“Pain removes the veil; it plants the flag of truth within the fortress of a rebel soul.”

Today we try to respond to yet another really hard question. I myself have had to wade through these waters during difficult moments of my own life. But I’ve come out the other side liberated, not from pain, but from the crushing blow of doubt. Few things in my life have contributed to my faith life the tragic experiences I’ve had to endure. That has helped my love for God extend to new heights.

…but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…

1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)

Life is hard. There’s no way around it. Tragedy hits everyone. Some will experience more pain than others, but no one will escape it. That’s led many people to question the goodness of God…to wonder where He is in the sufferings of their life. I don’t ever want to take away from the pain inflicted on anyone. Everyone’s story is unique, but the answer to the question above is not and that answer can write the next chapter for anyone’s story.

Just like with my last post on why a loving God would allow people to go to hell, I want to keep the answer simple and biblical. Also, I will give you a three-fold response that you could share with anyone. From that, I hope a much deeper conversation would result.

1. Humanity is broken. We all have a sinful nature from birth (Psalm 51:5). That’s because the very first humans, Adam and Eve, chose sin rather than obedience (Genesis 3). Every human since has suffered from the same ailment. And because of that nature, we often times choose sin over holiness. That choice results in pain inflicted on ourselves and others. No one’s sin ever just affects them. Our sin has domino effect that can disrupt and destroy lives. You add billions of people who suffer from the sin condition, that’s a lot of pain in the world. That’s a lot of greed, perversion, anger, violence, and pride. God provided the cure for our brokenness. He died for our sins and promised His Holy Spirit to anyone who calls on Him. The Holy Spirit is the only thing that can empower humanity to live beyond themselves, to live for eternity and not temporary, and to consider others better than themselves. But here again we see the factor of free will. Because God is so loving, He has allowed us to freely choose the course of our life, even if it’s not a good one.
2. There are other forces at work in the world. God is sovereign. That’s indisputable. But there is a severe darkness that pervades the world and the hearts of a lot people. Satan is the dominate force behind that darkness. Not the little man in red with a pitchfork. The epitome of evil who tried to rebel and overthrow God. The one who has been leading people into lives of destruction. The one who’s soul mission is to destroy you and revel in that destruction. The one who has waged war on everyone’s soul. Ephesians chapter six says that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. So much of what we struggle with in life, we can’t even see the reality behind it. And I know, that is a hard concept to grasp.
3. Our pain is never the end of our story. God is the master of bringing beauty out of our ashes (Romans 8:28). Just read through the life of Job in the Bible. He was a righteous man who Satan sought after to destroy. Job lost his kids, his home, and his health. The worst things in life happened to Job. But through it all, God met with Job and his faith and character went to an all new reality. And in the end, everything was restored to Job, more than he even had before. Job’s life is an ideal ‘beauty from ashes’ story. So is the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and then sent to prison on false claims. But neither of those things were the end of Joseph’s story. God raised him up to be second in command of the nation of Egypt and he went on to save the lives of thousands. Joseph would later proclaim to those responsible for pain in his life, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV)

God is in the joy-giving, heart-healing, and life-giving business. Sometimes, that is done best in walking through our darkest days. Quite often pain and suffering can be the instrument that refines us into having more of a godly character and softens our rebellious hearts.  Instead of looking for a scapegoat for the hardships in the world, we ought better use our energies being a part of the solution and not adding to the problem. If everyone devoted themselves to the One who created them, the world would look vastly different. Until that day, when Jesus returns to set all things right, we can live each day to improve the lives of others. We can use lessons learned through our own trials to walk through the fire with others. And we can keep our eyes set on the day when the hurt will cease. That day is coming.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:4 (NIV)