Walking Through the Valley Together
“Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.” (2 Corinthians 1:7)
As a pastor, it pains me to see people suffering, whether it be with injustice, a family illness or death, etc., and condemning God in their sorrow. Time and again, I am faced with the anger and anguish of someone lashing out with, “If God is all powerful, why did he let this happen?” Or “I cannot worship a God who would allow such injustice!” My response is to let the person vent and try not to defend God in the moment. Later, when the pain has subsided, I need to follow up and discuss the genuine frustration that led to such statements. Usually, a fundamental theological question is left unanswered, festers, and can rot the soul.
In responding to the person, I follow the example of the writer of Second Corinthians. First, I acknowledge that the situation is unfair. Then, I attempt to put the person in God’s shoes. Empathy is a powerful tool for reconciliation. I sometimes ask the person what they would do if they were God. They often respond that they would have fixed their situation so no one had to suffer. I respond, announcing my role as “devil’s advocate,” stating that if God “fixed” your situation, then there would be no “free will.” Say their friend died in a drive-by shooting. If God changed the direction of the bullet or the heart of the shooter, we would no longer have free will. While fixing our present situation is momentarily our highest priority, in the greater scheme of things, being God’s puppets isn’t ideal either.
I may continue by sharing that God is in a difficult situation with humanity. We are all sinful, and as the Apostle Paul states in Romans, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do” (Rom. 7:19). God is continually left to respond to the messes human beings make in this world. As angry as God can sometimes be, God has promised never to destroy us again. Likewise, God will not turn us into puppets without free will because then we would not be able to accept God in a healthy way. If God forced us through intimidation, a relationship with God would be no better than a man who physically manipulates and smothers his girlfriend into staying with him. That is not love. If God forced us by controlling our brains into perfect goodness, then we would have no way of rebelling and, hence, no way of choosing to be in this relationship with God.
God allows us to respond within our free will to have a healthy relationship with sinful humanity. Therefore, God must respond to our mess by bringing healing rather than stopping the pain through divine intervention. God doesn’t want us to be robotic responders, so God and humanity must exist amidst our sinful reality. Like Jesus on the Cross, God chooses to suffer with us and for us. We can accept the pain and injustice because God shares it with us daily. Plus, God is preparing us for a new kingdom we humans cannot fathom, where sin will somehow be a thing of the past. Perhaps in heaven, we can shed some of our free will to avoid the pain and suffering of this world. I just don’t know. The experience of suffering is where faith and trust come into play.
While I may not know how God’s heavenly kingdom will work, I trust God to have all of our best interests at heart and the omnipotent power to make it a reality. So, take your anger and feelings of unfairness and injustice before God. God is tough enough to hear your feelings. God is also merciful enough not to hold a grudge. Then, ask God to provide the faith and trust to lead us through the “valleys of the shadow of death” we face regularly. Pray today, knowing God walks through the valley with us now and for eternity. Praise God!
This devotion was originally published in July of 2017