 "Small
Straws In A Soft Wind"
September 28, 2005
: by Marsha Burns
"I have heard your prayers, and My ears have been attentive to your cries," says
the Lord. "Watch and be amazed at how quickly and easily I bring resolution to
current dilemmas. That which has brought great consternation and confusion will
suddenly dissolve. If you will quiet your soul and wait for My wisdom, that
which has the potential to be disastrous can be dispersed without incident. Now
is the time when you should quietly wait for My answers to difficult questions
before you take action."
But those who wait on the
LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. -- Isaiah 40:31
|
September 28, 2005
Francis
Frangipane:
"So, why does the Lord tolerate the grief and suffering that abounds on planet
earth?
"
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
www.frangipane.org
 God's
Reward
It seems that every couple of months, there is a major disaster or conflict
somewhere in the world. With regularity, the images of human suffering explode
into our consciousness, and we are confronted, not only with our frailty, but
also with deeper questions about the nature of God.
Some people file every natural disaster under the label, "Wrath of God." The
perception that the fist of an angry God is purposefully causing untold agony,
destroying the righteous together with the wicked, is an acceptable reality to
them. In my opinion, such thinking tends to keep people somewhat aloof from the
calamities themselves. Such analyses, however, are not easily assimilated by
those whose hands have lifted the decaying bodies of the dead and whose ears
still ring with the wail of the stricken.
Consider the repetition of suffering in our world since the end of December,
2004. First, we were deluged with images of the great Asian tsunami. Roaring
into unsuspecting villages, in a few horrifying moments it swept almost 250,000
souls into eternity. Over the following months, more earthquakes rocked Sumatra,
then Iran and elsewhere, killing additional thousands. We've repeatedly seen the
face of starvation in Africa and other third world counties. Then recently, we
struggled to comprehend the gut-wrenching destruction caused by storms,
especially Hurricane Katrina. As the tide of terror ebbs from our memory, we
ask: Where was God in these disasters? Did He cause them? Is He angry?
Beyond the Visible
Modern technology has enabled us to become aware of our world's reoccurring
natural disasters. It is our awareness of human pain that disturbs us and moves
us to pray, give, or help. But the fact is, our world is constantly harvesting
heartache and sorrow, but it is unreported. Yet, God sees it. Each year, over 57
million people die worldwide from various causes. God sees every death, even
those who vanish forever into eternal darkness without Christ.
Globally, another 50 million babies are
brutally aborted each year, and every muffled cry enters our Father's ears and
descends into His heart. He sees the horrors of murder, rape, and abuse; He is
conscious of the starving, the diseased, and the victims of accidents and wars.
He is not the author of these particular deaths, but He is conscious of the
collective suffering rising from our world.
However, the question is, where is God in all this? In ancient mythology, gods
were portrayed as supernatural beings seated above humanity, luxuriating in a
sensual "heaven." Not only were they indifferent to human suffering, causing
pain was like a sport to them. They were capricious, given to sudden and
unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.
God is Never Far
From Us
When I hear people connect terrible storms, earthquakes, or disasters with
divine wrath, I feel that, as Christians, we should at least be cautious, lest
we unconsciously draw upon pagan imagery and misread the activity and heart of
God. Pagan gods caused calamities; they were without compassion in their
unrestrained affliction of mankind. Yet, the Spirit of God is united with us
during hardship. His promise is that He will never leave us, nor forsake us.
Yes, He abides in eternity in a "high and holy place" (Isaiah 57:15c), but He
also dwells in the realm of time with the contrite and lowly of spirit, where He
seeks to revive the spirit of the lowly (Isaiah 57:15c). The true God is not far
from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist (Acts 17:27-28). Paul
spoke these words to unsaved Greeks; God was close even to them.
The Spirit of God is consciously involved
with every aspect of our lives, even to numbering the hairs on our head. Hebrews
4:13 tells us that "There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things
are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." Jesus said
that the Father not only sees in secret (Matthew 6:4,6,18), but even a sparrow
will not "fall to the ground apart from [our] Father" (Matthew 10:29).
If we are seeking to know the relationship of God to human suffering on planet
earth, we need to accept this primary truth: God is not separated from human
sorrows. The idea that the Almighty is removed from mankind's sufferings, I
believe, is a deception rooted in paganism.
He
Experiences Our Pain
Let us probe deeper into God's nature. The Lord is not only conscious of
mankind's suffering, a dimension of His heart is also wounded with our wounds
and pained by our sorrows. Consider, even while Israel was suffering the
consequences of its sin, God was united with them.
Scripture reveals that a time came when the
Lord "could bear the misery of Israel no longer" (Judges 10:16). What an insight
into God's heart! He was not sitting in Heaven watching from a distance,
measuring how much suffering His people could endure; He was with them, actually
experiencing their accumulative misery!
Why should this idea of God suffering be strange to us? Throughout the Bible, we
read that one aspect of the divine nature is that He is "longsuffering" (Exodus
34:6, Psalm 86:15 KJV). His wisdom may be all knowing and His power fully
capable, but His heart feels our pain. God suffers. He does not, like pagan
gods, harden His heart to human pain.
When Israel had been enslaved by Egypt, the Lord told Moses, "I have surely seen
the affliction of My people . . . and have heard their cry." He said, "I know
their sorrows" (Exodus 3:7 KJV). God saw, He heard, He knew their sorrows, and
thus was moved with compassion to help. When I personally see, hear, and know of
human suffering, I am troubled deeply; I desire to help. This is exactly the
heart of God! Our desires to help relieve suffering are not merely human traits,
but a replication of the likeness of God Himself (see Genesis 1:26).
When wickedness fully corrupts a culture, yes, it forces the Lord to execute
judgment. However, it is a task of last resort. He feels "no pleasure in the
death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 33:11). Even then, the idea of God causing pain
must be balanced with the reality that He feels the pain He causes.
Those Whom He Loves
This is not a message about divine wrath, but about the vulnerability
of God's heart. I am not saying that the Lord does not correct us. I have known
the discipline and correction of the Lord, even when it seemed severe. I agree
with the Psalmist who wrote, "It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may
learn Your statutes" (Psalm 119:71).
Those whom God loves, He reproves and
disciplines. Yet, it is not an angry God who corrects me, but a loving heavenly
Father who disciplines me for my own good. Indeed, this is the great revelation
that the Messiah brought to mankind: the Almighty God is not distant. He is our
Father.
Several years ago, I had suffered through a particularly difficult time. I
sought the Lord about the pain that I endured. He answered simply, "I have been
as gentle with you as possible." Suddenly, I saw that it was the devil who
caused most of the pain; people and my own poor reactions caused the rest.
Yes, the Lord was involved, redeeming a bad situation, turning it toward good --
helping, restoring me, and teaching me discernment and wisdom through it all.
God is our Father. It causes me pain to discipline my children. I do not enjoy
it. As a child, before my dad would spank me, he would always say, "This is
going to hurt me more than it does you." Is this not the way of God with us? Is
He not our Father?
What God Himself Seeks
Yet, why does the Lord tolerate the grief and suffering that abounds on planet
earth? Jesus explained it this way, "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold
all that he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:45-46).
God is looking for something valuable, something costly. Yes, the Father found
one pearl of great price in His Son, but there is something else the Father
seeks: the replication of His Son in us. Romans 8:29 reveals His glorious
purpose saying that He has "predestined [us] to become conformed to the image of
His Son."
The pearl of great price -- Christ -- is not only the payment for our sins, but
He is the pattern for our lives. Even as the life of Christ flooded the Father's
heart with pleasure, so our conformity to Christ justifies the sorrows and
suffering of our times. God is using the pain of these days to conform us to His
Son. In spite of the sorrows and sufferings of this present age, something
precious is being born. Jesus called these difficult events "birth pangs,"
divine contractions, forcing us into conformity to the Pearl of Great Price.
As I write, Hurricane Rita is bearing down on the American Gulf states. When my
editor reviewed this message, she informed me that Rita actually means "pearl."
Beloved, God is with us in our heartache, let us be with Him in the
transformation of our lives. Let us give to God His own reward for creating man.
Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
www.frangipane.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Christ's Image Training
If your heart is stirred to more passionately pursue the nature of Christ, you
might consider our online school, In Christ's Image Training. Our next term will
be starting October 6th.
Please Note: Registration closes October 3rd.
For more information, we invite you to visit our website at
www.icitc.org.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
~~~~
Francis Frangipane's Upcoming Itinerary:
September 28-October 3, 2005
God Digital Celebration
Jerusalem, Israel
www.god.tv
October 11-13, 2005
Mission America Coalition (MAC)
Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL
Register
October 21-22, 2005
Writer's Workshop with Francis Frangipane
River of Life Ministries
Cedar Rapids, IA
Register
|
