Wednesday, April 17, 2013

God is Listening


This is the second time within five months that I’m writing a blog in response to a violent tragedy.  Like what took place in December at Newtown, CT, I am equally horrified and shocked by the sadistic bombing that took place at the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15!  How can people make bombs and fill them with shrapnel with the sole purpose of inflicting as much death and damage on others as they can?

All of us here at St. Mark join our hearts in praying for those families and individuals who are suffering, especially those three families who have lost loved ones.  Our hearts go out to them and we will continue to daily lift them up in our prayers. 

But tell me, do you ever feel as if God isn’t listening?  When you pray to keep people safe and then a tragedy happens, like Boston, do you feel as if God is ignoring you?  When you pray to be healthy and then you’re told that you have cancer, do you feel as if God is punishing you?  When you pray for forgiveness and yet you’re constantly reminded of your sin, do you feel as if God is condemning you?

Rest assured that if you have a relationship with God by faith in Jesus Christ, He not only is listening to you, He’s answering you.  He promises, “Call upon me in the day of trouble.  I will deliver you, and you will honor me” (Psalm 50:15).  Notice that God doesn’t just promise to listen.  He promises to answer.  He promises deliverance.  Of course, sometimes, His version of deliverance is a bit different than ours.

We want to be delivered from pain.  God wants us to be delivered from evil.  We want to be delivered from hardship.  God wants us to be delivered from eternal hell.  For that reason, God doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we want Him too.  When we pray, God will answer “yes”, “no” or “wait” depending on what we need, not just what we want. 

If He sees that our continued suffering will bring us closer to Him and closer to heaven, guess what?  We’re going to continue suffering.  If He sees that our continued tragedies will lead us to have opportunities to witness our faith, guess what?  He’ll keep using those tragedies to accomplish His purpose of bringing people to heaven.

That puts a different spin on events like the bombing at Boston, doesn’t it?  Events like that lead us to cherish our loved ones even more.  Events like that lead us to realize our life is short.  Events like that lead us to realize that we need to act now.  As Christians, you and I have the only message that promises true, lasting deliverance from trouble.  We have the message that Jesus is the only Savior.  As our Savior He took all of our trouble, all of our pain, all of our death that we deserve to the cross.  He did that so that by His death and His resurrection from the dead, we are forgiven, at peace, and destined for heaven by faith in Him.

That undeniable fact is the ultimate answer to our prayers.  It doesn’t matter how much trouble we have in this life.  It doesn’t matter how much pain we experience.  Life in heaven is awaiting us, because Jesus is THE answer to our prayers!  In heaven, there will be no more pain, nor bombs, nor sin, nor guilt, nor death.  There will be only life, love and perfection. 

Tell me, isn’t that something worth thanking God for?  So the next time you pray for something, remember God loves you so much He’s not just listening.  He’s answering…according to HIS will…for your eternal good!

Please join me in this prayer: Father in heaven, be with those who have been affected by the bombings at the Boston Marathon.  Please be with the families whose loved ones have died.  Comfort them with your promise of life over death for all who believe.  Help those who are hurt.  Guide the doctors and nurses who care for them.  And in all things, your will be done.  We trust your promise that you will work good from this.  You are a powerful and gracious God who always answers our prayers according to what we need.  Amen.

-Pastor Chris Johnson, Outreach and Young Adult Pastor

3 comments:

  1. Sometimes for me Pastor Chris this is very hard to get behind when the sun has gone down on my pain and anger day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year with no resolution and no light in sight. Carrying the tension has imbittered me at times and has driven me into quiet discontent. I suppose I can look at it as my weak faith, but I can't get my mind around that. Waiting until heaven for resolution seems hollow to me. The thought of waiting to have further tragedy and pain thrust upon me to help get my faith in line and teach me to wait for heaven is quite disatisfying to me. Pretending everything will be alright is not authentic. I know I must sound contentious, but I am not. I just know this answer no longer brings me comfort. Feel free to respond. I would enjoy your dialogue. Your insight may give me something to grab onto.

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    1. Good morning Deb! Thank you for your authenticity! I'm sorry to hear about how long you have been suffering with your pain and anger. I'm truly praying for you and others who are enduring the same.

      Without knowing your situation, here's what I've learned through my own suffering. No matter what happens, God loves me. In every bad time I face, God promises to be with me. When my wife and I had to bury our baby, God was with us, comforting us with His love, His peace, and His purpose.

      Burying a child has been the most painful experience I've ever gone through...there are others...but that's been the worst for me. I daily live with the pain of not having my child in my life.

      But what that experience has taught me is that sometimes our suffering isn't about us. Sometimes, it's about how people see the light of God in us when we are in our darkest moments. Sometimes, it's about pointing other people to the hope that only Jesus brings, even when we are really struggling. That's really the only purpose I can see for the reason why God took our baby from us. It's about helping me help others who go through the same thing.

      When you say that waiting until heaven for resolution seems hollow, I can see your point. Finally, ULTIMATE resolution will be when we get to heaven. That was my point in my original blog post. However, are there resolutions that come along the way in this life? Definitely! Our eyes need to be open to what those resolutions are.

      Sometimes suffering does help get our faith in line. 1 Peter 1:6-9 comes to mind. But like I said, that may not be the case for your suffering. Maybe what you're going through is to help others. That thought maybe doesn't ease the pain, but it brings purpose to the pain.

      Pretending everything will be alright is definitely NOT authentic! I agree. Other people have a hard time relating to us if all we do is pretend that life is a bunch of roses. That's why when you go through the pain, it's good to be transparent with people. It's good to let those close to you know that you're hurting. It's good to share your brokenness, because through the cracks the light of God's love and hope show through. It's good to cling to God's promise of working ALL things out for your good, because He loves you (Romans 8:28-39).

      The Apostle Paul spoke of that wonderful truth when he was inspired to write in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

      Deb, you don't sound contentious at all, just hurting. God loves you. You are His dear child. You have His power at work in your life. You have His purpose for your life. The secret to contentment is figuring that out. I would love to talk with you personally about this at some point to help you figure it out. Feel free to give me a call at my office at 920-336-2485. I promise, there will be no judgment, only my ears to hear you and my mouth to share the truth in love. God be with you!

      Pastor Chris

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  2. Thanks Pastor Chris. You have given me some release. I have always seen my suffering as my weakness with the purpose of fixing me. When actually it could be that I am ok and my pain may have another purpose, a grander purpose, to bring glory to His name. I have always been able to say that and see that in other people, but never connected the dots for myself. Funny how blind my heart can be, but also I can't figure out why I would be so blessed that He would use me that way, I am so sinful. I guess I have some journalling to do. I appreciate your openess and love. Thanks.

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