Review: Suffering and the Sovereignty of God

With Carolyn’s 6th round of cancer and her resulting double mastectomy, it’s not difficult to understand my timing of reading John Piper and Justin Taylor’s compilation Suffering and the Sovereignty of God. It’s the collection of messages presented at the 2005 Desiring God Pastors’ Conference.

It’s one of those books that may speak powerfully at different places according to the need and experience of the reader. I am a Piper fan, and have read many of his books. I was really looking forward to this particular one.

However, there is really only one chapter that I would highly recommend in the entire book – Piper’s chapter 4: Why God Appoints Suffering for His Servants. The others are written by some fantastic folks – and folks familiar with suffering through personal experience – but they fall short of being inspirational. Perhaps Joni Eareckson Tada’s chapter entitled Hope… The Best of Things is the second best.

Since the entire book is available for download here, I’d highly encourage you to read chapter 4. It’s a rousing explanation of why Christians suffer. In short, they’re chosen for it. I’ll leave it to the book to give you the scriptural background for such a statement. The chapter is not just provocative, but it’s deeply encouraging.

“Suffering is a primary means of building compassion into the lives of God’s servants,” Piper claims.

In my own understanding, suffering, in its very essence, is something that not only is God familiar with, but that God is sovereign over. Nothing escapes His notice because nothing falls outside His power. We groan, chafe, cry and agonize over our own suffering, but we also demand explanation for the astonishing and gut-wreching suffering of others – especially innocent others.

We want an explanation for it. We want an end to it. We want to control suffering, limit it, end it. We want a lot. We expect that “God” – if he is all-powerful – would want what we want and agree with us. We are insulted not only with God’s unwillingness to bend to our demands, but we begin to redefine Him in our own minds when He doesn’t perform the way a sensible, compassionate person would. We even begin to offer up excuses for God to others who demand explanations.

As scripture consistently reveals, suffering may not be explained to us on this side of heaven. We should not seek to explain suffering or excuse God. Rather, suffering provides a dramatic opportunity to exchange our life for the life of God revealed in Christ. There is power and love available from the Father for anyone who in his suffering clings to His infinite resources of strength, compassion, hope and help. They are riches which are inexhaustible. Anyone who has suffered will testify how quickly their own resources evaporate. That’s a large part of what suffering does. Its strips us.

Suffering drives us deep. In another chapter entitled Don’t Waste Your Cancer, Piper and David Powlinson advise the sufferer to resist the temptation toward solitude and instead allow suffering to lead you to dependent community with God’s people. Our family can certainly echo that affirmation.

So… while Suffering and the Sovereignty of God may not be the best book ever written on the subject, at least one chapter was a significant joy for me in these days of ministry to my wife in her recovery time. You may find a wealth of instruction, encouragement and direction in its other pages.

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The Thorn

I stumbled across this poem by Martha Snell Nicholson which is quoted in the book Suffering and the Sovereignty of God. It’s magnificent. You can read my review of the book here.

The Thorn

I stood a mendicant of God before His royal throne
And begged him for one priceless gift, which I could call my own.
I took the gift from out His hand, but as I would depart
I cried, “But Lord this is a thorn and it has pierced my heart.
This is a strange, a hurtful gift, which Thou hast given me.”
He said, “My child, I give good gifts and gave My best to thee.”
I took it home and though at first the cruel thorn hurt sore,
As long years passed I learned at last to love it more and more.
I learned He never gives a thorn without this added grace,
He takes the thorn to pin aside the veil which hides His face.

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Turn the other cheek?

I recently preached on Luke 6:29, but does “turning the other cheek” require a faithful Christ follower to suffer abuse or just take it? I advocated complete dependence on God in situations of unfairness in my sermon. However, there are deeper issues of life that we must take into account as well.

Yes, God has promised consistently throughout scripture that He will be our defense, that He will fight for us (Exodus 14.14, Joshua and the city of Jericho, Gideon’s army, and 2 Corinthians 4:7 are examples). However, while we see Paul getting stoned and beaten for his faith in Christ, we also see him being lowered in a basket through the an opening in the city wall to escape a murder plot in Acts 9:25, sneaking away by night in Thessalonica (Acts 17:10), and hightailing it out of Iconium (Acts 14:6).

It’s obvious that a Christian is not commanded to simply be someone’s whipping post. Any sane person would counsel someone in an abusive situation to get out and get safe as soon as possible. The problem comes when it’s not in your power to do so.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were helpless to resist the will of the king in the book of Daniel. They had to submit to his power and authority over their lives. In that particular instance, their faith led to flames, with the very presence of Another to affirm them in their stand and submission. (Daniel 3:16-18)

It was their profound refusal to bow to an idol that led to their supposed fate in the fire. Should they have meekly bowed to save their life? Should they have turned the other cheek in that moment to live for God another day?

The “turn the other cheek” passage in Luke 6 is not a command to simply suck it up and take it. It’s an instruction to willingly suffer loss when it is no direct harm to your person. In both cases that Jesus describes, the intent is to confound the person who demands something from you with patience, kindness and radical generosity.

It leads to Jesus’ amazing command for us to love our enemies. And pray for them. It’s also a command to stay the course. Be faithful and trust God even if it leads us into suffering. His ministry to us will be radically sufficient in our suffering. Our suffering for His sake actually destroys the power of evil rather than magnifying it.

The overarching principle in scripture is not as simple as “turn (the other cheek) or burn.” There are consistently great rewards and examples promised to and made of those who persist, stand firm and refuse to relent in their commitment to God in the face of persecution. However, we’re also given examples of escape. It’s not wise to stay in situations of persecution or abuse when you have the power and freedom to remove yourself from it.

If you can’t get out, stand firm. Be faithful. Be humble. Resist with an other-worldy confidence in God who is Immanuel, which means “God with us.” It should come as no surprise that a follower of Jesus experiences intentional persecution for our faith. In fact, it’s proof of it.

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. (1 Peter 4.12)

Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. (1 John 3.13)

A few thoughts in conclusion:

• If you’re experiencing physical abuse or danger and it’s in your power to do so, get out and get safe.
• If you’re experiencing consistent emotional or verbal abuse, seek counsel and pray hard about whether you’re called to remain or leave the environment.
• Reflect deeply on the causes. If it’s due to your faith in Christ, the way you respond is critically important.
• Examine scriptural examples of persecution to compare them to your situation. God is able, and He will be just as present for you in similar situations. Scripture is given to us as a guide, encouragement and instruction in how to respond and even stand firm if God should call us to do so.
• Your suffering, however intense, may be exactly what God uses to increase your eternal reward, lead another to genuine faith and bring glory to Himself.

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Torticollis – learning hard lessons

During Adelyn’s suffering with torticollis earlier this week, I prayed with her and asked the Lord to bring relief and healing to her neck. While talking to Carolyn on the phone during one of her atrocious spasms today, I heard Adelyn scrying (scream-crying) in the background, “Why is God doing this to me???!!!!”

It broke my heart.

The immensity of what I’d done by praying with her and for her struck me as I hung up the phone. In a moment of extreme suffering and pain, Adelyn was learning a hard lesson. God does not always relieve our suffering at the moment we want Him to. Sometimes the relief does not come at all.

I was also learning a hard lesson. When you pray hard and fervently with someone for their suffering, you are making them aware of your own faith and desires in the matter. When God does not answer quickly… What does that mean?

What it meant for Adelyn was that God had left her to suffer. Her 5th grade brain (and my 41 year-old gray matter) have a very difficult time processing that. Some would nod their heads and say that is why they doubt God’s goodness or even His existence.

Our reasoning goes something like this… The innocent suffer atrociously. The God of the Bible is supposed to be all-powerful and all-loving. If He permits such suffering and evil, He cannot be all-powerful, or He is not all-loving. Or as some conclude, He is… not.

On Thursday morning, as Adelyn began to have a better day, Blacksburg learned of a double homicide involving two Virginia Tech students. One campus… 35 deaths in the past two years. 32 of those occurred in one day that is branded in Hokie memory forever – April 16, 2007. On a national level, Americans speak of 9/11. As a Hokie nation, we’ve heard 4/16 spoken of in reverent terms. It altered the corporate consciousness of a campus… and a community.

Again, it begs the question of God… why?

I attended a campus worship service hosted by Cru on Thursday night with almost 1000 students. Many were dramatically affected by the deaths. Others were numb or disconnected. Yet the large gathering ended the evening in heart-felt worship.

One of the songs they sang was “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord.” It’s a rather profound chorus:

You give and take away

You give and take away

My heart will choose to say

Blessed be Your Name

All these reflections have been bouncing in my brain since Adelyn’s agonizing cry Wednesday.

As a father, I did for Adelyn on Wednesday what I did for her on Tuesday. I prayed. It was the same thing I did last night in a room packed full of confused collegians.

I read Psalm 56.3 this morning and cling to it as a life preserver:

“When I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

I just will.

My best advice? Don’t give up looking for answers, even if they are hidden at present. Those who continue seeking with an honest heart will find. Your discovery may not be “the” answer you started looking for; rather, you may uncover greater treasure in your quest – wisdom.

For Adelyn, she was eating Ramen Noodles Friday night with a sore neck. There were no more agonizing screams, but their memory and her experience will continue to teach my family some hard lessons.

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