“Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let
him glorify God in that name (Christ)” (1 Peter 4:16, ESV).
My patient Stan was
doing well, but his son was not. His son has advanced head and neck cancer that
keeps him in terrible pain. Stan
described to me the time he watched his son step out of a car and fall to the
ground, screaming and shaking with pain. Stan said that he once told his son he
could not understand why God would allow him to suffer so.
His son replied, “I
know why. For two years I have been a follower of Christ because of this
suffering. That’s why.”
I would never claim to know the “why” for someone else’s
suffering. Nor will I deny the truth of “why” from one who is speaking it in
pain.
The one great argument against God’s loving power is His
inability or refusal to prevent terrible suffering in this world. And the
greatest argument to defend God’s love-combined-with-power is the word of those
who suffer and continue to love Him. And the greatest moment in history that
defends that argument is the moment when God watched His own son on the cross.
When you have real people and real events that demonstrate
the truth, the story is more important than the debate. Stan’s story is more important than the debate.
The cross is more important than the debate.
Dear Father,
Bless
the faithful who suffer. Help them bear witness to your love. Amen
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