As old as Job and as new as today is the lie that if you are suffering, you somehow deserve it. Job was hit with devastating disasters, only to have his friends come along and jump all over him to admit that HE was the reason. Several thousand years later, the disciples espoused the same belief. “Who sinned that this man was born blind?” It had to be someone’s fault, right? Two thousand years later we are still buying the same lie: it is someone’s fault! Whose?
Suffering – whether it is physical, emotional or mental makes us uncomfortable. If they “deserve” it, then our looking the other way and not getting involved is somehow justified. When we are the one suffering, it gets even more complicated as we beat ourselves up trying to nail down what WE did to deserve it. “Why?” is also turned upwards. We justify our refusing to move forward in faith and obedience because we want to know “Why?”
“Why?” is a question God rarely answers, because the answer is as big and intricate as He is. As Jesus makes so wonderfully clear, we are actually asking the wrong question. It is not about why, but how “the work of God might be displayed.” The right questions are: How is God working? Where is His grace and glory evident? How can I be part?
When people are hurting, God sees it as an opportunity to work in their lives. He may use the ordinary or the extraordinary. In this case He used clay made of dirt and spit. It wasn’t because His spit had magical powers. He could have healed him with just a word; instead He used what was immediately available and asked the man to add faith to the process.
Using the available is His favorite way of working. According to verse 4, God wants to do that work with and through us! We are His body: His hands to hold and lift; His shoulder to help bear their burdens or cradle them as they weep; His mouth that speaks words of comfort and encouragement; His feet that run to meet the practical needs. As He works through our actions and attitude, His attributes and involvement become evident. When we become aware that someone is hurting, we too need to see it as an opportunity to do whatever we can to reach out and help so they see Jesus. When He is not being made obvious, then “Whose fault?” just might be the right question!
God is good not because He never lets bad happen, but because only He can bring good out of the worst. Let Him! If you are suffering, let Him reveal Himself to you through His word and His children. As He opens your eyes and heart to the suffering around you, let Him use you to reveal the full extent of His love.
Making It Personal
As you move beyond your circle of comfort, you will encounter those who are suffering. Why is it important that you nail down the right questions before attempting to minister to them?
How can demanding to know why or who is at fault perpetuate Satan’s biggest lie that God cannot be trusted?
Jesus understands how it feels to experience incredible suffering (Isaiah 53:3). How are you encouraged and empowered by this truth?
According to 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, how do your own experiences with suffering enable you to minister to those in need?
How are you making yourself available to God so that His work can be displayed through you?
Through the Day Challenge
As you intentionally get involved in other’s suffering, be aware how the work of God is being displayed today.
