This weekend, in our Can’t Believe series, we’ll be looking at those who “can’t believe” because they feel disappointed with God.
For some of you, this disappointment comes from your life not going “according to plan.” You wanted to be married by now, but you aren’t; You thought you should get the promotion at work, but you didn’t; You had hoped that your kids would turn out one way, but they turned out another.
For many of you, though, you can pinpoint a specific event that has you hurting. You are suffering and grieving and wondering if God is really out there.
The gospel speaks a word of hope to both groups. In times of suffering, we have three options. We can (1) abandon our faith in God, (2) ignore the pain, or (3) allow the pain to drive us deeper into the gospel. Only by allowing the gospel to speak to our deepest hurts will we ever gain the true hope and comfort our souls yearn for.
I want to point you to an excellent resource to help you take the journey of grief with the hope of the gospel. This was put together by Brad Hambrick, the Summit’s head counselor.
Facts of Life… and of Death
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
When my mother reached her late 80′s, she suffered a series of strokes which left her very confused, mentally. She didn’t know who my sisters and I were. Mother became a shadow of her former self. I would sit by her and recall happier days of standing with her in the backyard to watch the sun go down, or harmonizing with her on her favorite hymn.
Strange how we expect the parade of life to go on forever; when it finally runs out of steam, we feel cheated, as though someone should have told us it was this short, this hard, this… final. But death is supposed to be hard. Perhaps it’s supposed to be a taste of hell. The wages of our sin is death; could God have in mind for us to feel – really feel – a little of what the Savior bore? God may want to remind us of what sin would have earned us, had it not been for Christ. I guess the throes of death are our birth pangs before we enter heaven’s bliss. These are sobering thoughts. But the facts of death often can be as harsh as facts of life.
When a loved one dies, it should be an alarm clock, a waving red flag, warning us, ‘Wake up! Examine yourself! Have you made your peace with God?’ When a natural disaster strikes, killing many, the alarm should sound louder. I can’t say what God has in mind with untimely deaths, but I can say we are all heading for the grave, some of us sooner than others. And that should make us sit up and take notice: what have we done with Jesus? Will we be ready? Think about this today. Are you ready? How can you help prepare a loved one or friend who is facing death?
Almighty God, help me to grasp how brief our days really are, and give me a sense of urgency to share the Gospel with friends and loved ones who do not know Jesus!
Blessings,
Joni and Friends
http://www.joniandfriends.org
JD, I loved the sermon this weekend. As you can imagine, it really spoke directly into my current circumstance (my wife moved out).
I’m sure you can imagine the emotional ups and downs I’ve felt, the fact that how I *feel* changes every day.
The question I keep coming to is this: what is rescue without the *sense* of rescue? I can trust that God will work everything for my good and his glory. I can submit to his plan. But why, then, don’t I feel better? How can God be my rock, refuge, and strength when I still don’t feel secure, safe, or strong?
Salvation is often illustrated with a fireman pulling someone from a burning building. It is nonsense for someone to be rescued from a burning building, but then still feel like they’re trapped inside.
I’m still choosing to believe in God’s steadfast love, but this question tugs at my heart and makes the grief seem large.
James
James,
I’m J.D.’s research assistant and thought I would jump in here to help answer your question. I’ve included a link below that deals with a similar sort of question, if you want some more information.
I agree with you that if the “fireman analogy” that you give were the only one we had, it would be silly for anyone who is saved to not FEEL that salvation. But salvation is more complex than that. Paul talks about our salvation as something that has occurred in the past, but also as something that will be completed in the future. The Christian life is a tension in that way. As Luther said, we are ‘simul iustus et peccator’ – ‘at the same time righteous and sinners.’ So even if we submit to God’s plan and trust in him, part of us might not fully EXPERIENCE that just yet. That’s why it’s so crucial to go back to the gospel, to let the facts of that salvation seep into our hearts until it drives our feelings.
http://www.jdgreear.com/my_weblog/2012/07/but-what-if-i-dont-feel-saved.html