The Limp and the Glory

At some point or another, things go wrong, tailspin, derail.  

And sometimes, things never even seem to go right.  

As a fading sunset, our brightest and happiest days end; and like a raging sea, the realities of human frailty and failure (in ourselves and in others) wash over us again and again.  Twin towers of discouragement and doubt rise up in these messes, and so do questions, the kind of questions that need to be answered, but often bear silence on our darkest nights.

Is God - the One who spoke the first word in creation and the Source of all recreation - actually silent?  He cannot be.  All the questions should be asked.

Who rules the wind and the waves?  This question yields an easy answer.  His voice boomed from the helm of a boat and instantly brought the sea to a whisper in Luke 8:24.  He reigns Lord, of all nature and all kingdoms and all peoples.

If this Lord is the good, kind, Savior of the perishing, why then do these waves and threats exist?  This is the harder question.  Like C.S. Lewis wrote so long ago, the answer whispers to us in our joys but shouts to us in our pain, if we are willing to hear it (Is. 40:13).  We can only answer it if we confess that God is God, God is in control, and God is not silent.

The Approach

While some meet the "problem of pain" with a stoic, "this is the way the world spins" kind of acceptance, and respond to it with an "I'll pull through" and "let the dirty water run off the duck" perspective, others meet it with acute sorrow and disappointment in God and His promises, or sometimes, with feelings presiding over faith, reject all God ever said in anger.  All three responses fall short.  Alone, gung-ho rhetoric, tears, and anger fail to find purpose in suffering, squarely face the questions of suffering, or even lean to hear the shouts of God in suffering.  They are cop-outs to validate the individual over the King of the universe, and are default for those too frail to wrestle, to proud to bow, and unwilling to walk away limping in submission forever (Gen. 32:25).

Because we are weak and powerless compared to the Creator of the world and cannot change any circumstance by the word of our power - we should accept the world-spinning reality (Matt. 6:27).  Because we were born with "eternity in our hearts (Ecc. 3:11)" and made for a world of perfection, the brokenness of this world should bother us, and so should cry about it (Gen. 6:5-6).  And because sin and evil and rebellion grieve the heart of God, in a sense we should be angry about it (Eze. 7:8).  

However, our response to circumstances should be the fruit of our response to God.  

If He is indeed God, then our painful questions should be approached first in view of Who rules, and then, how we rightly respond to Him, not the circumstances that kicked off our questions.  He is worthy of our full allegiance, in our worship and our way forward, and He alone shouts all we need to hear on our darkest nights.

Do you believe?

Do you believe that, in the beginning, into darkness and chaos, God spoke light and cosmos (Gen. 1:1)?

Do you believe that to a people living in darkness, God sent the Light of Jesus Christ (Is. 9:2, Jn. 8:12)?

Do you believe that by His death, He purchased men for God from every tribe and tongue and language and nation, and ensured by His resurrection that death is done in, and that He reigns forever to be worshiped (Phil. 2:3-12)?

Do you believe that the One who spins all things in orbit, upholding the universe by the word of His power, also holds you (Heb. 1:3)?

Do you believe there are "no maverick molecules", as R.C. Sproul once said?  Do you believe there are no "pockets of rebellion", as John Piper once said?  And do you echo back what the wife of a martyred missionary said in 1989: "You are not adrift in a sea of chaos (E. Elliot)"?   Does your heart sing, "This is My Father's world (M. Babcock)"?  Do you confess that your Savior reigns, now and forever?  (Just read the end of the Book.)

If we do not believe, we are of all men to be pitied - for there is no order or reason behind all things, there is no purpose for our pain, and there is no hope for an end.

If we do believe, we can courageously and confidently lift our eyes.  Not to the latest self-help book, not to ignore the ugly questions all around, and not to live in a fake world of "all's well", but with a patient faith and a steadfast hope to the King of kings and Lord of lords.  Assume His sovereignty.  Worship Him as the changeless and faithful Rock.  Acknowledge Him as Author of all purpose and Finisher of all faith.  And start with bowing.

And if we limp from here, so be it - for, if anything God said is true, then everything God does is right, and everything we experience is known from eternity past, built into our lives with purpose, and will resound (in the long haul) to "the praise of His glorious grace (Eph. 1:6)".

In your heart, set apart Christ as Lord (1 Peter 3:15).  

He rules...this?

May God preserve us from a religion separate from our reality, and bring us in to wrestle with truth and quickly bow to truth, however it hurts our pride or independence or self-righteousness or feelings of control or cake-with-ice-cream-on-demand.  

If the wind and waves responded to His voice, so must we.

In view of your ugly life circumstance, this particular tragedy, or that heartbreak, do not be tempted to say "this is different" or, "I am off the hook".  Because it's not.  God is still God.  You are still not.  And it is not safe to ignore what the King of the universe said.  It is not safe to play the hypocrite with a religion acknowledges Him on Sunday and a reality spits in His face by shrugging, doubting or rejecting Him on the path of bewilderment or lamentation or "I like how this feels".

This is not different.  You are not off the hook.

The lions Daniel faced were real and ravenous.  The woman bleeding for twelve years actually bled and had no options left.  The disciples who deserted the Messiah were truly AWOL.  Hebrew babies were literally killed by the sword in Egypt.  God's people were led out of slavery to find their backs against the sea.  The Savior of the world was indeed slain by sinful men.  It was not all cool for Saul to get a new name and try to convince Christians he killed that he was now one of them.  

And God said then and still says: "I Am Who I Am (Ex. 3:14)."  

Our options: worship Him or not, kick or kneel, give up or give in to Him.  If you believe He is God, then you must believe He rules this. 

Like Martha, with a brother dead three days and buried in a tomb, you must say: "Yes, Lord, I [still] believe (John 11:27)," that He is the resurrection and the life, and the hope of all the world.

Like the woman at dinner who dumped precious oil on the feet of Christ, you must lay down your dearest things and say, "You are worth it, Lord; I believe." (See John 12:3).

Like Thomas, who glimpsed Christ enough that all his doubting fled, you must hear Christ say to you, "Stop doubting and believe (John 20:27)!"

Like David's men who risked their lives for his whispered wishes, you must say, "I love you and all you say more than life, O Lord."  (2 Sam. 23:15-16)

Like Job who worshiped in literal dust, you must confess, "Yet, I will trust in You (Job 13:15)."

Like three Hebrew boys shoved into a fire, you can expect the presence of God with you, but say "if not - I will not blaspheme my God."  (See Dan. 3:18)

Like Ruth, a foreigner to God and His people, you cannot pursue your own way, but will go far from all you know to join in on the blessings of obedience (Ruth 1:16-18, 4:15).

Like Esther, a captive Israelite never having seen a promise of Yahweh fulfilled, you will expect deliverance, cry out for deliverance, and risk your life on the promise of God (Esther 4:13-16).

Because He is the I AM, you are not adrift.  Your tears are not wasted.  Your questions are worth asking.  Your pain is far from permanent.  You have hope in the reigning King.

May our hearts echo "yes, Lord" from every corner, even as the whole earth resounds with His glory (Is. 6:3).  And may our response overflow with faith that meets every hard day as a small piece of the full story, and a chance to join in with the mighty, developing, and final chorus of Creation: "Hallelujah, for the Lord our God the Almighty reigns (Rev. 19:6)."

Submission to God, and relinquishing of dreams and ambitions and control doesn't really mean tears and sadness; it is, in the long run, the only path to joy and peace.

Why...this?

To those who bow and believe God, Douglas McKelvey recently wrote: "Relinquish now all vain attempts to parse the mysteries of God's intent.  You cannot think His thoughts.  You cannot reckon His deep purposes.  It is enough to know that all He does is done in love for you."  That is enough; it is consistent with His character.  Judgement is for love; discipline is for love; pain is for love.  He hears our "Abba, Father" and, indeed, He loves us completely (see Rom. 8:15 and Heb. 12:7). 

He also promises this: I will be with you (Is. 41:10), there is no condemnation for you (Rom. 8:1), you cannot be separated from me (Rom. 8:39), my mercies never come to an end (Lam. 3:22-23), I have overcome (Rev. 17:14).

With His love in one hand and His promises in the other, we are also given data on the purpose of God in our pains and sufferings:

He is working for your good.  Read slow, because these words are for you: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.  For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified (Romans 8:28-30)."  God is good; our truest joy is found when our deepest delight is to know Him and walk in Him.  He promises here that everything will be wielded to make us know Him more and be more like Him - the source and substance of all good.  If you don't see that yet, it's okay: you can hold onto the promise that He is working for your good.  The God who speaks is also present.

He is preparing an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.  "Do not lose heart...Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight off glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.  For we know if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens... (2 Cor. 4:16-18, 5:1)."  For a Christian, the things that transpire around us or wreck our hearts and dreams are not the end of the story; the end was already written in the Word of God: all glory, all perfection, all redemption will be wrapped up in completely pure worship to the Lamb on the throne for all eternity.  This world was not meant to fulfill our longing for perfection and glory - it is designed to make us long for that "better country".  Our suffering and longing are designed to make us long for the certain promise of glory that cannot be compared to even the best of things on earth.

He is working for the glory of His Name. A blind man was born blind to be healed "that the work of God might be displayed in His life (John 9:3)."  A literal giant was struck down by a shepherd boy before an entire nation "that men might know that there is a God in Israel (1 Sam. 17:46)."  The sun rises and the Creation throbs to declare all glory to God Almighty (Ps. 19:1-4).  Christ Jesus Himself, was delivered up to death "according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God" and was killed so that "all Israel may be assured of this, that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ..." (Acts 22:23-24, vs. 36).  The whole of our salvation - calling, conforming, sealing, sanctifying, glorifying - are to the glory of Him who does "far more abundantly than all we ask or think" (see Ephesians 1-3).  Further, God's purpose to glorify Himself is not dependent upon our cooperation; it is certain because He is all glory: "I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols (Is. 41:8)".  It is right to praise Him, whatever our lot.

He is giving you fuel to comfort others.  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Cor. 1:3-4)."  It is in the darkest night that the stars shine most brightly, that we take hold of promises more securely, and strength is born: strength in dependence, in pointing to the source of all light and the God who is faithful to every promise.  Christians are not called to answer everyone's questions; they are called to point each other and crawl together to the foot of the Cross and the God who does.

He wants you to love Him.  "Let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the Lord have created it (Is. 45:8)."  When people fail us, God does not.  As we fail, we rely on His perfection.  Every good thing reflects a piece of His goodness; every bad things reminds us, "God is not like this".  And so, by the sufferings of this life, He is weaning us from the fading glory of this world, and drawing us towards His excellencies and perfections and weight of glory, and drawing out our hearts to say: "I love you, O Lord."  

We have the promises of God.  We have data on the purposes of God.  And then we come to the hill we think we're dying on, the date we think we'll never move on from, the cloud that will not lift.  He rules this.  He is working through this.  But it's still hard.  What do we do?

Surrendering...This.

An old Puritan prayer book, Valley of Vision, reads: "Teach me that Christ cannot be the way if I am the end, that He cannot be Redeemer if I am my own saviour, that there can be no true union with Him while the creature has my heart...Faith accepts him as Redeemer and Lord or not at all (pg. 309)."

The pain, the beginning, the journey and it's end must be surrendered to the Lord.

Is the end you long for selfish?  Are you striving in your own strength?  Are you adulterated by worldly desires?  Do you walk in disobedience?  Strive for purity.  Be quick to repent.  Give up the fight if the end is yourself.  Submit to God and flee the Devil.

But if you long for the things God longs for, and His glory is the desire of your soul, and your heart is sick of the things of earth, and He is your only Savior and reigns Lord, then find peace here.  Don't give up the fight - follow your Captain who walked every hard road ahead of you.  Christ is the way.  He is the only Savior.  He is worthy of all your life and devotion.  You are not adrift on a sea of chaos.  You are not destined for destruction.  This is not wasted.  He will most certainly accomplish His purposes in your heart even as He accomplishes them in the world.  Surrender in peace, for the flag you want flying is the Great I AM, and the end you desire was written in black and white: He comes to conquer, to reign, and to wipe every tear away.  That promise was purchased for you by a resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ; it is done and it is certain.

If you are a child of God, nothing in this world is supposed to satisfy you.  Be happy if it isn't.  If it begins to, don't let it.

Surrender in faith: God knows best.  And if you limp, limp in hope: you know the end of the story.

Seek His glory, know His presence and go on, with no regrets, no retreats and no reserves.