Sometimes in life we experience a series of events that feel like a beating. We are hit with one difficult circumstance, and before we can recover we are hit with another. It feels like one thing after another. Often, a sense of hopelessness sets in. We become angry. Anxiety increases as we anticipate the next punch in the gut. The fact that it’s not just one thing that has happened to us, but many, makes it seem more likely that it’s an attack on us.
What is going on? Is God ignoring my pain? Why doesn’t He fix this? Does He care? Is He angry and punishing me? What did I do wrong to warrant this?
Those are just a few of the questions that arise in the midst of circumstances that seem to snowball until it is all more than we can handle.
Why doesn’t He change our circumstances?
Good question, but I’m not even going to try to answer this one. When we try, we go in circles. I have read many writings in which the authors have attempted to tackle this question. They all fall flat for me. The answers I’ve found sound like something that came from a person who had no idea what it was like to get knocked down repetitively in life. Perhaps they were well-intended responses, with the goal to help others. However, pat answers are not lasting solutions.
The truth is, 99% of the time we have no idea why He chooses not to step in the way we would like for Him to. So, instead of mulling over a question that we could spend years on and still get nowhere, let’s look at a question that we can actually tackle and see where it takes us.
What did I do wrong to warrant this?
This question implies that we are being punished when we experience bad circumstances. It assumes there is something wrong with us, and that God is displeased with us. Paul says in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. In John 9:1-3, when asked by the disciples whose sin caused a man to be blind, Jesus responds like this, “…It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” The man, nor his parents, had done anything to cause his condition. Jesus also implied that God was working in and through the man in the midst of his blindness. What we can derive from this, and this is very important, is that when faced with bad circumstances we tend to lose sight of who we are and who God is. The questions we wind up asking reflect this distorted view.
There are three truths that may help us see things more clearly.
First of all, when we place our trust in Jesus Christ, we become new creations. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” As believers, we are “in Christ”. With this new identity, we are fully accepted, loved unconditionally, forgiven, saints, adopted children, complete, friends of Christ, justified, and free from condemnation. No longer is the word “punish” used in reference to us. Christ took all the punishment for sin on the cross.
Second, God is not who we think He is sometimes. When we see Him as a vengeful, displeased, angry, or aloof father, we see Him incorrectly. We’ve been lied to by others, our circumstances, and perhaps even our feelings. God is, instead, intimately involved in our lives, kind, compassionate, always pleased with us in Christ, full of grace and mercy, tenderhearted and forgiving, and smiling as He thinks of us. God is proud of us, His beloved children! (Romans 8:28-29; Hebrews 12:5-11; 2 Corinthians 7:4).
The third truth is not like the first two. These first two truths are foundational for us. When we trust the truths of who we are in Christ and who God really is, our perspective changes. The way we interact with others changes. Everything changes. This third truth is important when we just don’t have answers. This truth is this: “God is mysterious, and so are His ways”. This is not something we want to hear when we are struggling. We want answers. However, many times we do not get them…or we wait years until we finally get them. Although He has mysterious ways, we can choose to trust the truth that He is lovingly involved even when we cannot see it ourselves. This may require us to open up to trusted others and express our feelings, our doubts, and our needs. When we are hurting, we need to be heard. Insightful and caring input from others who listen well to our words and needs can help carry us through those times when the first two truths are evasive. God may be mysterious at times, but it is not hidden that He works through our relationships with others to care for us and meet our needs.
-Neil
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