I’ve done some things in my life that my children would say qualify as wacky, if not crazy.
Like the time I went into cheapskate mode and made 25 pizzas at one time, thinking I’d freeze them, thus saving time and money. Only problem was they tasted terrible and we wound up tossing them. Or during the same time period, when I took potato chip bags that had a shiny silver interior, cut them up, washed the shiny side, and used them as wrapping paper. Hey, Happy Birthday to you too, Mr. Cheapskate. Thanks for splurging on the wrapping paper.
At times, if you overheard me praying you might think I’ve really slipped over the edge. For you’d hear me say things like, “Father, thank you for this pain I’m experiencing. Thank you for this challenging situation with my child. Thank you for my life exactly as it is. Each of these trials is the kindest, most loving, wisest thing you could do for me.”
You might be tempted to say, “Hold it Mark. You’re thanking God for pain? You’re thanking God for problems? Are you a masochist? Would you like me to hit you in the head with a board?”
The Bible promises that believers will suffer in many ways. In recent weeks I’ve been in hospitals and a funeral home with suffering believers. I’ve been on the phone with friends facing incredibly stressful situations. Almost daily I pray for family members and friends enduring serious physical pain and emotional grief.
In addition guaranteeing that believers will endure trials, the Bible also clearly teaches that God is sovereign. He controls every event in the universe. He doesn’t simply allow our suffering, he ordains it. He decrees all things that happen, even the evil that happens to us, though he never sins in any way. And Paul says that we know that all things – even evil things – work together for good for us who have been called by God.
In Genesis 18, before God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham intercedes with God on behalf of any righteous people that may be there. He makes the following statement:
Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (GE 18.25)
In other words, will not God, the infinitely wise Judge, always do the right thing? Everything he does in our lives is the right thing – completely just, righteous, good, loving and wise. That means that if God ordains a trial in our lives, it is the best thing that could happen to us. It is the kindest, most loving, wisest thing he could do for us.
If this is true, that means we can praise him and thank him for every trial. Because the One who is perfectly just and infinitely wise and loving, will always act in righteousness. He always does best thing. The perfect thing. The right thing.
Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?
Do you believe this? If you do, this doctrine will bring you immense comfort in your trials. For many years God has strengthened me with the truth of his loving, wise and good sovereign rule. So by his grace, I seek to thank God for everything, good or bad, that happens to me. Not that I never sin by grumbling, but over the years, God has helped me grow in thankfulness.
You may be right, I may be crazy – about pizza and chip bags. But praising God for all things is one of the sanest things I try to do.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
if I ever got a gift wrapped in a chip bag, um… i honestly don’t know what i’d do!
Mark, thank you for sharing this. I need to hear it over and over. Over the past few months I have begun to see the sweetness of what you wrote (through a season of severe migraine pain, etc).
I am finding a grace to preserve me through trials. A loving Hand that ordained my pain.
Every wave of trials I face, is met by a new wave of grace. What a comfort!
It’s easy being godly when things are going good, it takes the power of the Holy Spirit to be godly in the outer edges of our lives!
Yes, I am comforted by His Sovereignty—-there’s no need to fret and worry when ALL things are filtered through His loving hands—–this assurance also develops the rare jewel of contentment in my life.
God is good always!
Mark (and Stephen) – Don’t stop blogging; you make me laugh (today’s chip bag wrap), you make me cry (Stephen’s desire for superiority in cricket and squash – can HE really be a Steeler fan?), you make me think. Please develop a contingency plan to get your blog out in the event of internet failure.
Is it really biblical to equate sickness with the suffering that the bible tells us we will suffer? The suffering we are “guaranteed” is suffering for the sake of the gospel – 2 Cor 11:23-28 speaks in detail of Paul’s suffering, but not once does it mention sickness, and there is never one mention of Jesus suffering a sickness, despite him being fully man.
In the same way that God conquered sin at the cross and paved a way for us to live in victory over it, he also conquered our sickness and infirmities. Do we still sin? Of course! But we seek to overcome that by faith, and live more in the light of who he has made us to be. Do we still get sick? Again, yes! But we should seek to be in sufficient faith that our “…prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up” (James 5:15). If we start to treat sickness as part of the suffering we share in because of the cross we are robbing it of some of its power and attributing to it one of the very things that it destroyed! Time and time again in the gospels, Jesus tells people “their faith healed them”. We westerners are faith-deficient. We don’t need to trust God for our daily bread, we have a pay cheque; We don’t need to trust him to heal our body, we have doctors! Whilst the economic prosperity we live in may be a blessing – but it does take our trust away from God.
I agree wholeheartedly that we should be thankful even in times of suffering, I also believe that God works all things together for good, even sin, evil or sickness – but that doesn’t mean it all came from him. Be thankful for the good things God has done for us (and we always have them whatever our circumstances) and thank him for sustaining us in sickness, but don’t start thanking him for the sickness – that really is crazy!
Hey Emily,
You couldn’t tell it was a chip bag until you opened the present….
Thank you for your comments. My daughter battles almost continual migraines. I can’t imagine what she and you must go through. But I know that it brings our Lord pleasure and glory when his children praise him and declare his goodness in the midst of suffering.
I pray the Lord will heal you and continue to give you grace.
Jennifer,
Thanks for your excellent comments. It is so true – we can only praise God in trials through the power of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t the doctrine of God’s sovereignty wonderful?
Thanks Tim!
Yeah, I don’t know where I went wrong with Stephen….You mean you aren’t a Steeler fan?
Thanks for your encouragement.
Hi ianmcn,
Thanks for your comments – this is a challenging topic. And I agree that we need to grow in faith – I know I do. I regularly pray for people to be healed, and have seen our Lord heal over the years, including healing my Mom of rheumatoid arthritis after 16 years. But I have a long way to go.
I can thank the Lord for sickness though, based on Ephesians 5:20 “giving thanks always and FOR everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” even while asking him and trusting him to heal my body.
It’s a complicated issue – and there is much mystery that surrounds it, but I believe God does more than “allow” sickness, he “ordains” it for his purpose, for example, Paul’s thorn in the flesh was for the purpose of keeping Paul humble in the light of the revelations he’d received.
On the cross, Jesus paid for our sins, and purchased our forgiveness, but I don’t believe the Bible teaches that physical healing is included in the atonement; if that were so, we’d automatically be healed just as we’re automatically forgiven when we trust in Christ.
One passage that helped me is: 1 Pe 2.24-25: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
In context, “By his wounds you have been healed” is talking about being healed of sin, not physical healing. By the cross, Jesus has “healed” us of our tendency to stray like sheep, and “healed” us from the guilt, power and slavery of sin.
Have you ever read John Piper’s article “Don’t Waste Your Cancer”? He is far more articulate than I am when it comes to talking about how God “designs” our trials. I highly recommend it.
I am certainly not an expert on healing – and I definitely desire and need to grow in faith. So if you think of it, please pray for me that Jesus will increase my faith for healing. Again, thanks!
Your dudeness:
You ask a personal, religious question and I respond in full faith and affirm: I am indeed a Steeler fan. Through thick and thin. Win and lose. And I have never, ever wanted to excell in squash or cricket.
On a serious note, reading Piper on the topic of this blog post is a good call; reading Piper and David Powlison is even better. Here’s the link:
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2006/1776_Dont_Waste_Your_Cancer/
those pizzas were disgusting.
the gifts left your hands greasy.
i love you dad.
Mark,
I’m not sure which one I laughed at more- your openning or Beth’s response. Greasy presents too funny. But on a serious note, this was timely encouragement and I am thankful to read something redeeming on the web. Thanks for your faithfulness to pray for all those suffering around you.
-Trill
This is great, Mark. My husband is always an example of this to me. Just yesterday, he reminded me of Joseph whose circumstances were much worse than mine and God took what was intended for evil and brought about good. I do believe that God works all things together for my/our good; I need constant reminders, though, and encouragement to persevere in believing. Thanks for providing that today.
Hey Tim,
Great to hear you’re a Steeler fan. Thanks for the link – you’re right – the article with Powlison is really great. Thanks for putting the link in.
Hey Bethi,
I thought the pizzas were great…well, eatable. And isn’t it worth getting your hands a little greasy to get a gift?
I love you honey.
Dad
Hi Trillia,
Thanks for your encouragement and kind words. Beth just doesn’t remember how good the pizzas were….Hope all is going well with you.
Hi Briana,
The story of Joseph is one of my very favorites in Scripture. What a great picture of God’s sovereignty in causing evil to work for our good and his glory.
I agree – we can’t be reminded of this too often. Please say hi to Lawrence for me.