One said, part of God's answer, when God answered the question of suffering, he gave us the book of Job, which is 42 chapters.
In other words, it's not an easy answer.
So we're going to be looking at Job partly this morning, but at other passages.
But we're going to read all of chapter 1 as we begin.
So Job, just before Psalms, Job chapter 1.
In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job.
This man was blameless and upright.
He feared God and shunned evil.
He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 donkeys, and had a large number of servants.
He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.
His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make an arrangement for them to be purified.
Early in the morning, he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking,
Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.
This was Job's regular custom.
One day, the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them.
The Lord said to Satan, Where have you come from?
Satan answered the Lord, From roaming throughout the earth, going to and fro on it.
Then the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job?
There is no one on earth like him.
He is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.
Does Job fear God for nothing?
Satan replied.
Have you not put a hedge around him and a household and everything he has?
You have blessed the work of his hands, and so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.
But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.
The Lord said to Satan, Very well then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.
Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
One day when Job's sons and daughters were fasting and drinking wine in the eldest brother's house,
a messenger came to Job and said, The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby,
and the Sabaeans attacked and made off with them.
They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you.
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said,
The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants,
and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you.
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said,
The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them.
They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you.
While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said,
Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the elder brother's house,
when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house.
It collapsed on them, and they are dead.
And I am the only one who has escaped to tell you.
At this Job got up, tore his robe, shaved his head.
Then he fell to the ground in worship and said,
Naked I came from my mother's womb.
Naked I shall depart.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away.
May the name of the Lord be praised.
In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
Well, we'll be looking at Job in a little while.
Before we start, just to make mention of a couple of things.
In your new sheet, you'll notice there's some books alongside the Bible that we should primarily read.
We can also read the experiences of Christians who suffered.
So as we go through the series, I'll recommend books along the way that may be helpful to you.
These are two that I have read myself in the past and found them very, very helpful.
Both Paul Mallard.
He writes of his wife's suffering and consequence knock-on effects on their family.
That's the first one.
And then others you may know, Joni Tada and her injuries through her life, a place of healing, which is very, very helpful as well.
So those are two.
I've ordered some copies.
I hope I'll have them for next Sunday.
And you can purchase them if you would like them.
The other thing to say is the notes that I gave out today.
There's not really questions like there normally is.
What I've done is just the same headings will be on the screen as on the pieces of paper.
But there's kind of like little summary points.
So what I'd like us to do is more to engage with what I have to say, what we look at from God's word.
There'll be lots of questions.
We won't answer everything.
So maybe there's a question that arises and you need to write that down.
You can talk to me afterwards or underline something.
But it's more to be reflective of what we hear from God's word.
So with all that in mind, let's pray and ask for his help to us today.
The Lord is majestic, sovereign in all his ways.
We bow to your mastery.
We bow in worship before you.
We humble ourselves before you, O Lord.
For you are the God who gives life.
The God who takes life.
The God in whom we can trust.
So would you please help us as we look at your word together to be listening carefully.
Not just to understand with our minds.
But that we would know truth penetrating our hearts.
Changing our minds and our wills.
That we might love you and trust you more and more.
We ask for your help.
Amen.
About three years ago, I noticed a slight tremor in my right arm.
I tried to ignore it, thinking that it was just a trapped nerve and that it would soon go away.
After a number of months, it was still there, so I went to the doctors.
And what followed was a series of tests with the neurologists.
On the final visit, I sat waiting for the results.
I've often thought about suffering, and I've asked the question, why, many times.
Reading and reasoning things out in my mind.
But this time, it was different.
It was personal.
Jonathan Grant.
I walked in and I sat down.
The consultant looked at me sympathetically.
You have early onset Parkinson's disease.
Now Parkinson's is a neurological disease which affects and controls the movement of the body.
And thankfully, with medication, it's being kept in check.
And it remains quite stable.
Now I share this not to gain sympathy.
Or because my suffering is worse than yours.
It's not.
I've sat with many of you.
I've talked with you.
I've prayed with you.
I've cried with you.
I share it because for most of us, the question of suffering is not intellectual and philosophical.
It's personal and experiential.
So for you, perhaps, you've watched a family member struggle with cancer.
Maybe you've lost a close friend through a tragic accident.
But maybe it's even more personal than that.
Maybe you are suffering.
Perhaps a broken relationship.
An ongoing illness.
Struggling with unfulfilled dreams.
You see, we all live in a world where suffering is deeply real.
Disease and disability.
Earthquakes and tsunamis.
Wars and famine.
Violence and rape.
And the hard reality is that if we live long enough, we will suffer.
Now, the question before us is this morning, what do we do about all this suffering?
Well, our natural reaction is to blame God.
A parent buries their own child and inside they're crying out,
Why did you let my child die?
A landslide smothers a whole village, wiping out hundreds.
How can you let this happen?
Why did you create such a horrible world?
Why do you inflict such terrible pain?
Our experience of suffering means we are hurt and we are angry.
Something is not right with this world.
We don't like suffering and we desperately want it to stop.
And God, it seems, is to blame for all the suffering we see and experience.
But yet, there's a problem.
You see, we can only truly blame God if we believe in God.
If you're an atheist, you can't blame God because, well, to you, he doesn't exist.
You cannot get angry at a non-existent God.
A true atheist believes that life in this world is just a random series of events.
To quote one philosopher, we are simply the outcome of an accidental collection of atoms.
So why is suffering a problem?
It's just the natural shape and form of life.
Why is it a problem if a child is born with no limbs?
What does it matter if a tornado wipes out a village?
It's just the way it is.
No rhyme or reason.
It just is.
Get on with it.
So if an atheist is to be true to himself or herself, they have no God to be angry at.
We cannot blame a God who does not exist.
And if God does not exist, well, then we cannot expect him to intervene and end the suffering we face.
However, whatever our belief about God, all of us have this sense that suffering is not meant to be.
Deep down, we want suffering to end.
So what do we do about the problem?
Well, I think we need to at least consider what God has to say.
We mightn't like everything that God says,
and God mightn't answer everything we ask, but we must let God be God.
If we're going to be angry at God, and I don't think there's any wrong in being angry,
then we need to leave room for him to answer.
We cannot simply shout at God and not listen to what he has to say.
So three things we're going to look at in response to why all the suffering.
First, God and the cause of suffering.
Turn with me, please, to Genesis chapter 2.
God and the cause of suffering.
The Bible story begins with a world that is full of beauty and harmony.
It's a world where there is no suffering.
It's life as we long for in all its wonder.
But we don't have to read too far along,
and we begin to see what caused the suffering in the world.
And it seems there are three interrelated causes or reasons for suffering.
First, human rebellion.
God created a world in which there was one loving ruler.
God is the creator.
God made the world, so he owns the world.
And because he owns the world, he makes the rules.
Chapter 2, verse 15.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden.
Eden, of course, means paradise.
Took him to work in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
And the Lord God commanded the man,
You are free to eat from any tree in the garden,
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
for when you eat from it, you will certainly die.
Now, I don't think it was some kind of magical fruit.
God was simply setting a boundary.
Don't break my commands.
Because if you do, there will be disorder, disease, decay.
It's all going to end in death.
If you set yourself up as ruler, it will end in terrible suffering.
And as we'll see, that's what happened.
The first man and woman rebelled against God,
and suffering has entered the world.
In fact, the history of mankind, including ourselves,
has been ongoing in their rebellion.
As a human race, we have added to suffering
through selfish actions and evil choices.
So first, there is human rebellion.
Second, there's satanic influence.
Chapter 3, verse 1.
Now, the snake, later identified as Satan,
known as the deceiver, who is a fallen angel.
We're not told how or why not all these things are given to us,
but simply that he is a fallen angel.
Now, the snake was more crafty than any of the wild animals
the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman,
Did God really say you must not eat from the tree,
from any tree in the garden?
Verse 4.
You will not certainly die,
the snake said to the woman.
For God knows that when you eat from it,
your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil.
In other words,
you will be the ones who will decide
what is good
and what is evil.
You see, Satan is the arch enemy of God.
He loves to break and destroy.
He sets himself up against God
and is motivated by a pure hate
of all that is good and beautiful.
And we must never underestimate
Satan's influence.
The Bible describes him as a force of evil,
the God of this age,
or the ruler of the kingdom of the air.
The Apostle Paul talks about his thorn in the flesh,
his suffering,
as a messenger of Satan.
Luke tells us that when Jesus went around healing people,
he was healing those
who were under the power of the devil.
So, second,
Satan has had an influence
and continues to have an influence
in causing suffering.
Third,
God's judgment.
As humans rebelled
and as Satan influenced,
the Bible is very clear
why there is suffering.
Suffering
is in the world
as a result of God's judgment
on the world.
Look at God's response
to this rebellion
and this
satanic influence.
Chapter 3,
verse 14.
So the Lord God said to the snake,
because you have done this,
cursed are you above all the livestock
and all the wild animals.
Verse 15.
And I will put enmity
between you and the woman
and between her offspring
and yours.
So there's going to be this conflict
continuously between Satan
and people.
Verse 16.
To the woman, he said,
I will make your pains
in childbearing very severe.
With painful labour,
you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband
and he will rule over you.
Now that last part is that
she will want to
dominate and rule over
and your husband
will want to rule over
in a tyrannical kind of way.
Verse 17.
To Adam, he said,
because you listened to your wife
and ate fruit from the tree
about which I commanded you,
you must not eat from it.
Cursed is the ground
because of you.
Through painful toil,
you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.
It will produce thorns
and thistles
and you will eat the plants
of the field.
End of verse 19.
For dust you are
and to dust you will return.
This curse,
this judgment,
comes from God
and it results
in all kinds of suffering.
suffering.
The sufferings we see
and experience,
whether it's physical,
spiritual,
social,
relational,
psychological,
everything is now out of sync.
The fabric of the universe
has been undone.
It's like somebody
has pulled a thread
and keeps pulling
and everything is unravelling.
And as a result,
we now live in a world
which is under the sentence
of death.
Paul describes this suffering
as frustration.
Have a look at Romans chapter 8.
Romans chapter 8.
Here it is described as frustration.
The world doesn't function
as it should.
Everything is frustrated.
Chapter 8, verse 20.
For the creation
was subjected to frustration
not by its own choice,
but by the will of the one
who subjected it.
Who subjected it?
God subjected it
to frustration.
God subjected it
to bondage
and decay.
And that judgment
is being felt
globally
and personally
every day.
Now we mustn't think
that God is sitting there
in the throne of heaven
thinking up
terrible cancers
and concocting
terrible diseases
that he can just
unleash upon the world
at will.
No suffering
suffering
in all its
different kinds
are the consequences
of rebellion.
The results
of satanic influence.
The outworkings
of God's judgment.
But we ask
why would God
judge the world
in this way?
Well look at the rest
of verse 20
of Romans 8.
God judges
in hope
that the creation
itself
will be liberated
from its bondage
to decay
and brought
into the freedom
and glory
of the children
of God.
God judges
in such a way
to show
how terrible
and awful
sin is
and how desperately
we need a saviour
who would come
and intervene
and liberate us
and free us
from a sin
wrecked
world.
So in summary
of the first
God
and the cause
of suffering
we can say
that man
is ultimately
responsible
Satan
desires it
and God
has willed it.
So first
God
and the cause
of suffering.
Second
God
and his
control
over suffering.
While we
live in a world
that is broken
and under
God's judgment
we mustn't
fall into
the false
teaching
that says
and we hear
it from people
your suffering
is a result
of personal
sin
or your
suffering
is because
you don't
have enough
faith.
Many Christians
operate in that
way and it's
dangerous
and it's
terrible.
It's not
what the
Bible teaches.
We should
not view
that every
suffering
we experience
is a direct
judgment
from God.
The level
of our
personal
suffering
is not
equated
with our
level of
personal
sin.
So if
we are
suffering
in a
particular
way
it's
not
because
of
the
amount
of
sin
I've
done.
So if
I have
some
incurable
unidentified
disease
it's not
because
necessarily
there's a
whole heap
of sin
in my
life.
Rather
what we
see and
experience
in our
world
today
is the
outworkings
of what
we looked
at in
part one.
The
outworkings
of God's
curse
on the
world.
We live
in the
world that
is frustrated
under the
sentence of
death.
And yet
we live
in a
world where
God
controls
and rules
over all
suffering.
So let's
turn to
the book
of Job.
Go to
the book
of Job.
The
author
at the
very
beginning
wants us
to know
that Job
is a
good man.
He's not
sinless,
he's not
perfect,
but he
is
righteous.
So
Job,
just
before
Psalms,
somebody
got it
there and
I'll
call out
the
number.
509.
509,
Job
chapter
1.
So we
read there,
we're
introduced
to him
that in
the land
of Uz
there lived
a man
whose name
was Job.
This
man was
blameless
and upright.
He feared
God and
shunned
evil.
He even,
verse 5,
prayed for
his children
in case
they had
sinned.
Job is
set up
before us
as somebody
who's
innocent,
but yet
he has
suffered
terribly
in three
ways.
First,
he suffered
at the
hands
of other
men in
verses 13
and 17.
Evil
actions
from
outsiders.
People
have
come in
and it's
meant he
has lost
his herds
and his
servants
as they
took them
away.
He
suffers at
the hands
of other
men.
Second,
he suffers
natural
disasters,
we might
call them
in verses
16 and
19.
A fire
comes and
a tornado
comes that
destroyed his
animals and
horrifically a
wind comes
in,
knocks down
the house
and kills
ten of
his children,
all of his
children,
their husbands
and wives,
gone in a
moment.
And then
third,
he suffers,
we didn't
read this,
but have a
look at
chapter 2
verse 7.
He suffered
personal
illness
and pain.
Chapter 2
verse 7,
so Satan
went out
from the
presence of
the Lord
and afflicted
Job with
painful sores
and soles
on his feet
to the
crown of
his head,
an excruciating
flesh-eating
disease
from which
there was
no comfort.
Job is
an innocent
man,
yet he
suffers
terribly.
And that
is how
most suffering
appears to
us.
We can do
nothing wrong,
we can live
God-honouring
lives,
and yet we
can experience
an incurable
illness,
we can face
the death
of our
child,
and we
could lose
everything in
a moment.
Why is
this?
we look
out and
we wonder,
is anyone
in control
of all
of this,
or is
this just
a random
set of
events,
and somehow
I've just
been dealt
a bad set
of cards,
and I have
to live
with it?
Well,
Job gives
us answers.
First,
Satan
causes the
suffering,
or does
he?
at first
it seems
Satan
caused
the
suffering.
Go back
to chapter
1,
verse 6.
One day
the angels
came to
present
themselves
before the
Lord,
and Satan
also came
with them.
The Lord
said to
Satan,
where have
you come
from?
Satan
answered
the Lord,
from roaming
throughout the
earth,
going to
and fro
in it.
What a
picture.
of evil
intent.
Roaming
around,
looking to
cause harm
and disorder.
And after
his conversation
with God
about this
person,
Job,
Job doesn't
know about
this conversation.
We read
in verse 11,
Satan
says to
God,
but now
stretch out
your hand
and strike
everything he
has,
and he
will surely
curse you
to your
face.
the Lord
said to
Satan,
very well
then,
everything he
has is in
your power,
but on
the man
himself do
not lay
a finger.
Then Satan
went out
from the
presence of
the Lord,
and the
suffering
begins.
The attacks
from evil
men,
the natural
disasters,
his personal
suffering.
And in
regards to
his personal
suffering,
look at
verse 7
again,
chapter 2,
verse 7.
Satan
went out
from the
presence of
the Lord,
and afflicted
Job with
painful sores
and soles
on his feet
to the
crown of
his head.
Satan,
it seems,
has caused
the suffering
that has
come into
Job's
life.
Now,
that raises
big questions
for us.
If that
is true,
does that
mean Satan
has power
to do as
he pleases?
Do we
live in a
world in
which God
is just
simply an
opposite but
equal force,
kind of
darkness and
light, good
and evil,
50-50,
one against
the other,
in an arm
wrestle?
Who's going
to win?
Has God
got his
hands tied
trying to
second guess
Satan's
next move,
always playing
catch-up,
trying to
outwit each
other?
Well,
that's how
many people
view it,
but that's
not the
answer.
The answer
is more
complex and
difficult,
but yet
clear.
God is
supremely
in control
of all
suffering.
God is
in control
of all
suffering.
You see,
behind Satan's
desire to
destroy and
harm is
God's
sovereignty.
Satan is
on a
leash.
God has
him on a
lead.
Or as
Luther once
said,
he is
God's
Satan,
a servant
to God's
purposes.
Look carefully
at what God
says in
this discussion
with Satan.
First,
it's God
who initiates
the conversation
about Job.
So look at
chapter 1,
verse 8.
God initiates
the conversation
about Job.
1,
verse 8.
The Lord
said to
Satan,
have you
considered
my servant
Job?
So God
is in
charge of
all events
here,
not Satan.
Second,
it's God
who permits
the
suffering.
He
initiates
the
conversation,
he permits
the
suffering.
Chapter
1,
verse 12,
read it
carefully.
The Lord
said to
Satan,
very well
then,
everything
he has
is in
your power,
but on
the man
himself
do not
lay a
finger.
God
sets
boundaries.
Chapter
2,
verse 6.
The Lord
said to
Satan,
very well
then,
he is in
your hands,
but you
must spare
his life.
God
sets
boundaries.
You can
do this,
Satan.
You can
allow this
to happen,
but no
more
and no
further.
You will
not cross
the lines
that I
mark out.
Satan
can't
act
without
God's
permission,
without
God's
decree,
without
God's
say-so.
So,
he initiates
the conversation,
he permits
the suffering,
and third,
it is God
who
ultimately
is the
cause.
And I
use that
word
carefully
and with
great
consideration.
Look how
Job
responds
to the
suffering.
Chapter 1,
verse 20.
At this,
Job
got up,
tore his
robe,
shaved his
head,
then he
fell to the
ground in
worship and
said,
Naked I
came from
my mother's
womb,
and naked
I shall
depart.
the Lord
gave,
and the
Lord
has taken
away.
The
Lord
has taken
away.
He's taken
away the
flocks and
herds,
he's taken
away the
servants,
he's taken
away my
children.
May the
name of the
Lord be
praised.
in all
this,
Job did
not sin
by charging
God with
wrongdoing.
God has
done no
wrong in
what has
happened.
And
concerning his
own health,
chapter 2,
verse 9,
his wife
said to
him,
to Job,
this is in
his personal
illness,
are you
still maintaining
your integrity?
Curse God
and die.
Job replied,
you are
talking like
a foolish
woman.
Shall we
accept good
from God
and not
trouble?
Do we
just accept
that in
the course
of life,
God is
in control
of good
things,
but not
in control
of the
hard things
and the
bad things
that happen
in our
life?
In fact,
look at
how the
author
summarizes
what happened
to Job.
Go to
the end
of the
book,
chapter 42,
verse 11.
Here is,
if you like,
the summary,
the conclusion
of the whole
book.
chapter 42,
verse 11.
All his
brothers and
sisters and
everyone who
had known
him before
came and ate
with him in
his house.
They comforted
and consoled
him over
all the
trouble the
Lord had
brought on
him.
They
comforted
and consoled
him over
all the
trouble the
Lord had
brought on
him.
And each
one gave
him a
piece of
silver and
a gold
ring.
God
is the
ultimate
cause
because God
is the
one who
is ultimately
in control.
You see,
if God
is not
in control,
if God
is not
in charge,
then Satan
is.
And at
best,
God is
just an
equal but
opposite
force,
trying to
do his
best,
locked in
an arm
wrestle,
who's
going to
win?
And as
difficult
and as
hard as
it is to
read these
words and
understand the
minds and
the ways of
God,
God is
in control
of all
suffering.
Nothing
happens in
your life
without his
say-so.
Not one
thing.
Every one
of our
days has
been written
before one
of them
came to
be.
Not one
thing is
outside of
the control
of God.
Not one.
And if
God is in
supreme
control,
and if
God is
sovereign
over the
order and
events of
this life,
then here
is a
God who
not only
helps us,
but a
God who
can use
the frustrations
and the
sufferings
and the
struggles
and trials
we may
go through
for good
purposes.
others.
So God
and the
cause of
suffering,
God and
his
control
over
suffering.
And third,
God and
his cross
for our
suffering.
You see,
from what we've
looked at so
far, it may
appear that
God is
cold and
unmoved.
in fact,
it's as if
God is
sitting in
the comfort
of another
world,
immune to
the hurts
and pains
of life.
But we
need to
remember that
just as God
in his
sovereignty,
and in
what in
some ways
remains a
mystery to
us,
that God
who chooses
suffering for
the world
and our
lives,
has also
chosen suffering
for himself.
First,
God suffers
with us.
The unique,
and it
remains unique
to the
God of
the Bible,
to Christianity,
and the
wonderful truth
is that
God has
come to
us in
the person
of Jesus
Christ.
God
comes to
suffer
with us.
Let's
have a look
at Philippians
chapter 2.
Philippians,
Galatians,
Ephesians,
Philippians
chapter 2.
Again,
if somebody
has a page
number just
to help us
all.
1-1-8-0.
Thereabouts.
Philippians
chapter 2,
anyway.
Philippians
chapter 2,
chapter 2.
So God
suffers
with us.
Chapter 2,
verse 6,
tells us
this.
Speaking of
Christ,
verse 6,
who,
being in
very nature
God,
did not
consider
equality
with God
something to
be used
to his
own
advantage.
Rather,
he made
himself
nothing
by taking
the very
nature of
a servant
being made
in human
likeness.
God
became
one of
us.
He never
ever ceased
to be
God.
And yet,
he became
fully human.
And in
Christ,
God lived
and experienced
the pains
and hurts
of life.
He understands
what it is
to live
in a broken
and a dying
world.
And when
personal suffering
came to
Christ,
look closely
at verse 6.
He did
not consider
equality
with God
something to
be used
to his
own
advantage.
So,
Christ did
not exploit
his
Godness
or his
divinity
and somehow
escape the
suffering.
He submitted
himself to
suffering.
Something bad
came along.
It wasn't
that he kind
of flicked
the God
switch and
go,
right,
let's end
the suffering
here.
No,
he remained
fully God
and as
fully man
he submitted
himself
to the
frustrations
and the
broken and
decaying and
dying world.
You see,
here we see
a God
who desperately
loves us
and cares
for us,
that he
would suffer
with us.
He enters
our pain
so that
when we
cry out
to God,
he understands.
A God
who knows.
Not just
because he's
God,
but because
he's experienced
it himself.
God is not
distant and
removed,
unfeeling and
uncaring.
He knows
your hurts.
He subjected
himself to
suffering.
He suffers
with you.
suffering.
But more
than that,
he suffers
for us.
Look at
verse 8.
Being found
in appearance
as a man,
he humbled
himself
by becoming
obedient to
death,
even death
on the cross.
The cross
of God
is the
ultimate
suffering
of God.
God
suffers
for us.
We talked
earlier about
God's judgment
on the world
because of
sinful rebellion
and that
judgment would
continue for
an eternity
unless God
did something
about it.
And the
glorious news
is God
has done
something about
it.
He stepped
in.
The hope
was,
Romans 8
verse 20,
21,
was that
creation would
be liberated
from its
bondage
of decay.
And he
does that
by intervening
into the
world in
the person
of his
Son,
taking on
himself my
sin and
your sin,
suffering the
judgment of
God for
us.
And as
Christ hung
on the
cross,
as he
experienced
that suffering,
he cried
out,
my God,
why have
you forsaken
me?
And at
that moment,
Christ suffers
the abandonment
of God.
He suffers
in its
fullest sense,
the wrath
of God.
He suffers
hell.
He suffers
for me.
He suffers
for you.
And as we
trust him,
we can be
forgiven and
freed from
an eternal
judgment to
come.
Set free
from what
our sins
deserve,
liberated so
that one
day we
might receive
the redemption
of our
bodies.
God suffers
the ultimate
suffering for
us so that
we do not
have to
suffer
eternally.
You see,
suffering
causes us
and says,
look at the
cross.
Come and
see the
God who
suffers with
us, but
look at the
God who
suffers for
you.
A God who
loves you
deeply and
immensely.
Out of
compassion and
mercy, he
comes to
deal with
our suffering.
In all our
questions, we
must never
forget that
when God
chose suffering
for this
world, he
chose suffering
for himself.
and it's
through his
suffering that
will come
our healing.
So where
does this
leave us?
Trust God.
I'm aware
because I
have scribbled
out, rewritten,
re-read,
scribbled out
again, because
I don't have my
questions answered.
Things remain
unresolved in
my mind.
We can still
be angry.
I get that.
Anger is
understandable.
We can still
be hurting.
It's natural.
Our hurts
don't go
away.
It's hard for
us to reconcile
why God
wills and
permits and
at times
causes
suffering.
And then at
the same time
we read that
he submits
to suffering
and he
suffers with
us and
for us
so that
all suffering
would come
to an end.
And we
can't cope
with it.
We can't
hold this
together.
And yet
it's true.
Where we
cannot see
what is
going on
or make
sense of
what is
happening,
what we
can see
is a
God who
is in
control of
all things,
who is
over every
detail of
your life
and over
everything in
this world,
over Satan
himself.
Therefore,
we can
trust him.
In our
questioning,
let God
answer.
Listen
to what
he says.
Let God
be God.
Trust the
God who
suffers with
us and
for us
to end
all
suffering.
Let's
pray.
Let's
pray.
Let's
pray.
Let's
pray.
Let's
pray.
Let's
pray.
Let's
pray.
Let's
pray.
Let's
pray.
Let's
pray.
Lord God,
we
struggle
right now.
We're
struggling.
We
struggle to
understand
everything.
We
struggle to
understand the
suffering that
we are
experiencing
or we
see loved
ones going
through.
We
confess that
we can be
angry.
And we
bring it
all before
you and
ask that
you would
help us
to trust
you as
the God
who is
over all
things,
the God
who came
to suffer
for us
to end
all
suffering
so that
we might
have life
with you.
Help us
to walk
with you
through
these
series
of talks.
Father,
would you
teach us
and would
you help
us where
we cannot
see to
keep
trusting you
to know
that you
have us
in your
arms of
love and
you will
never,
ever let
us go.
Help us.
In Jesus'
name we
pray.
Amen.