There Is No Easy Answer to "Why?"

"You never know how much you really believe anything, until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong, as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn't you then first discover how much you really trusted it?"    -C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

Why? The question rings across the centuries and through every generation. All of us ask it sooner or later. If you haven’t yet, you will. It’s a question that does not admit of an easy answer. Yes, the most godly believers have sometimes wondered about the ways of God. And if Job never got a complete answer, what can I expect?

Honestly, as I read the Bible I don’t think there is one single answer to that question. But there are answers. And men and women of faith have found them true throughout the centuries. One answer tucked away in the Bible may surprise you. It's found in a New Testament book we don’t read very much: Second Corinthians.

In the first verses of the first chapter, we discover a perspective on the heartaches of life that may help us. After a brief greeting to his readers (2 Corinthians 1:1-2), Paul (along with Timothy) wishes grace and peace to his readers in Corinth and throughout the surrounding region.

He immediately begins to talk about the comfort he had received during the hardship he had endured as an apostle of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, set the stage for the whole book by plainly saying that no matter what he had suffered, it was more than worth it.

Here we learn right up front an important principle for all of life. It’s not what happens to us that matters; it’s how we react that makes all the difference. In other words, when hard times come, be a student, not a victim!” Think about that for a moment.

A victim says, “Why did this happen to me?”
A student says, “What can I learn from this?”

A victim believes his hard times have come because God is trying to punish him.
A student understands that God allows hard times in order to help him grow.

A victim believes God has abandoned him.
A student sees God’s hand in everything, including the worst moments of life.

That’s the true Christian position.We believe so much in the sovereignty of God, that when hard times come, we know, that God is at work somehow, somewhere, in some way for our good and his glory. Paul says as much in Romans 8:28. As he begins this second letter to the Corinthians, he spells out the same truth in a slightly different way. Here we discover how affliction works four positive benefits for us.

First, it draws us closer to God. There is a divine purpose at work in your life and in mine, and that divine purpose begins with God. Paul calls him the “Father of compassion.” We never discover the depth of God’s compassion until we get in a place where we need God’s compassion desperately. You don’t receive mercy until you are in real trouble!

Second, it equips us to minister to others. In 2 Corinthians 1:6-7, Paul looked at his sufferings– the hardship, deprivation, imprisonment, the unrelenting opposition he faced, and he concluded, “This isn't just for me. God is doing something in me for the benefit of others." We never suffer alone.

Third, it empties us of all self-reliance. We don’t know the exact nature of the hardships Paul suffered in Asia (modern-day Turkey). It might have been extreme opposition from the Jewish leaders. It might have been some sort of serious physical ailment. Whatever it was, the Corinthians knew about it and they understood that Paul thought during his ordeal that he was going to die. He writes to tell of God’s deliverance and to ask the Corinthians for their prayers. (2 Corinthians 1:8-10)

Fourth, it reveals the true power of prayer. Many times we view prayer as the last resort when it ought to be the first resort. I know that prayer sometimes seems futile because we think we need to “do something.” Praying is fine, but how about if we bake a cake? Well, that’s fine too.

But don’t fall into the trap of separating life into the “spiritual” and the “practical.” As if baking a cake is “real help,” while prayer is just something spiritual we do when we can’t do anything else. Very nearly the opposite is true. Through prayer we unleash the power of heaven for the problems we face on the earth. So we ought to pray more, not less in times of trouble. Our prayers do matter!

My friends, no one is exempt from the trials of life. Becoming a Christian is wonderful but it does not free you from the burdens of life. In many ways becoming a Christian may increase your troubles because of spiritual opposition you face. When hard times come, we only have two choices: we can suffer with God, or we can suffer without God.

Some believers never discover this truth. They are perpetual complainers when things get difficult. Life is never fair, they always get the short end of the stick, God has singled them out for punishment. They constantly fight against God’s perspective on their trials and remain tough and hardened when they ought to be soft and tender. As a result, they have nothing to pass along to anyone else. I ask each and every one of you, "What kind of believer are you?'

Scripture: John 14:12-14; Romans 10:9-10; 2 Timothy 2:15; Mark 9:24; John 8:24; Ephesians 2:8

Prayer: Dear Lord Almighty, I come to you as a Humble Child, You know what I seek before I say, You what I need before I could even ask, I ask you Dear Father to be with me in these hard times.When all my hope, faith and strength are fading Father lift me up. Make me see your light. Amen

May your day be blessed,

Cyndi