Sermon Sketches: Mark 16:1-8 - Exchanging Fear for Trust

I. Where are we going?

Christ is Risen! Hallelujah!

That is the message of Easter. This is what we proclaim and sing and read and pray today.

But, what does this really mean for us? As we look at the Scripture this morning, let us open our hearts and minds to what God has for us.

 II. Scripture – Mark 16:1-8

 III. Connections—Afraid?

We have many places we can go in this rather brief, abrupt passage. We can certainly talk about the fact that the women are the first to come to the tomb…and, in turn, become the very proclaimers of the Good News. We can talk about the empty tomb—Christ has risen! We can ask some questions about why this Gospel ends so abruptly or discuss who (or what) the ‘young man’ is in the tomb.

I’m not going there. I’m going with the final verse:

⁸ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (NIV)

Because they were afraid. So, the question is, afraid of what? What left these women ‘trembling,’ ‘bewildered,’ and ‘afraid? To be clear, the Scripture does not say what has done this to the women, so we are left to speculate, imagine.

Perhaps they were unsettled by the sight of this young man, presumably not known to them. Luke tells this is an angel (two of them in Luke’s telling of the story.) Was there something about the young fellow that would have frightened them?

Perhaps the possibility that Jesus might actually be alive…but as what? A man or a ghost? Or…?

Perhaps they are afraid that no one will believe their story. I mean, who would? A man back to life and on his way to Galilee?

Perhaps something as simple and profound as not finding what they expected has unsettled them. They expected to do this deed of preparing the body and then going home. Now, something has shattered their plans, and they don’t know what to do with the unexpected.

IV. Not Too Far From Home…

Fear is not foreign to us. 
We live in a time of fear--fear of the virus, economic uncertainties, illnesses (self and others)...and that life-long fear too many carry--fear of rejection.

We have seen this lived out the soaring gun sales in our nation--over 2 million guns bought in the month of March alone...in a country where we already owned over 389 million guns.

And, we even have fear when we experience something of the risen Lord. Some who for the first time experience the love or grace or forgiveness or healing of Jesus feel fear at the same time.

Some are afraid to say anything about their Christian experience because, then, ‘what if I stumble?’ No one wants to look the fool.

Some are afraid that their experience with God may not have been ‘real’—people second-guess themselves and their experiences.

Some are afraid of seeming ‘old-school’ or ‘un-cool’ in this hi-tech, scientific age. People fear looking ‘old fashioned’ or unscientific.

Some are afraid to admit that they can’t figure out life, afraid to admit they need ‘religion.’ People fear seeming weak.

Besides these, we face a thousand other things that leave us 'trembling,' 'bewildered,' and 'afraid.' We face job loss, pandemics, relationship problems, decisions, family decisions, and more. We understand that these women and we ourselves can be afraid.

Mark ends his Gospel with this line about the women begin afraid and saying nothing, but we know that the story doesn’t end there. We know it doesn’t end because Matthew, Luke, and John provide more details to the story. We know the story doesn’t end there because contemporary historians and writers talk about this newly born Christian movement also. That means the ‘fear’ did not have the final word in these women’s lives.

V. And What Is Fear, Anyway?

Psychologists and psychiatrists will tell us that we have primary and secondary emotions. While there is some disagreement as to what these emotions are or how they are named, in the end, we have two emotions that tend lie underneath all others. And one of those is ‘fear.’ Out of fear grow anger, hatred, worry, jealousy, and others. (And, if it makes you angry or worried that I’m saying this, you must be afraid of something! 😊 )

The opposite of fear is not bravery (that’s a secondary emotion). The opposite is ‘trust.’ Out of trust grow love, confidence, bravery, hope, and others.

So, somewhere between verse 8 of Mark 16 and later that day, these women were able to move from fear to trust. Somewhere, somehow, for some reason, they moved from the silence of fear to the proclamation of trust.

They determined to trust the young man. They decided to trust Jesus’ being alive. They trusted that someone would believe their story. They found the strength to trust that their upside-down world was going to be okay.

And, when they trusted and told their story, history forever changed. History literally and measurably changed.

This change--this move from fear to trust--happened not only as a part of the resurrection story; it happened because of the resurrection story. And this change can happen in our lives as well. This change from fear to trust can be our today...and every day.

VI. What Now?

How different would your story be if you moved from fear and all it entails--worry, jealousy, anger, hatred--to trust and all it brings--hope, love, confidence, bravery? How would your life be different?

While these are emotions, they are also habits--it may not be easy to change, but we can change. We can make the choice to be people of fear...or people of trust. We can make that choice because ... Christ is Risen!

Part of the meaning of Easter is the transforming power of trust--
     trust in a God who loves us
     trust in the Scriptures that tell us the Story
     trust in our risen Lord
Jesus is risen to bring us life. Will you exchange fear for trust? It will change your story...and it might even change history.

Trust.

Christ is Risen!
Amen

Suffering in a Time of COVID-19

This is an abridged copy of a paper posted originally here: https://www.academia.edu/s/f00fb94bd8?source=link 

Suffering in a Time of COVID-19: A New Reading of Job in the 21st Century – Part I

            This was going to be part of a book, and perhaps it will be one still someday. However, with the advent of COVID-19 and the havoc it has wreaked on the world, I felt that the message here could not wait for publishers…nor for my tedious proofing process. Rather, we need some answers now. So, here are some thoughts that I hope will help people see this pandemic and this virus for what it is. Here in Job,  we find a way to understand suffering and evil and pain and loss in a way that is theologically consistent with Scripture and Christian message—but this is a different reading from what the reader may have encountered before.

            This essay (and those that follow) grew out of a sermon series I preached back in 2016. But, don’t read this as a sermon. I’ve reworked these words more into a more conversational format for ease of reading. The message, however, has not changed since 2016…and I would argue that the message has not changed since these words were first penned in ancient Hebrew 2,500 years ago. However, our understanding of the words has changed. And, my hope is that after readers have considered these words that they will never read Job the same again.

            May this pandemic pass soon. May we survive these unprecedented times. May the God of Job be with us…and may we trust in that God, our good and gracious God, to carry us through and into better days.

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Beginning at the End 

Job 1:1-22

            Today, we begin a journey. Perhaps this is a new direction for you, a new destination, a first-time visit to this ancient place; perhaps you are returning yet again to a well visited landmark in your life of faith. We travel back in time to the Old Testament to one of the most read books: the Book of Job.

            Job the man has himself drawn us in for centuries. We talk about ‘the patience of Job,’ but do we know where that idea really comes from? Is this truly a story that tells us about Job’s patience?

Many may know that the book has to do with suffering—something common to all of us. This theme of ‘suffering’ draws us in. We all want to understand suffering...and learn how deal with suffering, how to understand why we have suffering in our lives.

We suffer emotionally, physically, spiritually, psychologically. We suffer illness, depression, ‘faith-fatigue’…if not we ourselves, our loved ones suffer. Wired as we are, we want answers—why?

With this in mind, let us begin the journey now into this ancient world to see what this book teaches us about Job. And, since we Christians hold that God inspired the writing of our Biblical texts, let us then see what this book teaches us about God . . . and about ourselves.

Getting Started

¹In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. ²He had seven sons and three daughters, ³and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

⁴His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.

⁶One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Adversary—Satan—also came with them. ⁷The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

⁸Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

⁹“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. ¹⁰“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

¹²The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

¹³One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, ¹⁵and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

¹⁶While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

¹⁷While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

¹⁸While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

²⁰At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹and said:

“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.”

²²In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

                                                                                    Job 1:1-22 (NIV)

 When I first preached this sermon, we read the passage above just after our youth praise band, Living Stones, had sung, “How He Loves Us”—that then popular contemporary Christian song made famous by the Dave Crowder Band:

And oh

How He loves us oh

Oh how He loves us

how He loves us oh

 What a contrast between that song and the text of this passage! “How He Loves Us”…and then the words of the Book of Job—words of loss, destruction, and suffering? Are we talking about the same God here? What a seeming contrast between the God in song who loves us so, so dearly and this seemingly capricious God of the Word who wills or allows the worst to happen! What is going on? Well, that is exactly what we’re here to find out.

Beginning at the End

            In order to understand the opening chapters of this book, we need to know the whole story. Without knowing the whole story, we cannot make sense of the beginning.

            Have you ever watched one of your favorite television shows, and in the opening scene, the door of the apartment is just slightly ajar and the main character—the hero or star—is standing there over a dead body with a bloody knife in his hand with a stunned, shocked look on his face? You know there has to be more than meets the eye, there has to be some explanation for what you have just seen. There is no way—NO WAY—your favorite star or actor could have killed someone with the knife in hand, or at least there must be some terrific explanation. After the commercial break, the show resumes with “12 hours earlier...” at the bottom of the screen. You have to watch the whole show in order to make sense of the first five minutes.

            The same is true of the Book of Job—we can’t read only chapter 1 and say, “Ah! Wow! I’ve  got it!” If we do, we presume a very simplistic, Western plot-line. We’re reading Ancient Near Eastern literature—something written long before the genre of ‘short-story’ or ‘novel’ were even a thing. We cannot make the same presumptions about the narrative here we might make if we were reading a generic novel published in 2019. So, how do we read the Book of Job? We read this book, all of it, with the end in mind. So, let’s get a preview of the story so we can come back to the beginning.

            Job begins—as we have already seen—as a story of loss, pain and destruction. And, it gets worse! After Job loses almost everything—his health included—his three ‘friends’ come to bring him counsel, to help him through this all. Their worldview is one of “cause and effect,” or as it often rendered with respect to the Ancient Near Eastern peoples, the “Retribution Principle” or karma: A general belief that doing good resulted in good, prosperity; doing bad resulted in bad, harm, illness.^[1]

Since this is how they see the world, the good friends spend chapters of the book trying to get Job to admit he has some sin in his life—“You had to have done something bad, Job, or things would be going good for you.” For them, nothing else serves to explain Job’s losses, his suffering. Job gets frustrated with them, and they with him. Finally, in Chapter 38, God steps into the picture and shows Job that he—Job—really has no clue as to what is going on in the world, that his understanding of things is so shallow, so limited. In the end, God restores all of Job’s fortunes and more besides…gives him a new family…and thus ends the book.

            The very important thing to see in this story is that in the beginning, Job has such a limited view of things, a shallow understanding of realaity, that…well, Job is wrong. He is wrong about God. He is wrong about how the world works. He is wrong about himself. He is not evil or demonic or anti-God; he is simply wrong, mistaken…something any of us could be at any time.

Really, this should not be a surprise to us. Most stories—even the ancient ones—begin with the main character in one place—geographically, emotionally, relationally, spiritually—and then he or she embarks on a journey of experiences and thoughts that leave the character in a new place, with a new and greater understanding. Just read the story of Moses, or Ulysses, or other ancient narratives.

Where is Moses at the beginning of his story? Unsure, untrusting, hesitant. Where is Moses at the end? Certain, faithful, bold.

Where is Peter at the beginning of his story in the Gospels? He walks around braggadocios, usually with one if not both of his feet in his mouth. Where is Peter at Pentecost? A changed man with a new humility and greater understanding.

In the same way, Job at the beginning of this story is simply wrong (perhaps ‘ignorant’ would be a kinder description.) Now that we know Job is just plain wrong, we can come back to the beginning and deal with what we find there. Let us find out what Job is wrong about.

Sovereignty ≠ Universal Cause

            One of the key doctrines or teachings of the Scripture and the Church is the “sovereignty of God.” We talk about our God as “omnipotent,” all-powerful. We claim this truth, and we rightfully find a great deal of assurance and security in such a statement. However, we then tend to make a great leap of logic—and when we do, we’re wrong.

Our great, erroneous leap of logic goes like this: If God is all-powerful, if God is omnipotent, then God must control (i.e.. cause) everything that happens in this world. That is, everything that happens is because our omnipotent, almighty, all-powerful God is making it happen. This, my friends, is not only a false and unbiblical assumption, it is a dangerous assumption. And, it is the assumption Job (and later his friends) makes here at the beginning of this narrative.

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

At best, Job is half right in this statement. Yet, I’ve heard Christians quote this bit of Job’s bad thinking so many times.

Unfortunately, one of my favorite contemporary Christian songs is anchored to this false assumption and based on this passage from the Book of Job—“You give and take away, You give and take away, My heart will learn to say, ‘Blessed be Your name...’”[2] The tune is catchy, and some of the lyrics are really good, but the underlying premise is that God does all of the giving and taking away in our lives—a seemingly capricious God brings good and evil, joy and suffering into our lives.

The contemporary song that perhaps most poignantly captures this worldview is “Thy Will” by Hillary Scott & the Scott Family. Ms. Scott’s voice is beautiful, enchanting…but the lyrics reveal this same mistaken view of reality, something contrary to a biblical worldview.

The lyrics include these lines:

I may never understand

That my broken heart is a part of your plan

And later in the song:

I know you're good

But this don't feel good right now

These lyrics claim that God has broken our hearts, that our good God brings ‘not good’ things our way but also bad, painful, hurtful things as well. God is omnipotent and all-causing in the lyrics of this song.

Perhaps some people find real consolation in ascribing everything to God. However, as Leslie Weatherhead points out in that wonderful little volume, The Will of God, if we console someone with a lie, in the end there is no real consolation.[3]

Perhaps somewhere along the way you, like me, have said these words—with the very best intentions—to those we’ve known, hoping to provide a bit of comfort to someone in a time of loss: “God is in control…the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.” How many times I have stood with the loved ones at a funeral service or in the ‘receiving line’ at the funeral home and heard these kinds of words:

“God only takes the good ones.”

“I guess God needed her more than we do.”

“We all know, the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.”

Many people seek consolation in thoughts like this, finding some kind of peace in assigning even the most horrific things to God. In any other situation outside of a funeral, I would stop the person then and there and ask, “You think God gave this woman cancer?” “You think this young man was taken by God? I thought is was the fool driving drunk down the middle of the road!” (I would do it kindly, but—really—we must bring an end to this damaging way of thinking.)

As we go forward, we will unpack all the ways this kind of thinking, this kind of theology, is more than wrong; we will look at how it is harmful and destructive.

            So, let us get back to this issue of the ‘sovereignty of God.’ We like the idea of our omnipotent, all-powerful, all-in-control God directing all the happenings of our lives. But, there is a problem with that approach to life.

If God is so completely sovereign that everything happens at God’s bidding, will, and desire, how does that allow for or account for the existence of evil, the evil one, Satan, the Devil? If everything is from God, then “evil” has no need to exist, or evil is just a term we use for those acts of God we don’t like.

Surely, taking the Biblical text into account, that is not true. From the very beginning, in the Garden, evil and evil forces exist. In the New Testament, Jesus wrestles with the devil in the Gospels in his wilderness temptation. Paul writes about Satan and the devil...and about “powers of this dark world” and “spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12). In our world, evil—contrary-to-God-forces—exist as Satan, the Devil, demons, illnesses, disasters…whatever stands in direct opposition to the goodness and grace of God. Add to that the reality of “free will”[4]—the human capacity to reject God’s will and ways—and we find that there is plenty that can go ‘wrong’ in this world.

So, if evil exists and impacts our lives, what about the sovereignty of God?

Some of my students and colleagues at a seminary where I teach who ascribe unswervingly to the absolute sovereignty of God would be quick to argue that “God simply ‘allows’—in God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and wisdom—the evil to reign briefly in order to teach or discipline us.”

For this situation in Job, in their understanding, God basically steps back and allows the Satan to abuse Job. But, would this be to teach Job or to discipline him? If we follow this line of thinking as we go to this text, we find—not suggested but stated—that God is doing neither…neither teaching nor disciplining Job; rather, God is allowing the Satan, the Accuser, to prove to himself if Job is truly faithful to God or if Job is only situationally faithful.

That seems rather capricious of God. (Some would hit the brakes here and ask, “Who are you to question God?” Well, in fact, I would be joining a host of biblical examples in questioning God, so I gladly join their ranks—Abraham, Moses, David…and most of the prophets!)

Or, perhaps something else is true. Maybe we’re not dealing with a capricious God. Instead, something else is going on in this text…and in our own reality. Perhaps God—all-powerful, omniscient—voluntarily limits God’s own sovereignty. God, the omni-everything, chooses NOT to be omni-everything (when One is omni-everything, One can certainly decide not to be omni-everything or decide not to play the omni-card.)

For argument’s sake, let’s presume for a few paragraphs that God steps back and allows another force to reign in Job’s reality, a force that is evil, hurtful, destructive. Let’s see how this plays out if we look at things from that perspective.

            Job the man is simply wrong in thinking that God is doing to him what he is experiencing. We need to read this passage again and see what is really going on here…to see who is doing the giving and who is doing the taking.

God is Challenged

            In the opening part of this chapter, the “sons of God” have come before the LORD, and “the Adversary” is there as well. (Who the “sons of God” are may be a fun question to pursue, but we can presume that these beings are probably on God’s side.) Rather than dive into a prolonged discussion as to whether the Adversary and Satan and the Devil are all the same person or being, perhaps we can simply agree that these beings—whether one in the same or different creatures—all of them run contrary to God and the things of God.

In this opening scene, the Adversary taunts God regarding Job, saying that Job is faithful only because God is protecting and blessing him, that if God’s protection and blessing were not there, Job would curse God. In short, this is akin to calling someone a “fair-weather friend,” or, in this case, fair-weather faithful—like that person who praises God, goes to church, serves on committees, and smiles...as long as all is well. Once some part of their life crashes, they disappear, they fall apart. They fall off the faith wagon. The Adversary is betting Job is fair-weather faithful.

            And, then what happens in Job’s story? Well, if God ignores or dismisses Satan and his accusations, it would be the same as admitting this is true—Job is faithful only because all is well with him. So, what does God do?

¹²The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

            First of all, going “out from the presence of the Lord” is never a good thing. It is to walk in darkness. It is to be in a way that God is not, to be where God is not. And, when we think of Satan, this is exactly what we expect—the Adversary, the Satan, is one who operates outside the will and reign of God.

            Then—and this is very important—we need to see who is doing what in the life of Job. “…Everything he has is in your power….”  Who is the cause of the Sabean raid? Who is the source of the devouring fire? (The servant says ‘fire of God,’ but he’s living in the same mistaken understanding as Job and his friends, thinking everything is from God!) Who is the source of the Chaldean attack? Who is the source of the desert winds? Not God. Satan is the one who brings all of these calamities to bear on Job.

            Therefore, a better, truer utterance on the part of Job in his situation would have been,                               The Lord gave and Satan (the Adversary) has taken away….

            Interestingly, this is not the only occasion in which God and Satan have this sort of conversation. Evidently, Satan is astounded again and again that people would actually love God and want to serve God. So, Satan seems to want to prove this to himself from time to time by testing God’s people.

            Look at Luke 22:31 in the New Testament. Jesus is speaking here to his disciples just before his crucifixion, just before they arrive at the garden for that agonizing time of prayer. Jesus says, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

            So, here again, Satan comes before God and asks to test the faith of God’s people.

            As I read this first chapter of Job again and as I read through this passage in Luke, I keep asking, Why? Why would God allow Satan to do this? What is going on? These don’t seem to be times in which God is somehow ‘disciplining’ the faithful for unfaithfulness or teaching an important lesson. So, what is going on?

Perhaps you saw it before I did. As I read and reread the words of Job 1 and Luke 22, it quite suddenly hit me. I am not talking about some idea that popped into my head; I am not talking about some clever re-reading or rewriting of Scripture to fit my own preconceptions. The truth is right there in black-and-white (or red, if you have a red-letter Bible) in those last words of Jesus on this topic in Luke 22: “And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers….”  Not “if” you turn back, but “when” you turn back. What does that mean?

            You see, we talk a lot about trusting in God, of having faith in God. One of the things the book of Job teaches us, and what Jesus shows us in Luke, is that God has faith in us. God was so confident—trusting, believing—in His servant Job that He could allow Satan to do his foolishness…and He was confident that Job’s faith would not fail—regardless of the circumstances of life. Jesus was so confident in his band of disciples that he could allow Satan to “sift them as wheat.” In the same way, God has faith in us—in you, in me.

            Let that sink in: God…has…FAITH…in…US!

            We’re not talking about a salvific faith, that God trusts us for God’s salvation…as if that could ever be. We see here a confidence that God has in God’s people. Even though Job was wrong in his understanding of God, he was confident in God. Even though his worldview was simplistic and incomplete, his simple faith in God—in the goodness, rightness, and trustworthiness of God—was true and sure.

Wrapping-Up

            Perhaps some who are reading here have made that same leap that Job did, mistakenly believing that everything that happens is from God. Unfortunately, too many ministers and churches have propagated this false notion (though with the best intentions.)

            Job teaches us—better, reminds us!—that there is an ‘adversarial’ power (or powers) that/who wants to see us fall and fail. Satan is the one who takes, divides, destroys and kills. We see this evil, contrary-to-God power in the world around us robbing us health, happiness, and wholeness.

            As I write these words, the COVID-19 pandemic has most of the world locked in homes, many people out of work, and far too many frightened. I have already heard some say, “This is God punishing us for our sins.” Some have indicated that this is a “Chinese” thing—God punishing those “godless atheist, communists.” (Except China has a rapidly growing Christian community[5], and there are now more infected people in ‘Christian’ countries.)

            No. This is the power of evil robbing people of the gift of life that God has given. I may not go so far as to say that the virus is a demonic force, but I will say that this virus is possibly a result of powers and people living apart from or in opposition to the will of God.

As mentioned above, God—the sovereign, omnipotent, all-powerful God—has given us ‘free will’: the ability to make choices that are with or against that same God. So, the Adversary can act against us, we can act against God…and the results are NOT God’s will or God’s doing.

Another foundational doctrine and belief of the Christian faith is that God is exactly who we find in Jesus Christ—How He Loves Us! God is exactly as James describes Him—Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change (James 1:17)...that is, God is the source of all that is good and perfect.

            That same God—in whom we trust, in whom we place our faith, to whom we lift our prayers and praise — that God has faith in us, trusts us to trust in Him. How shall we now live knowing that the God of the universe, the Creator, has faith in us? The Creator has confidence in us!

            When we encounter the trials and pains and hurts of this life, let us not make the mistake of Job and think God is the cause of our suffering. In these days of the COVID-19 pandemic, let us not imagine that this from God. Let us claim the truths we find in Scripture that God is on our side, that He is the author of all goodness and blessing. And, let us hold fast to that promise we find in Paul’s letter to the Romans:

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

                                                                                                            Romans 8:28 (NLT)

            Our good, loving, amazing God will bring good out of this.

            Amen.

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[1] “Major Background Issues from the Ancient Near East,” NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Craig S. Keener and John H. Walton, eds., (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishers, 2016), xxxv – xxxvii.

[2] Matt Redman’s “Blessed Be Your Name.” 2002.

[3] Weatherhead, Leslie D. The Will of God. Nashville: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1944.

[4] We will address this issue in detail in another essay. Stay tuned!

[5] See this article: https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/christianity-china

This is an abridged copy of a paper posted originally here: https://www.academia.edu/s/f00fb94bd8?source=link