"…the Lord disciplines those he loves..." – Hebrews 12:6
We have this idea, and well we should, that God is good. He embodies goodness. Everything He thinks is good. Everything He does is good. God is good! We also have another idea, and we should not, that the Christian life is easy and if we are experiencing hardship that it automatically means we are not in the will of God, have some hidden sin in our lives, or God is judging us. While any of these may be the reason for our hardship, it is not necessarily so. Here is the rub, what seems good to us and what is good to God are sometimes two different things. “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher that the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” (Isa 55:8-9). Let us consider Job, a man whom God calls, “blameless and upright a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8).
Now Job was, by God’s own admission, a man who followed after God. One day Satan comes to the Lord and God asks Satan if he has considered Job. Satan responds that Job’s life is going well for him and God has put a hedge around him, his household, and all he has and God has also blessed the work of his hands and prospered him. Satan challenges God to “…stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely cure you to your face.” (v11). To which the Lord replies, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” (v12). So Satan strips Job of 500 yoke of oxen plowing and 500 donkeys grazing and the servants with them through an attack from his enemies. Before this servant who escaped can finish delivering the message another appears with the message that his 7,000 sheep and servants were burned up by the fire of God which fell from the sky. Before this servant, again the sole survivor, could finish his message another appeared saying 3,000 camels were carried off an all the servants put to death by a raiding party. While he was still speaking another servant, yet again the only survivor, relays the message that his 7 sons and 3 daughters were all killed when the house they were in collapsed from the wind. In short, most all of what Job has is devastated in a matter of minutes. Job tears his robe and shaves his head and falls down to the ground in worship saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Satan returned to the Lord and God asks him if he has considered Job who “…still maintains his integrity though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” (2:3). Satan responds that Job will give all he has for his life and if God were to stretch out His hand and strike his flesh Job would surely curse God to His face. God tells Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.” (v6). Satan then afflicts Job with painful sores from foot to head. Job’s wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (v8). Job replies, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (v10). Scripture tells us, “In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.” (v10).
Job wrestles with the fundamental question, “How can God be good if He has allowed this to happen to me?” The answer, I believe, lies in the all-knowing wisdom of God. What looks good to us (a peaceful and financially prosperous life) is not always what is good for us. God cares more about our character and who we are becoming than He does about how peaceful and financially prosperous we are, unless by prosperous you mean spiritually prosperous. God uses adversity to help shape our character and to remind us we are dependent on Him for all our needs. He uses it to build up our faith. We have a choice in the middle of adversity: have faith in God or question God. God does not guarantee we will understand everything He does, but He does guarantee us that He is good (1 Chr 16:34, Ps 25:7, 34:8, 100:5, 145:9, Nahum 1:7). While we would never wish hardship on people, we know that God uses all things in our lives no matter where they came from (Rom 8:28) and He will accomplish His will no matter what comes.
Here is the point: God does not guarantee us a trouble-free life if we follow him. Scripture tells us in 2 Tim 3:12, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Now if we are experiencing hardship, we must ask God to help us discern the source. There are several possibilities here:1 1. We live in a sin-scarred world were bad things happen to good people. 2. As a consequence of our own sin. 3. As a result of the Satan’s work. 4. Persecution from non-believers. 5. We are sharing in Christ’s suffering 1 Pet 2:20-21. 6. God is using our hardship to discipline and grow us. 7. God is using persecution to further His message (consider Christ and the martyrs Heb12:3). If we are experiencing hardship because of sin, repent. If we are experiencing hardship because of Satan and/or non-believers or a sin-scarred world, we can pray for God’s deliverance while asking Him if this is ours to endure. If we are experiencing hardship and believe it to be His permissive will allowing it, then we know He is treating us as sons and daughters using adversity to strengthen our faith in Him. Read 1 Peter 1:3-9. Now let’s look at Hebrews 12:5-11:
5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
God is always at work in the middle of your hardship. He uses all things for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28). Note not all things come from Him, but He uses them in our lives anyway. What an awesome God! Think of Paul in prison, beaten, stoned and left for dead, but He knew that He was in the will of God. Think of Joseph sold into slavery and in prison wondering about if God’s dream would ever come to be. But what they meant for evil God used for good (Gen 50:20). I’ll bet there were moments of question in the middle of the hardship, though. Think of Moses, David, the prophets, the disciples – Scripture is filled with people who endured hardship and found the blessing of God.
When hardship hits here are some pointers for how to respond:2 1. Believe God cares for you deeply (Rom 8:37-39, Ps 23). 2. Turn to God in prayer and seek His face (Ps 27, 40, 130). 3. Expect God to give you the grace necessary (1 Cor 10:13, 2 Cor 12:7-10). 4. Read the Word of God, especially Psalms of comfort (Ps 11, 16, 23, 27, 40, 46, 61, 91, 121, 125, 138). 5. Ask God for discernment through prayer, Scripture, Holy Spirit’s voice, and advice from a mature believer.
Lord God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, help us in our adversity. Help us know we are your children and you are our all-powerful God. Help us to know how you are using these times in our lives. We look to you for our answer even if the way out is through. Comfort us and help us grow into the mature followers you desire us to be. Help us to hold fast to you no matter what comes our way. We choose to put our hope, trust, and faith in You, even if we don’t understand why we find ourselves in the circumstances of our lives. You are the awesome, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, gracious, merciful, just, and loving God. We trust in You!
Amen!
Footnotes
1 Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. "The Suffering of the Righteous." Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. 720-722. Print.
2 Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. "The Suffering of the Righteous." Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. 720-722. Print.
References
All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.
