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Proverbs 6:34-"For jealousy is a husband's fury; therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance."
To His Beloved,
Sometimes it seems as though suffering will never end. There's different depths and degrees to it obviously, but to each their own it is handed out in a portion uniquely specified to their own situation. Not that God in divine cruelty dishes out turmoil and tribulation with delightful glee, for certainly much of man's suffering is a result of his own actions and beliefs, or that of others towards him, but it can be rendered that to some extent God does have His hand in sovereignty over all things-even our sufferings.
There seems to be either seasons of blessing or seasons of suffering. When things go bad it appears they all go bad together, at the same time, one after the other- until the heart is suffocating beneath the weight of continual disappointments, unending anxieties, or heart wrenching sorrows. When seasons of blessing come, good things also seem to all happen one after another, in a domino effect that leaves the heart elated and praising God's goodness. It's easy to praise Him in these times and proclaim His name as "Good".
Yet how do we come to terms with God's goodness in the midst of our suffering? How do we reconcile that God is kind when He allows certain hardships or circumstances to befall us? There seems to be little solace to be given to the one who has faced unjust situations or unexplained sorrows that they were not the cause of. It's hard to accept the fact that the God who can snap His fingers and heal cancer simply doesn't. It's hard to face the reality that our Abba who can speak the word and supply our financial needs, or raise His fist and stop the acts of rapists and abusers, fails to.
Sometimes we as Christians live in a fluffy fairy-tale land of delusion, dismissively claiming God as good, but not pondering such a statement to see if in actuality we believe it. This delusional state leaves the heart suppressing anger and offense towards God. Not that I'm saying He is not good, for that He is, but if we truly believe this reality of His identity, have we acknowledged it and realized it as a truth in the midst of the wrong, unjust, and painful things that have happened to us-that He has allowed to happen to us?
Is He good in our sickness? Was He good when we were abused? Is He kind in our poverty and oppression? Is He kind to allow our physical suffering? Do we blame Him or are we certain of His name? Do we subtly accuse Him or are we free from offense towards Him?
The reason I'm speaking these things is because Jesus is coming to judge the earth. The meek and gentle Lamb we envision humbly being persecuted before man is going to return as a Lion on a warpath. We already see His rumbling and His shaking in the earth. If we are not certain that God is good today in the midst of the things that He has allowed to come our way, we will be unable to remain faithful and proclaim His goodness in the midst of the sorrows and tribulations coming towards us. When a bloodbath comes to our land, when war reaches our shores, when earthquakes and pestilences cause dread and trembling in our bones, are we going to defend God and claim that He has no part in these sufferings? Or are we going to acknowledge His sovereignty and His hand in bringing judgment upon man?
God is a God of mercy and mercy triumphs over judgment. But the word clearly mirrors the reality that at times judgment is His mercy. Cruelty would be to leave us in our sins, ignorance, and lack of repentance. Mercy is to be unrelenting in His desire for us.
God never desires suffering. He avenged the ones who had abused me; He slew the enemies (lies and accusations) that accused me; He defeated the anxiety that bound me; He crushed the sicknesses that assailed me. Do not think God is dismissive and apathetic towards our suffering. He hates sickness- emotional, mental, and physical. He hates abuse and injustice of all kinds. But in His allowance of the sufferings in our lives, do we see His face rightly and are we certain of His goodness and kindness towards us?
We as a bride must be rooted in the knowledge of God-that He loves us regardless of what He allows to happen to us, and that these things that He does allow to come to us can only be good and His kindness towards us. I encourage all to sit before their Abba and ask Him, "How can You be good and kind in this specific situation that You allowed to happen to me?" Let Him speak, reveal, and give understanding that will cause your faith to remain free of offense when others unduly walk away.
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