Finding Joy in Suffering

The past few days, it seems that the world has focused all it’s evil and brokenness on me and the ones I love. Tragedy and trial have become the theme of my life in recent days. It’s been really, really hard – but through it all the Savior has been sweet to me, and I’ve found comfort in His promises, and in the assurance of His Sovereign will. In light of that, I thought I’d share a few things that have been encouraging to me in the past few weeks.

“Reader, if God has given you His only begotten Son, beware of doubting His kindness and love, in any painful providence of your daily life! Never allow yourself to think hard thoughts of God. Never suppose that He can give you anything which is not really for your good. Remember the words of Paul: ‘He who spared not His own Son—but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things’ (Romans 8:32)

See in every sorrow and trouble of your earthly pilgrimage the hand of Him who gave Christ to die for your sins! That hand can never smite you except in love! He who gave His only begotten Son for you, will never withhold anything from you which is really for your good. Lean back on this thought and be content. Say to yourself in the darkest hour of trial, ‘This also is ordered by Him who gave Christ to die for my sins. It cannot be wrong. It is done in love. It must be well.’” – JC Ryle

I have also been encouraged by the following passage, excerpted from a Elisabeth Elliot’s book, “Secure in the Everlasting Arms”.

“We must learn how to be faithful people in this new assignment, on we certainly never would have asked for, but one which can still serve us, bless us, our Creator, and others.
Yes, there is fear; there is sadness, there is a whole new vocabulary we are coming to know, one we never would have wanted to know anything about.  There are lots of tears. But there have been extraordinary blessings amid the darkness.
We don’t believe this is an accident, and we don’t believe this is not “of God.” We live in a fallen world, where all of us – and creation in general – fall short, because of sin, of what God intended for us and illness and crime and cruelty are just reminders of that “fallenness.” We trust in God’s sovereignty over the world and for our lives…”

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
(Romans 8:18 ESV)

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…”
(2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV)

“Free” Will?

I’m probably opening a can of worms that I’m not prepared to deal with here, but oh well.

Let me just say this – I’m no theologian.  These are my personal musings, things that I like to think about when I’m taking care of the more mundane aspects of my life.  I’m sure it’s not nearly as articulate or clear as it could be.  It’s elementary and childish, but it’s interesting and worth discussion, in my opinion.

Perhaps I’m being shortsighted but, in general, I don’t understand why people do not accept the idea that, as a fundamental law of the universe, that man is totally unable, on his own, to choose God. (As it were, God must elect him and regenerate his heart for him to be able to “choose” God).  They say it violates free will.  But we accept a large number of other universal laws everyday; Gravity. Conservation of matter and energy, and so on.

No one claims that these violate our “free” will.  But don’t they? We cannot simply will ourselves to float.  We cannot will more energy or matter into being.  Does this violate our will?

But God can do those things, just as surely as He can save us from ourselves.

We act within the confines of these laws each and every day (and I don’t hear anyone complaining).  It is a contradiction even in my own mind, as my will resists the idea of being controlled, but my mind consents that it’s probably more far freedom than I am deserving of.

But, like I said.  I’m no theologian.  When all is said and done, it’s not our theology that saves us.  It’s faith in Christ.  And I ask these questions out of a sincere wondering, which I think is a good thing.  We would all do well to do a lot more wondering 🙂  What do you think? I’d love to know.

Ok. Philosophical rambling done.