In last
Sunday’s sermon, I quoted Charles Colson as saying, “Obedience to God does not always mean a
happy ending. But why should we think it would?” I made the point that obedience
to the Father led Jesus to the cross! Why should we think following him should
be any easier for us?
How
depressing! Shouldn’t church be about hearing encouraging, uplifting messages?
I’ve
been reading books lately on crisis response counseling and “Psychological
First Aid.” One book made the point that when people encounter an overwhelming
disaster in their life, one of the things that can be most devastating is when
that crisis destroys their world view—their understanding of who God is and how
the world should function.
For
example, those who believe that God just wants to give people health, wealth
and prosperity, may be particularly vulnerable when disaster strikes. Where was
God? How could God let this happen? Doesn’t God give a rip about me?! Suddenly
everything they believed about God and life has been shattered and their world
has been turned upside down.
Those
who have a biblical view of following Jesus, on the other hand, are often more
able to survive the storms of life. A biblical view of God and life doesn't
take away all the pain when disaster strikes, but it can help to get us through
the storms without shipwreck. The idea that “Obedience to God does not always
mean a happy ending” may not be a message that is comfortable to hear, but
understanding that fact may be like an uncomfortable life preserver that could
help us survive a shipwreck.
The
encouraging part is that we also have the biblical assurance that “that the sufferings of this present time are not worth
comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).
