FAITH: IS IT REASONABLE?

Ron Bainbridge

TODAY’S MESSAGE OF

FROM

Discovering a BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES

https://abl-alb.wixsite.com/discoverabetterlife

(Stories of Real People, Real Events, Real Places)

Are dedicated to HELPING

PEOPLE FIND PEACE and HOPE

(John 10:10)

(April 22nd, 2020)

FAITH: IS IT REASONABLE?

Friend, why is it that we sometimes feel as if God has left us to deal with life all by ourselves? -- Well, several people in the Bible faced the same question. -- Just think of Jesus’ suffering on the cross. The night before His death, He had begged God to spare Him, but His prayer was interrupted by the guards who had come to arrest Him.

Jesus had harmed no one. He only went around doing good things. But they still nailed His body to the upright cross and lowered it into the ground as punishment for a good life.

When Jesus was close to death, He cried out in a hoarse voice, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). -- Then the sky blackened, and an earthquake struck! And everything Jesus said seemed to disintegrate. -- And many people asked the question, where were the promises of God, when they placed the body of Jesus in a dark tomb?

However, early Sunday morning the tomb was found to be empty!

The word soon spread. And the tears of His garden prayer, the anguish of the cross, and the questions over God’s silence were all gone. -- God did care! Jesus was alive!

Friend, as we consider the suffering of Jesus, we learn much about God’s faithfulness. Jesus struggled through a crisis with no apparent help from heaven. And in this struggle He seemed to say, “I know God is there, but He is silent.” -- However, God did answer, in His own time, and in His own way.

The American novelist Ernest Hemingway was severely wounded by an explosion on the Italian front during World War I and when he was brought in for medical attention, the Doctors picked 237 metal fragments out of his body. Eventually, his physical wounds healed but he never recovered from the trauma of seeing death at close hand. He never forgot the suffering of men who lost limbs or eyes, or whose faces needed reconstruction.

Friend, it was out of his suffering that Hemingway developed a formula for his novels. He nearly always put his main character in a difficult situation: which was a predicament involving violence, suffering, and death.

During the crisis, the character’s false values and pretensions would slip away. Life suddenly would become clear. Yet, sadly, the resolution that happened to his characters never occurred in Hemingway’s life. The pain of his war time experiences always remained with him.

Like many people who have suffered, Ernest Hemingway never heard any message from God. And as we reflect on that, perhaps we should ask ourselves the question: What is God’s word to those who are searching for answers? The truth is God does not explain everything about suffering!

For instance, the Bible does not rationalize the death of a child. There is no complete explanation for cancer, destructive floods, or earthquakes. Yet God spoke on the issue of suffering. And in the midst of pain He still speaks.

Yes, it is true! God does not address the why of suffering but He does indicate Who we can trust as we endure it. However, even this answer eludes many people.

Unfortunately, like the characters in Hemingway’s novels, many people never turn to God for help. They may have a sense that God is there, but as far as they are concerned, He is silent. That’s when nagging doubts keep them at arm’s length.

Well, why doesn’t God address the common needs each of us face?

Where is He when we want to be happy?

Where is He when we need help in making a decision?

Why do we seem to be totally alone when we suspect that one of our children is on drugs?

And where is God’s answer when we struggle with boredom in our employment?

Friend, at times, the New Testament suggests that God’s message is hidden, that it is a secret. But does God really hide the answers from us? Interestingly, Jesus often ended His speeches with an admonition, such as: “He who has ears, let him hear” (Matthew 13:9).

At first glance, such a statement seems rather strange, because each person listening to Him had ears. However, the shortage was not one of anatomy, but of understanding. -- What Jesus was saying, was that God spoke but not everyone listened.

In an amazing way, God spoke powerfully by sending His Son, however many people who were living in Palestine in the first century were not really listening to what Jesus had to say.

And, just like those in the 1st century, many of us who are living in the 21st century may have missed the message. So if you find yourself saying, “I know God is there, but He is silent,” I urge you to focus on the significance of the cross. On the suffering of Jesus for you and me! And on the fact that God allowed Jesus to die and then miraculously raised Him back to life again.

Friend, even as I ask you to do this, I realize that firmly focusing yourself on the cross of Christ, and His subsequent victory over death, may not immediately solve every problem you are experiencing. -- But it will point you to the One who can be followed with confidence when the path is dark and the future uncertain. All this will take, is your willingness to put your faith and trust in God.

FAITH and TRUST are an essential ingredient in victoriously confronting these difficult days! Friend, if you would like to find your faith growing stronger, I urge you to write to Discovering A BETTER LIFE and request two small booklets titled: “The Relentless Love of God” and “Faith: Is it reasonable?”