give a portion of my daily time...to God...like I would a friend?
Honestly, I don't think any of us "have all the answers"...as the saying goes. Yet, one thing I am quite comfortable with...."When the stuff hits the fan (I am being nice)", I wouldn't want to face life without Him. I can't explain why terrible things happen to people...but then I am not sure I am suppose to explain to anyone why things happen...that isn't really my job...anymore than when I run into difficulties in my own life.
Yet, when they happen....I need to react...to friends...to relatives...to the news we read about...and spend some time with my Friend...the Lord Jesus Christ...that He would intervene and help the wounded find their joy in life....trusting Him.
For me, it goes back to my daily friendship with Him...and letting Him know how I feel about things...and then listening to what He says about things....that is where it begins...at least for me.
In Jeremiah 15:16-21, the prophet Jeremiah brings up a couple things that I can relate to. Oh, one more thing I would like to mention...I think there is a "type of protocol" on having God as a personal friend. For example, I wouldn't call a close friend at 2 in the morning to see what he or she is doing...unless of course a situation demanded it. Normally, we all respect each other's time frames and call or meet at times that are good for the both of us.
Bottom line for me: "Have I talked with Him lately?...or am I just one of those who talk to Him...when I need Him?"
Gleaning from Jeremiah 15:16-21
" I have come...looking for You! And...there You are! You have given me Your fresh Word to comfort and give me strength. You spoke these words for me....and now I store them in my heart.
And I must admit, Your Word has been a much needed joy that I desperately needed, in fact it has caused my mind and heart to beat to Your "Rhythm of Grace", the song that keeps me goin'. And this was all made possible...because You sought me to be Your friend...and You filled me with hope once more...all because I openly volunteered to "Bear Your Name". I still find it amazing that when my name is mentioned in conversation...I often hear the response: " Be careful when you approach him, he belongs to the "God of the Angel Armies".
No longer do I find myself having to search for the "joy of life", going to this party or that, clubbing from one bar to the next...simply to try and fill this void in my heart that is called "Joy".
For the joy of life I have discovered...is our friendship..."mano y mano"...our arms draped over one another's shoulders...embraced in a joy of friendship...regardless of life's circumstances the we might be facing.
And even the "angers of life", which we all seem to face...are no longer based on jealousies...like others getting "better breaks in life" than me, or desiring what others have and I don't...those type of angers have been banished from my heart.
The anger I have now is when I hear phrases like: "We don't need Him" or "He is a joke". People who makes those type of remarks seem to be looking for the "joy in life"....only to gain friends like Bitterness or Resentment.
I must admit though my King, I do have a question that really bugs me. Why do You let the suffering in life...continue?...including the suffering I am facing? Are the wounds we have encountered just too incurable? Sometimes it seems You help towards me is like a seasonal brook or stream....all dried up when "the heat is on".
Then, it was my King's turn to respond in our conversation...and He wasted no time in zeroing in on my heart: " Ok, obviously you think I didn't hold up my end of our friendship...right? Yes, I do realize their are pains in life that seem incurable...but that does not make it true. I am your Healer....and don't let the circumstances you face in life be the determining factor...in our friendship. You don't treat your other friends like that...do you?
Suffering is a part of life...it goes way back...to the beginning when man and woman was first created. As far as the choices you make in life...have I not always respected you and your freedom to do whatever in life you think you need to do? When tragedy hits...it doesn't mean I have forsaken you...or caused you this harm in the first place.
Yet, you can have true freedom....My freedom...by keeping My Word in your heart. When the "tough times" do approach...it is those very Words that can have influence over the circumstances you face....not the other way around.
You will have to trust Me....at all times....I will walk with you..right through it...and will do what I said I would do...rescue you from permanent harm...and you will find your strength in those times. The "clutch of the ruthless" is horrible..and have pages of history written with their atrocities...but there is a way through....keep your hopes and trust....in Me."
Note: My heart goes out to others on facing some despicable and crimeful acts in life, as well as those who have innocently been "taken hostage" by the various harms life sometimes bring....yet, I still trust Him...and cling to His Word...as the True Source of Life. There is Hope....in Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment