This week I got “the question”. This question is one that I get asked frequently and every time I wish I had a one size fits all answer… preferably a good one. But every time the circumstances surrounding “the question” are dramatically different. Combining that with varying levels of emotional ties, maturity levels, faith levels, etc. makes “the question” a challenge every time.

So maybe you have a go to response but for me I have to work through my response on a case by case basis. So this blog entry is going to be nothing more than me responding to “the question”: How can God allow (insert bad thing here)? Or another variation: How can there be a God if (insert bad thing here) is happening?

I am not going to present all of the details because I have limited knowledge of the situation but in general we have a married individual with an infant child who has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness. I am sure we could all take this story and immediately personalize it with a similar story. As with most things the closer the story is to home the greater the impact.

If this was your spouse, your child, your sibling, your parent, etc. the impact is greater than if it is just somebody you know. It is this level of emotional connection that I find the most challenging to balance in my response. Sometimes you have the “consequences of actions” argument. For example the person who smoked 3 packs a day for 30 years who has been diagnosed with lung cancer.

I personally hate pulling this card because isn’t God able to heal that individual as much as somebody who didn’t “do anything wrong.” Besides what message does that send about God’s grace… I am thankful that I don’t get what I deserve.

In this situation I don’t know all the parameters so I couldn’t speak to that anyways. So here are some of my thoughts in no particular order as I try to work through what God would have me say:

God didn’t create us to be sick. It wasn’t until sin came into the picture that we would have to face a physical death and illness. In Genesis it talks about being created in His image and I promise you God isn’t concerned about getting the swine flu. I don’t have time to go into the “God gave us the choice because true love is a choice not a requirement” conversation but it is the curse of sin that causes sickness.

The sickness doesn’t even have to reflect your personal actions as described above but it is the overall curse of sin. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

There are a ton more scriptures to reference here but I need to keep moving. So God didn’t make us sick but He has the choice to allow it. This is where the conversation gets complicated. Why does God heal certain people and let others suffer and/or die? Let me start by responding I don’t know exactly but my faith has to say that in either case He is God. Now for the unbeliever this makes no sense and I get that because there have been many times that this has been a tough pill for me to swallow.

God has the ability to “cure” His creation. The important thing to remember is that ultimately He has done that by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross. This was done for all of our sins and provides us the cure for every illness and provides us eternal life in heaven. (Insert John 3:16 here)  This is really, really, really good news but offers little comfort to the unbeliever, and even the believer, who is dealing with this.

I look at Paul, author of a majority of the New Testament, who was afflicted with a “thorn in his flesh”. Was this an illness, a temptation, a crazy family, I don’t know but it was obviously a big enough deal for him to bring it up multiple times. Regardless of what it was God chose not to “heal” him of it.

In the end we have to figure out a way to release the “BIG picture” to God. It is easy to allow doubt to creep in and destroy our faith during these circumstances. Doesn’t Paul’s thorn give us some sort of comfort today? It does for me. His faith and obedience to God all the while facing his struggle gives me hope that I can too. This is just a glimpse of the “BIG picture” that God may or may not have had for Paul.

I don’t know if I am any closer to a great response to the question but I am running out of blog time so here are a few closing thoughts:

I don’t believe that God’s sovereignty (supreme power) is increased by our faith but our faith is increased by His sovereignty. What I am saying is that if God chooses not to heal, He no less God.

I am not a gambling man but my odds of being healed are far greater when I am investing in a personal relationship with Him. Worst case scenario this relationship will give me eternal healing in heaven.

Lastly, regardless of where you fit into the equation I have found no greater source of hope than in Christ. In a world that has bad news around every corner I have found there can only be one true source of hope. I may not understand everything that God does or doesn’t do but I have faith that He has my best interest at heart. I don’t think there is any other being qualified enough for me to trust that much.

 Like any great Dad He wants the best for His kids. I can imagine that there is a lot of pain on His side as we refuse to let Him be a part of our lives.  So my prayer in this specific situation is that whether it is the sick spouse, the healthy spouse who may be left to raise the child alone, The child who may grow up missing a parent, the parents, the siblings, the family and the friends, that they would discover the hope that I have. The hope that says regardless of how bad it may look there is no greater source to turn to. This world can offer up some nasty hurt but ultimate healing can only come through one source… God.

After 1,112 words I still have no great response. God help future ministers if I ever get the opportunity to amend a licensing test.

My Prayer: God, please give me wisdom and knowledge beyond this should I ever get the opportunity to minister to this family. Amen.