A PATH THROUGH SUFFERING

A PATH THROUGH SUFFERING Psalm 40:1-5 April 17, 1999 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introductory You probably saw the story in the newspaper or heard it over the news. Last Thursday morning Tommy Smith was riding with his wife just a few hours before he would go to the funeral home for a wake for his son Dontez. Dontez had gotten a little too close to a street fight in East St. Louis a week ago Friday, and he was shot in the head. He died in the hospital on Saturday. Tommy just told his wife to get over into the next lane to allow a truck to pass them. The truck veered, its load of orange juice shifted and the truck with its 40,000 load crushed Smith’s car, killing his wife instantly. Tommy survived, only to attend two funerals of loved ones in a week’s time. Suppose Tommy is a good friend of yours. What will you say to him at the graveside? How do you make any sense out of such tragedy? And, further, may I be so bold as to ask the question so many of you have asked in your heart since hearing of young Caleb Ingerson’s contracting HIV through his blood transfusion--HOW COULD GOD ALLOW SUCH A THING? How can love and justice stand alongside such tragic events? Where is God, and why isn’t He preventing this? Thursday evening we made a tough decision to cancel the cell conference we had scheduled for Friday and yesterday, because so many ended up unable to attend that going ahead with it was financially foolish. When we called brother Larry Daughtry, who was to be the conference speaker and canceled, we also lost our scheduled preacher for this morning. As soon as it hit me that I would be bringing the Word this morning after all, I knew what the Lord wanted me to do. I have talked to so many among our family here who have felt as I have about the news Caleb and his family got last week. We all felt like we had been kicked in the stomach. This beautiful little boy, freshly one year old, a miracle survivor of a multitude of medical problems stacked against him since his birth--the little fighter who, in answer to intense prayer, was delivered out of death’s hands dozens of times--just found out that the blood that he received last August by transfusion during surgery was tainted and HIV positive. There were doubts, but now the series of tests has confirmed, he is positive. This tragic turn of events not only brings Caleb into the severest danger of any infection pushing him into full blown AIDS, but also puts him at risk in that his current medication, which he needs desperately, cannot be mixed with anything that might be given him to help in fighting the deadly virus. And, worst of all, he will be unable to receive the heart transplant that is mandated for him in a couple years if he is to ever live beyond infant years. It is safe to say that the ultimate answers about the WHY of such events remain hidden in the deep reaches of the counsel of God. While we certainly cannot believe He causes such things, they do, in fact happen, and God has chosen NOT to interpose and stop them. There is no question about His ability to do so--we know and believe He can, not only because His Word demonstrates this truth, but because we are eyewitnesses of His miracles. Ironically, even in Caleb’s life! And we must also confess that not even the monster of AIDS can stand against God’s power to heal. Just consider how the Lord has for so long sustained our dear brother Gordon, and has actually improved his condition to the astonishment of the medical experts. An unheard-of reversal of full-blown AIDS happening in the life of a man whose sole purpose is to serve Jesus in every way he can. This is God at work! What haunts us is that He does not always choose to bless and heal and protect people from tragedy and sickness and death, pray as we will. And we must not fall into the hideous theology which teaches that “if they just had more faith, they would have been OK!” Perhaps the cruelest joke ever perpetrated is for someone to tell another who is suffering, who has prayed and stormed heaven with all that he had, “Well, if you would just believe more!” Rabbi Kushner popularized the question with his book, Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? Only two things wrong with his best-selling effort: one, he forgot there is no one GOOD except God, and two, he never did answer the question anyway! He only got as far as Job got in answering the really tough questions--only God knows, and He isn’t telling us--yet. But, while the answer to the WHY questions eludes us, there IS much that the Bible has to say about HOW WE GET THROUGH the tragedies that beset us. More than that, how we can help those around us get through them. I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit; out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. (Psalm 40:1-5) There are some basic things about the way God relates to us we need to know in order to find our way through tragedies and suffering. 1. There is trouble in this world from which God will not deliver us - yet. We often find ourselves a little deluded about our privileged position in Christ. Sometimes we kid ourselves by saying we are immune to difficulty because we are God’s special kids. That is just not so. The promise of God to those who love the Lord and are among the called according to His promise is NOT that He will protect us from struggle. No, but He gives us at least two special promises IN those struggles: 1) He’ll never give us more than we can bear through His strength at work in us, and 2) He will make it all work out for our good as we continue to love and trust Him. We live in a fallen world where the enemy of god and the enemy of all who serve God is still the ‘prince of the power of the air’, and he is not about to let us remain comfortable. Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a Christian is like expecting the bull not to charge you because you are a vegetarian! Jesus said, “In the world you have tribulation. But be of good cheer--I have overcome the world.” We have the ultimate conquest in Jesus, but in the meantime, as Paul says, we carry around this body of death. It’s not a very happy thought--this misery we can expect to encounter in this world, but, Paul said, “I reckon the troubles of this world are not worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed in us.” Billy Graham said, “You’re born; you suffer; you die. Fortunately there is a loophole.” Jesus Christ is our loophole. In Him we find strength and hope and resource to make it through every tragedy and every trial life brings us. We are not only conquerors--we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS. So, in the meanwhile, we remain in this world, beset by sin, hostile to believers as it was hostile to our Lord, and we serve Him in the strength and hope He gives us. Then, one day, we will meet Him face to face, and it will be worth it all. Martha had only a couple of months left to live. She visited one day with her pastor about her funeral plans. After talking over the normal details, she said, “There’s one more thing--when they bury me, I want my old Bible in one hand and a fork in the other.” “A fork?!” her preacher asked surprised. Her answer came: “I have been thinking about all the church dinners I have attended through the years. I couldn’t begin to count them all. But one thing sticks in my mind. At those gatherings, when the meal was almost finished, someone would always say ‘Hang on to your fork! Dessert’s coming!’ When they said that, I knew the best was yet to come. So when people look into my casket at the visitation and ask, ‘Why the fork?’ you tell them for me--tell them it’s because the best is yet to come!” When the world caves in, people without the Lord realize they have nothing to hang on to. They scramble, panic and do destructive things. People outside of Christ do not know how to suffer well. But for Christians, although God does not keep you from suffering, He gives you all you need for victory. 1. There is trouble in this world from which God will not deliver us - yet. 2. God’s reasons are always good when he makes us wait for deliverance. We must learn to trust God’s love for us so that when it’s painful we know that He is still in charge, He’s not letting anything destroy us eternally, He’s working even the bad stuff for our benefit. I can remember as a very young dad when Heather was a sick little one-year-old girl with high fever and vomiting and we took her to the emergency room. The doctor ordered a shot and laid her on her tummy on the table. My job was to keep her occupied by standing at the end of the table, holding both of her hands and talking to her. I was good! While the syringe was being filled I had the happiest one-sided conversation with my baby girl--she was enthralled. I’m sure she even forgot she was sick. But when the needle punctured skin that was only used to soft diapers and Baby Magic, her countenance changed dramatically. She looked at me as though I had betrayed her--suddenly Daddy the clown became Benedict Arnold. I tried to explain to her rationally that this pain was going to be good for her in the long run, but.... The hardest place of all is sometimes not the surgery room, but the waiting room. Waiting for the forgiveness of a friend, the correction of a slander against you, a prodigal to return, a spouse to reconcile, a cure, relief.... Waiting on God always exposes the fiber of our faith. The psalmist says, “I waited patiently...” (vs. 1) Do you find it true that, when you’re waiting on God in the midst of some struggle, and trying to do it patiently, there is always some well-meaning saint who comes along at just the wrong time with a platitude like, “You’re going to be so much DEEPER when this is all finished!” I want to scream, “I don’t want to be deeper--I want to be shallow and have the pain go away!” But I know, I really do, and each of us does, that what we learn in the waiting room is priceless in terms of maturity in our faith. The question is, can we trust God who says, “My plans are not for evil, but for GOOD for you...” Can we trust Him when everything seems to have fallen apart, when the worst thing imaginable happens to us, when we feel absolutely forgotten and abandoned by God? Faith isn’t trusting God to do what we think He should do, it’s trusting Him when He does what He says is right & it feels all wrong to us, and it hurts, and its scary. Trust Him in the dark. 1. There is trouble in this world from which God will not deliver us - yet. 2. God’s reasons are always good when He makes us wait 3. Whatever comes our way, it is always right to trust and obey Him The greatest suffering ever recorded was that endured by Job who lost everything--his children, his home, his fortune, his herds, his health. The only things he didn’t lose were his pontificating, self-righteous friends and his crabby wife. As he sits on the dung hill scraping his oozing boils with the sharp edge of some broken pottery, Job says, “Even if He kills me, still I will trust Him.” [webmasters note: Job 13:15] We marvel at that kind of faith, don’t we? But, let me tell you that if you truly love the Lord, if His will and purpose are what drive you in life, then, when tragedy befalls you, you too will stand. Someone said, “Faith is like a tea bag--you never know what it’s made of until it’s in hot water.” While things are OK, and there is no tragedy, build your faith in every way you can, so that when things go wrong, even terribly wrong, you will stand and not fall. Your faith will be strong. Determine now that you will always and forever trust the lord and not give up--that you will always serve Him, come what may! Isn’t that what you meant when you said, “I believe in the Lord Jesus”? When you said, “I receive Him as my Savior and LORD”? I love the story that Jill Briscoe tells about her son David, who was ten at the time. His father had made an appointment for him to go to the doctor the next day, and that night told David, “You won’t be going to school tomorrow, you are going to the hospital for an X-ray.” David said, “Alright.” The next morning he got into the car with his dad and his face was as white as a bed sheet, and his eyes were frozen open with apparent fright. Stuart asked him, “David, you’re not frightened , are you?” “Of course I’m frightened, Dad!” “Why?” “I know what an execution is!” Jill wrote, the amazing thing was, even though he thought he was going to die he still showed up! When tragedy and trials come your way, trust and obey. “Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust...” [webmasters note: Psalm 40:4] I want to add another exhortation here. There is another source of strength that builds the faith and endurance of the believer who is going through tragedy. It is the prayers of other saints around him. The prayers of the Christians around you who know you and love you are a powerful source of strength. How many times have you said or heard it said, “Thank you for praying for me through that ordeal. I felt your prayers.”? Paul knew this. He was always asking those in the churches to whom he wrote, “Pray for me” “Pray for us”. And he always prayed for those to whom he ministered. And he continually challenged the believers to pray for one another. “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” [webmasters note: Ephesians 6:18] You know what to do for the Ingerson family, and others going through difficulty, don’t you? Pray. Pray for them like Paul prayed for the Thessalonians - that the God of peace would sanctify them through and through. that their spirits souls and bodies be kept blameless until the coming of the Lord. And the flip side of this is so important--Let yourself be prayed for. When you’re going through it, don’t clam up and hide from the saints. Ask for prayer, expect it from those who love you. Tell them your needs, confess your faults and pray for each other that you may be healed. If you don’t, you not only rob yourself of one of the richest resources of strength and endurance (which is basically sinning), but you also rob your brothers and sisters of the privilege of exercising their ministry of intercession over you. Don’t be so proud. Get ministry when you need it. And give it when your brethren need it. Get into a cell group and cement some relationships so you can have that kind of ready support--you’re going to need it someday. 1. There is trouble in this world from which God will not deliver us - yet. 2. God’s reasons are always good when He makes us wait. 3. Whatever comes our way, it is always right to trust and obey God. 4. God’s will is that you glorify Him by being strong under pressure Verse three: “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Tragedy and suffering attract a lot of attention. Everybody’s watching when you face trials--the devil is watching, hoping you’ll fall; the Lord is watching, helping you strengthen your faith; the brothers are watching, praying for your victory; AND the world around you is watching, wondering how you’ll do. What goes on among unbelievers when they hear that so and so became a Christian? Do they say, “O, that’s great! I’m so happy!”? No they look with great skepticism. Your faith under trial wins the respect of outsiders. That’s another powerful reason to maintain strong faith to face the tragedies of life. When the world looks in on your difficulties and hears you singing a new song to the Lord, a hymn of praise to God, they do a double take. You see, there is something far worse than catastrophic suffering in this life-- and that is a wasted life--a life that could have advanced the cause of Christ but didn’t. Listen while I read to you a marvelous example of what I mean. I didn’t finish the story I began with. They interviewed Tommy Smith, the man who lost his son to manslaughter and his wife six days later in a car wreck. Here’s his testimony: “Everyone thinks it hasn’t hit me. But when you spend hours by your son’s bed praying for him, it hits you....” The doctors told him that his son was brain damaged, but Tommy stayed by the bed praying that somehow his son might receive salvation from the Lord. And his son moved his head--he couldn’t do that!. Smith said, “It was like someone was tickling his ear. That was the last time he moved. I believe it was God letting me know my son was in his hands....I feel like Job. But Job was a faithful man, and I am, too. I hope God doesn’t put me through anything else--I don’t think I could take another burden right now, but I’ve learned there is always hope. I believe God will be my comfort in every storm I have to go through, no matter how bad it gets.” Bravo, Tommy Smith! Praise God! He gets glory when His kids are faithful through the storms! I tell you the Belleville News Democrat is a nice paper, but they are not in the habit of printing testimonies to the Lord usually. But when tragedy strikes, everybody’s watching. And the one who makes the Lord his trust is given a golden opportunity for leading others to put their trust in the Lord. 1. There is trouble in this world from which God will not deliver us - yet. 2. God’s reasons are always good 3. It’s always right to trust and obey God, whatever comes your way 4. God’s will is that you glorify him by being strong under pressure. 5. Finally - 5. Trust God’s Word and don’t try to read His mind Verse five of Psalm 40 says God knows things we will never be able to figure out--and we don’t even know how to figure out the things He HAS done, let alone the things He WILL do or IS DOING. “My ways are not your ways”, the Lord says. “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond finding out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?” (Romans 11:33-34) Personal Conclusion What will happen to baby Caleb? We don’t know, but God does. Meanwhile, we pray for the miracles - again. Best case scenario - Caleb is healed through the caring intercession of the body of believers. God gets the glory, we avoid undue sorrow, and Caleb gets to grow up and serve Jesus in this world. It won’t be difficult to praise the Lord in such circumstances. And as children of the Lord, believing in His mighty power and compassion, we storm the gates of heaven with our requests--and rightfully so. God has asked for our requests. Worst case scenario: he will die still an infant. If that happens it will seem terrible to all of us, especially to his parents and siblings and grandparents. It would be a severe disappointment to those who have prayed, as well. But, for just a moment, allow me to lift the curtain a little so we can see what might be going on back stage, where the Lord God almighty is working things out to the good of those who love Him. What might God’s perspective on all this be? Again, worst-case scenario. Caleb leaves this world prematurely and avoids all kinds of additional pain and suffering; he leaves a brief, but spectacular, life of stamina and smiles, all testimony to the God who loves him and whom he loves in his beautiful child like way, and he goes to be with the Lord forever. It really wouldn’t be right to grieve for him, would it? The Lord himself wins, because “Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His saints.” [webmasters note: Psalm 116:15] The Christian family and friends left will grieve our loss, of course. And what of the healing we pray so desperately for? Well, we’ll just ask him when we arrive with him in that place where there is no more death or mourning or crying or pain, because the Lord is wiping away every tear from their eyes, and the old order of things will have passed away. Ask Caleb then. Sanctified as he is in his Christian family and this family, his church, Caleb cannot lose. TO LIVE IS CHRIST - TO DIE IS GAIN! (Philippians 1:21) You see? In God’s economy, there may be pain in this world, but we consider with Paul “that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed.” (Romans 8:18-19) So, as we wait in this world of trials and tragedies, keep on praying with deep faith and sincerity, keep on bearing through suffering, and helping one another, and hang on to your fork. And through it all, we have this confidence--that God is working out his purpose in each and all of us. And He will give us the opportunity to witness for Him out of tragedy--and a lost world will be watching.         [Top]