Morning Devotional

July 7, 2004

"Bad Things and Good People (Part 3)"

by Don Emmitte

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I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in jail more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jews gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled many weary miles. I have faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the stormy seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be Christians but are not. I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food. Often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. (1 Corinthians 11:23-27 NLT).

Our reading this morning is from the writing of the Apostle Paul. In the midst of accusations that he has been preaching for personal gain he lists the many troubles he has endured for the sake of his work. The central theme is that he would not have endured these things for anything less that the truth. However, there is another point I wish you to see: There are no exceptions from evil for nice people. Paul’s faith was strong. He was living a righteous life. And, yet bad things continued to happen to him. Once again we are forced to ask the question, why?

Part of the answer rests in the laws of nature. The laws of nature do not make exceptions for nice people. A bullet has no conscience; neither does a malignant tumor or an automobile gone out of control. That is why good people get sick and get hurt as much as anyone. Nature is morally blind, without values. It churns along, following its own laws, not caring who or what gets in the way. But God is not morally blind. I could not worship Him if I thought He was. God stands for justice, for fairness, for compassion. For me, the earthquake is not an 'act of God.' The act of God is the courage of people to rebuild their lives after the earthquake, and the rush of others to help them in whatever way they can. There are those times when God suspends the results of the laws of nature. These are His acts of the miraculous. However, most of the time, we live within the laws of nature.

Typically, pain is the price we pay for being alive. When we understand that, our question will change from, why do we have to be in pain? to what do we do with our pain so that it becomes meaningful and is not just pointless empty suffering? How can we turn all the painful experiences of our lives into birth pangs or into growing pains? We may not ever understand why we suffer or be able to control the forces that cause our suffering, but we can have a lot to say about what the suffering does to us, and what sort of people we become because of it. Pain makes some people bitter and envious. It makes others sensitive and compassionate. It is the result, not the cause, of pain that makes some experiences of pain meaningful and others empty and destructive. The real key is in rising above the question why? And asking the question what do I do now? When we do that it calls us beyond the moment to an encounter with God. The miraculous touch of His presence then may strengthen us to move beyond the trial.