by Mark A. Taylor

 

In his sermon last Sunday at Christ’s Church, our lead pastor Brad Wilson described a common situation. He said,

“When our dreams turn into nightmares, we ask, ‘God, what are you doing?’”

 

All of us can relate. I’ve known a couple of people, in fact, so disappointed with God they decided not to believe in him at all anymore.

 

But I’m grateful I came to terms with the problem of seemingly unanswered prayer many years ago. It dawned on me, for example, that even though Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, eventually Lazarus died a second time. I imagine him lingering on his deathbed, growing pale and weak, and I wonder what his sisters were thinking. Were they hoping for another miracle? Certainly, their faith must have been strong when they remembered what Jesus had done before. Did they pray for Lazarus to be healed? And did they still believe in God when he chose to answer this time with a decisive “No”?

 

God answers “No” to such prayers every day. It occurred to me that millions through history have prayed for someone who is ill to get well. And they all died. If all those prayers had been answered “Yes,” earth would not be able to hold the healed people running around praising God.

 

A Broken World

The fact is, we live in a broken world. It’s been that way since the sin of Adam and Eve turned upside down the order God wanted. All the sickness and suffering we see around us is evidence. All the death. All the corruption, pride, lust, exploitation, addiction, abuse. Regret, insecurity, fear, worry. All the evil we live with daily comes from the fact that God has allowed Satan free access to the earth and all its systems.

 

But sometimes God intervenes. Certainly, we should pray; we see him answering our prayers! But we are exiles in a world of brokenness and dysfunction, a place we should not call home. A better home, free of all heartache and disappointment and grief, awaits us. And the older we get, the greater our hope to go there.

 

All Things

That hope is one reason we believe what the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, “We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (NASB).

 

In his most encouraging commentary on Romans 8:28-30 (included in the first 30 minutes of a video recorded three years ago), pastor and theologian Timothy Keller reflects on Paul’s list of what God has in store for those “called according to his purpose.” The Scripture says we are “conformed to the image of His Son . . . justified; and . . . glorified.” You can see the whole video here.

 

“We know nothing of the joy to come,” Keller explains. We just can’t imagine what God has in store for us in Heaven. But we are bound by today. And today inevitably includes suffering. Keller points out that the “all things” of Romans 8:28 must include bad things, because Paul goes on to mention all kinds of bad things Christians will suffer (see verses 18, 26, 35, and 37). “We are more than conquerors,” Paul declares in Romans 8:37 (NIV). But you can’t be a conqueror if you don’t have something to fight, Keller says. We’re battling all kinds of evil in this world. And God has promised that evil will not be the winner.

 

Not forever, that is. But trapped in the present, we can’t see the future. And we certainly cannot know how our little slice of suffering fits into the great, grand cosmic story God is writing.

 

Perseverance in Suffering

The Bible tells us about Job who suffered greater pain and grief than most have ever been asked to bear. Keller points out that Job’s perseverance in suffering has made him one of the most famous men in history.

 

But suppose God would have told Job how many millions would someday learn from his story. Keller asks, “Would this have helped Job?” In the moment of his misery, probably not. Likewise, we can only imagine, we can only hope, for how God will use our faithfulness amid heartbreak to encourage others and accomplish his purposes.

 

This doesn’t mean we won’t weep. Keller points out that Jesus wept as he went to the tomb of Lazarus, even though he did know how the story would end. He wept because two of his friends were heartbroken, because death is ugly and not what God originally intended for our lives.

 

God’s Goodness

Mark and Evelyn Taylor posed at her home at Artis Senior Living June 23 this year, their 51st wedding anniversary.

 

In the last several years, again and again I have wept. In fact, the tears have come almost daily as I’ve faced the sad, slow slog of my wife’s deterioration from her dual diseases. She suffers from both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

 

But I can also see good: The goodness of so many who have showered us with help at home, food, books and other gifts, their precious time, and prayer—so many prayers. I’ve received so much encouragement and support I would not have experienced if Evelyn hadn’t gotten sick.

 

Meanwhile, in her new home now in a memory care center, she seems content and satisfied. Surely this is an answer to those many prayers. That is perhaps the greatest good of all.

 

And there’s more. Without the trial, my illusion of self-sufficiency wouldn’t have been eroded as it is now, week by week. I wouldn’t have grown. I wouldn’t have been pushed to trust God as I must today.

 

Yes, I’m anticipating eternity with God, but I don’t need to wait for Heaven to know his goodness. The hard reality is that God is working together in my every experience for good now. And as I come to understand this, I thank him every day.

 

Mark and Evelyn Taylor have been members of Christ’s Church for more than 40 years. He is retired from a lifetime of editorial work at Standard Publishing. Evelyn taught at Cincinnati Bible College for more than 30 years. Mark posts twice weekly at Unchosen Journey: A Caregiver’s Walk with Alzheimer’s.