God, I Needed You Last Night, But I Wasn't There.

Agnostics suppose that God might not be anywhere, and atheists assure us that God is definitely nowhere. We who are theists, in contrast, know that God is everywhere.

Yet even staunch theists are tempted, when calamity strikes, to wonder where God went.

He is there. With us. He never left.

The real question is not whether God is with us during those times, because he is.

But are we with him?

If at any time we are not with God, then it will most certainly seem as if he is not with us. (No surprise, then, that so many of us feel that life is a rather lonely journey... but that thought for another day and a different blog!) How blessed are we, however, if even in our darkest moments we remain with him.

There are two great lies we must contend with whenever we suffer. In times of sorrow, Satan would have us believe that we are suffering both (a) alone and (b) for no good purpose. These two lies are disarmed and dismantled, however, if we suffer with the God whom we trust. We might never know here on Earth why God allows us to experience various sorrows, but if we know God is present and can trust him with those mysteries, the pain we endure is robbed of its power.

I recently forced my young son Luke to undergo an H1N1 flu vaccination. I held him in my lap tightly for the entire process, but Luke seemed simultaneously to lose both trust in me and the ability to hear my words of encouragement as soon as the long, sharp needle came into view. The more he focused on the needle, the less he was able to interact with me in any meaningful way. I think it would be fair to say that in some sense Luke faced his fears alone, and the experience for him was utterly terrifying. I was there the whole time, but I doubt it felt that way to Luke.

In fact, Luke has a history of asthma. For him, a case of the swine flu could mean hospitalization — or even death. Many years from now Luke will certainly be thankful for the many vaccinations he received along the way, but he's too young today to understand the science of innoculations. No amount of explanation was going to help Luke accept that flu shot with serenity. Facing a terrifying experience, Luke didn't need explanations. What he needed was trust.

We smile at how children behave when the doctor's needle comes out. But let us be honest with ourselves. Do we accept those needles God sends our way without a struggle? Not often. Do we look for explanations? Or do we ask God for more trust? Exactly.

Trust, however, is the silver bullet. Explanations are for those who doubt. As we learn to trust our God who is with us, we begin to discover that those unpleasant shots in the arm are preparing us for a better future. Luke had only the present doctor's visit in mind, but we, his parents, were taking a longer view. Likewise we humans all too often have only this present life in mind, but God too is taking the longer view.

All these fine words don't make suffering fun, of course, but if we believe them, we can, as the Apostle Paul notes, "not grieve like people who have no hope." (1 Thessalonians 4:13)

Hebrews 12:5-12
...And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said,

“My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t give up when he corrects you.
For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”

As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?

For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

Those last words from that passage in Hebrews may seem a bit odd and almost unrelated to the preceding text, but consider this: perhaps if Luke had endured his shot with serenity, other children waiting in line would been a bit more brave as they themselves approached the awaiting doctor.

The way we endure suffering reveals to a watching world something about the character of the God we serve and whether he can be trusted.

Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Amen!