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    Jan 14, 2018

    Why?

    Why?

    Passage: Psalms 13:1-5

    Speaker: Rev. Vivian McCarthy, Pastor

    Series: Faith's Tough Questions

    Category: Faith

    From the beginning of time, humans have asked WHY? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does God allow suffering and pain and evil? Today's message explores that age-old question.

    Why? Why me? Why her? Why him? Why do bad things happen? And even more troubling, why do bad things happen to good people? Some people would even ask, why does God make bad things happen? If God is so good and loving, why???

    This is the essence of the second question that came from several members of the congregation back in the fall.

    Horrible fires have burned so much of parts of California that this week 17 people died from mudslides and more are missing. Why?

    This week one of our families lost their 40-year-old who was recently married – a veteran of the war in Iraq. Two days later, the father died.  A loving wife lost both her eldest son and her husband and two teens lost a brother and a father.  Why? We could go on and on.

    And many people would ask it this way: why does God allow such things to happen?

    There are so many causes of suffering and evil in the world: broken relationship, random acts of violence, domestic abuse, illness, betrayal, loss, disappointment. World Wars, terrorism, genocide from the Holocaust to Rwanda, governments slaughtering their own. Why?

    This struggle is as old as the human race.  Several thousand years ago, the Psalmist wrote:
    How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?

    How long must I bear pain in my soul,
    and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
    How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

    Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!

    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
    and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;
    my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

    Jesus even tried to prepare us by letting us know that trials and suffering are coming. No one is exempt. In John 16:33, when he is preparing his disciples for life after his death, he says “You will have suffering in this world.”

    I imagine that some of you are hoping I will have THE answer to this question – that I have researched and searched and gotten all kinds of wisdom so I have the answer. Well, I kind of do. Four simple words: I do not know.

    What I can do is share with you the way I get through times of pain and suffering. I have learned that I can trust God to be faithful.

    You all know that I read a variety of writers to prepare for Sunday’s message, and this week Andy Rau reminded me of a time that Rich, Erin and I were driving to Central Maine. It was a nasty drive, in and out of rain and fog, and we were all anxious. As we neared our destination, we saw flashing lights – barely, because we could hardly see anything at all. When we got to the source of the light, it was a sign.  By the way, we think this is a picture of the actual sign!

    Subtle. I think we slowed down even more as we were the only car around.

    Mr. Rau's fog story was similar except a truck pulled in front of him and his wife – a truck that had fog lamps. The truck was able to travel confidently, and the writer was able to follow the truck’s taillights, confident and secure as they traveled. It wasn’t clear, but there was a light, however dim, to help them through the fog.

    He compared that trip to First Corinthians 13:12 (from the New Living Translation):

    Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

    As we mature in faith, we learn that God gives us lamps – fog lamps, if you will – to help get us through the fog. Let’s look at a few.

    God through Isaiah tried to help people see that we just don’t think like God. “My thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways.” Indeed, that’s true. Humans like things clear cut: if this, then that. No ambiguity. We want to see clear cause and effect. Friends, anyone trying to explain the problem of evil and suffering will never have an answer that will fully satisfy. As much as we’d like to say otherwise, faith is called faith because it requires trust in things we can’t see. We like reassurance. We like to know beyond the shadow of a doubt. But when it comes to faith, we find that we have to trust without seeing – without empirical evidence. The first lamp, then, is learning to trust God – even when we are unsure of something – maybe especially when we are unsure because we just don’t understand God’s ways.

    The second fog lamp that helps me get through all of this is:  God is not the creator of evil and suffering. Scripture has a number of ways of describing evil in the world, none that I know of that attribute evil to God. Scripture does teach that humans were given freedom to make choices and that God’s love does not coerce or force humans to be right or moral or loving or grace-filled. We have the choice to do and be what we want, and the sad truth is that we do not always choose to follow God – not even Christians. Evil enters the picture when we sin. And Paul wrote that we all sin: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

    We are also learning every day how even natural disasters are related to our sin. We live on a planet that produces enough food for its inhabitants, but distribution depends on us. We continue to strip the rain forests – and on and on. Someone once wrote: When we humans told God to shove off, God partially honored our request. Nature began to revolt…

    Lest anyone think I want us to wallow in guilt, please understand – I don’t. It isn't helpful.  It is really important that we all understand that God is not the author of the terrible things that happen to you or to me or to humanity. It is usually people who neglect that most basic commandment: love God and love your neighbor. Greed and gluttony and lust and pride get in the way.

    The third lamp is that God can use suffering for good. God does not cause or create suffering. However, when there is suffering, God works in the situation for good. Isn’t that what God did through the Savior? Jesus suffered on the cross for our redemption. And through the suffering of Jesus Christ came forgiveness of sin.

    Friends, I hear people say all the time that everything happens for a reason. That is not scriptural. It is not an actual scripture and it is not in keeping with scripture. If you think about it, that sentence implies that it’s God directly acting to cause disease or accidents or human sin. The actual scripture says that God is working for good. In our suffering, God can and will be present, working for good – and will draw us closer and lift us up. We need to trust and follow – opening our hearts and minds to recognize God at work in and for us. Our trust in God, our faith, will begin to grow as we do.

    Fourth, the Gospel is good news built on hope. Earlier I quoted part of a scripture text from Jesus’ farewell instructions to the disciples: you will have suffering in the world. But that’s only part of the passage. The whole passage says:  I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!”

    Jesus wanted the disciples to stay strong and carry on the ministry. He wanted them to continue to live as disciples – and as teachers. He was trying to give them tools for when the going got tough so that they could trust his promises – so they could walk through those tough times with assurance and peace. Tough personal times and tough ministry times.

    Scripture also paints a picture of what God’s vision for all of creation: a future time when
    …the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” And [God’s servants will] need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

    God’s vision – God’s deep desire – is for all to experience wholeness and abundant life. That gives me outrageous hope!

    I want to close by reading an excerpt from Andy Rau's article:

    As [a] wise man once said to me: God’s ultimate answer to suffering isn’t an explanation; it’s the incarnation. Suffering is a personal problem; it demands a personal response. And God isn’t some distant, detached, and disinterested deity; He entered into our world and personally experienced our pain. Jesus is there in the lowest places of our lives. Are you broken? He was broken, like bread, for us. Are you despised? He was despised and rejected by humans. Do you cry out that you can’t take any more? He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Did someone betray you? He was sold out. Are your most tender relationships broken? He loved and He was rejected. Did people turn from you? They hid their faces from Him as if He were a leper. Does He descend into all of our hells? Yes, He does. From the depths of a Nazi death camp, Corrie ten Boom wrote these words: “No matter how deep our darkness, God is deeper still.” Every tear we shed becomes his tear.

    And then the wise man told me this: it’s not just that God knows and sympathizes with you in your troubles. After all, any close friend can do that. Any close friend can sit beside you and comfort you and empathize with you. No, Jesus is much closer than your closest friend. Because if you’ve put your trust in Him, then He is in you. And, therefore, your sufferings are His sufferings; your sorrow is His sorrow.

    So when tragedy strikes, as it will; when suffering comes, as it will; when you’re wrestling with pain, as you will – and when you make the choice to run into His arms, here’s what you’re going to discover: you’ll find peace to deal with the present, you’ll find courage to deal with your future, and you’ll find the incredible promise of eternal life in heaven.

    Beloved, I can trust a God like that – one who offered his Son for me and for you. Remember the Psalm we started with? The Psalmist also knew how to trust God. He didn’t even know about Jesus, but he knew that God was trustworthy. How long, Lord, will I suffer? Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, he said. And then he ended the Psalm this way:

    But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because [you have] dealt bountifully with me.

    Thanks be to God!