How God Changes Our “Why Me?” Questions in Suffering to “Why Not Me?” by Randy Alcorn

There was a time when I could not fully accept any explanation for evil and suffering that didn’t make sense to me, start to finish. However, over the years, and through the process of writing my book If God Is Good, I’ve come to trust my own understanding less, and God’s Word more.

I find a strange delight in being swallowed up by the immensity of God’s greatness and by the divine mysteries that once disturbed me. Know­ing that I’ll sit before God’s judgment seat—not He before mine—I choose to trust Him. And the more I do, the more sense the story makes to me.

And I am certain about this: the best answer to the problem of evil is a person—Jesus Christ. I’m convinced He is the only answer. The drama of evil and suffering in Christ’s sac­rifice addresses the very heart of the problem of evil and suffering. And one day it will prove to have been the final answer.

So whenever you feel tempted in your suffering to ask God, “Why are you doing this tome?” look at the Cross and ask, “Why did you do that for me?”

In this excerpt from his 2018 book God’s Grace in Your Suffering, David Powlison writes about how God changes our “Why me?” questions in suffering. (My thanks to Justin Taylor for sharing this on his excellent blog.)

So often the initial reaction to painful suffering is

Why me?

Why this?

Why now?

Why?

You’ve now heard God speaking with you. The real God says all these wonderful things, and does everything he says.

He comes for you, in the flesh, in Christ, into suffering, on your behalf.

He does not offer advice and perspective from afar; he steps into your significant suffering.

He will see you through, and work with you the whole way.

He will carry you even in extremis.

This reality changes the questions that rise up from your heart. That inward-turning Why me? quiets down, lifts its eyes, and begins to look around.

You turn outward and a new and wonderful question forms.

Why you?

Why you, Lord of life?

Why would you enter this world of evils?

Why would you go through loss, weakness, hardship, sorrow, and death?

Why would you do this for me, of all people?

But you did.

You did this for the joy set before you.

You did this for love.

You did this showing the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

As that deeper question sinks home, you become joyously sane. The universe is no longer supremely about you. Yet you are not irrelevant. God’s story makes you just the right size. Everything counts, but the scale changes to something that makes much more sense. You face hard things. But you have already received something better which can never be taken away. And that better something will continue to work out the whole journey long.

The question generates a heartfelt response.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget any of the good things he does, who pardons all your iniquities and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassions, who satisfies you with good things as your adornment, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. Thank you, my Father.

You are able to give true voice to a Thank you amid all that is truly wrong, because all sins and all sufferings have now come under his lovingkindness.

Finally, you are prepared to pose—and to mean—an almost unimaginable question.

Why not me?

Why not this?

Why not now?

If in some way, your faith might serve as a three-watt night light in a very dark world, Why not me?

If your suffering shows forth the Savior of the world, Why not me?

If you have the privilege of filling up the sufferings of Christ?

If he sanctifies to you your deepest distress?

If you fear no evil?

If he bears you in his arms?

If your weakness demonstrates the power of God to save us from all that is wrong?

If your honest struggle shows other strugglers how to land on their feet?

If your life becomes a source of hope for others?

Why not me?

Of course, you don’t want to suffer, but you’ve become willing: “If it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Like him, your loud cries and tears will in fact be heard by the one who saves from death.

Like him, you will learn obedience through what you suffer.

Like him, you will sympathize with the weaknesses of others.

Like him, you will deal gently with the ignorant and wayward.

Like him, you will display faith to a faithless world, hope to a hopeless world, love to a loveless world, life to a dying world.

If all that God promises only comes true, then Why not me?

—David Powlison, God’s Grace in Your Suffering (Wheaton: Crossway, 2018), 115–17.

Postscript: In October, David was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Nanci and I were touched by David’s video this past fall sharing about his initial diagnosis (now determined after surgery to be stage four cancer), especially since we were journeying through her own cancer treatments. David says this experience has given him the opportunity to live the things he’s written about and says he believes. Here’s that first video, which includes much encouraging Scripture.

You can read and watch further updates on his health on the CCEF site.

From the Shepherd's Heart....Friday, February 22, 2019

Have you ever wondered about the "Giants" in Genesis 6?  Who are the "sons of God?"  Were they demons?  Where they just evil men?

What God to grieve so badly He wished He had never made man? 

This Sunday morning we look at Genesis 6: 1-8 in a message "Immeasurable Evil, Matchless Grace."  We will look at those questions but also look at the marvelous grace of God revealed in Genesis 6.

Sunday night I will continue to preach from Matthew 18: 15-20 concerning church discipline.  Where does church discipline begin?  When should you confront someone about the sin in their life?  What happens if they refuse to respond positively to you?

This is so vitally important for believers to know and it is the foundational step in church discipline.

The Personnel Team, the Stewardship Team and the Deacons gladly announce we are recommending bringing Zac Gardner onto our staff fulltime beginning March 4.  We are calling for a special called business meeting this Sunday night after the evening service to consider two recommendations to change his Ministry Description and to approve his compensation.  This written report is available for you to pick up in the foyer.   Also, we are ordaining Zac on Sunday, March 31 at 3:00 p.m.

I'm glad to be back from Guatemala serving there with Bro. Steve McFall.  I was joyfully impacted by Bro. Steve and his preaching.  It was a great joy to  be with him and the pastors there in Ixchiguan, Guatemala.  

Tomorrow is our last day of Upward Basketball Season and Ministry.  What a wonderful season it has been with over 170 children involved and great coaches, clock keepers, referres, greeters, devotional guys, clean up crew and concession stand workers.  Thanks to each of you for making this possible.  Thanks to Whitney Wigley for her excellent leadership in this ministry and especially this year.  

Braxton's List: a Georgia Baptist leader speaks out about cyber-bullying

(This original post was Sept. 11, 2014.  It is worth repeating.  See original here.)

While social media bullies continue their endless crusades in recklessly making life as miserable as possible for those whom they vow to harass, one Georgia pastor steps to the plate and knocks it out of the park.  

The following short piece by Vadalia First Baptist Church pastor and former Georgia Baptist Convention president, Bucky Kennedy, was recently published in The Christian Index ¹ As the Index notes, Pastor Kennedy reflects on the death of Braxton Caner on July 29. The 15-year-old Texas high school football star was the son of Brewton-Parker College President Ergun Caner and his wife, Jill.

Braxton Caner was a young man who had once read that if you listed your goals you had a better than 90% chance of meeting them, versus less than 50% if you didn’t. Braxton had academic, athletic, and spiritual goals that he wrote down and pursued. At the age of 15 Braxton took his own life. It is believed that cyber-bullying may have been the cause.

Social media is now a part of the world culture and it can be used for good or evil; to build up or tear down. As Christians we are called to live distinctively different from the world and this should be evident in what we post or tweet. It is with this in mind and because Braxton believed in goal setting and list making that I introduce to you:

 Braxton’s List for Social Media Conduct

1. If you can’t post something nice ... ask yourself if you should post at all?

2. Don’t let momentary anger become a permanent post.

3. Remember, the people you want to attack has a family that feels their hurt.

4. Public people can have personal problems that the public doesn’t know. They may be closer to the edge than you know because you don’t know them. Stop before they drop.

5. God says “Vengeance is Mine” so it’s best to let God do best what He knows best to do.

6. Christians never have the right to be unkind, not even once. Mean posts about an individual multiple times is harassment.

7. Post above reproach. If in doubt, don’t. Be a building block and not a stumbling stone.

8. There are two sides to every story and the Internet is not the best place to tell the difference between the two or the best place to settle the difference between the two.

9. It’s better not to post and let people think you’re a fool than to post and remove all doubt.

10. Nobody wins on the Internet but lives and families can be lost because of it.

11. Satan is the accuser of the brethren, he doesn’t need our help.

12. Praying for our enemies accomplishes more than posting about them. Remember, because we pray for them doesn’t give us the right to post mean and hurtful things about them.

13. Believers are best dealt with by the local church, determining their salvation is the role of the Holy Spirit and not social media. If you don’t like how the local church handled the situation see #5.

Braxton’s life was short lived but it can be long remembered if we engage in cyber-building and stop cyber-bullying. 

#stopcyberbullying
#Braxtonslist

¹September 4, 2014. Used with permission.

Posted on Sep 11, 2014 at 02:27 PM | Permalink

From the Shepherd's Heart.....Friday, February 15, 2019

This Sunday the church at Rainsville First Baptist has the privilege of hearing Larry D. Wright.  Larry is a retired pastor currently living in Florence, AL and is the President of Leaders Building Leaders.

As such, he is dedicated to equipping the next generation of Christ-followers in the theology of the Great Commission and conducting short-term mission trips in North America and around the world.

He has served as a pastor for 34 years.  He served the First Baptist Church in Florence, Alabama as well as pastor of Valley Grove Baptist Church in Tuscumbia, Alabama.  Prior to that, he served on a church staff in Texas and fulfilled a calling as a vocational evangelist. His last ministry assignment was serving as President of T.I.M.E. (Training in Missions Evangelism) Ministries in Huntsville from 2009 to 2013.  All together, Larry has been preaching the gospel for 54 years, since 1965 while a senior in high school.

Larry earned a BA degree from Samford University (Birmingham) in 1970 with a major in Religion and a minor in history.  He graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Ft. Worth, TX) in 1973 with a Masters degree in theology.  While serving as a pastor in Florence, Larry's ministry extended to a local college campus where he taught religion as an adjunct professor at the University of North Alabama for seven years.

A published author, Larry enjoys writing as a hobby and has been published in Homelife and Proclaim plus Leadership Journal, Riverview Magazine, and the Common Ground.  He blogs and writes articles on his personal website at www.leadersbuildingleaders.com. 

His personal interests include golf, duck hunting, Labrador Retrievers and backpacking.  Larry and daughters have hiked over 150 miles on the Appalachian Trail and most all the trails in North Alabama.  He and his wife Debbie, who recently retired, have three daughters and nine grandchildren.

I have had the privilege of serving alongside Larry in Africa teaching pastors and training leaders on several occasions.  He is a treasured and trusted preacher of the Word.

Sunday night, Debbie Garner and The Summit Ministries will be sharing in the 6:00 p.m. service.  This two-year-old ministry is flourishing in seeing the lives of women changed.  The church will hear many personal testimonies of God's grace in this 6:00 service.  No love offering will be received due to us supporting this ministry on a monthly basis.  Any time you wish to give a special offering to The Summit, just designate it on your envelope and The Summit will receive your gift by the end of the month.

 

How protected is your teen from finding pornography online? By Julie Masson

If you’ve just given your teenager a smartphone, laptop, gaming device, or iPod for Christmas, he or she is just a click away on multiple devices from finding pornography. For instance, 87 percent of university students polled have virtual sex mainly using webcam, Instant Messenger, and telephone. In addition, Covenant Eyes, a helpful site focused on protecting adults and kids from pornography, has several shocking statistics listed on their web site, including:  

• Nine out of 10 boys and six out of 10 girls are exposed to pornography online before the age of 18.
• The first exposure to pornography among boys is 12 years old, on average.
• 83 percent of boys and 57 percent of girls are exposed to group sex online.
• 69 percent of boys and 55 percent of girls are exposed to same-sex intercourse online.
• 71 percent of teens have done something to hide their online activity from their parents.
• 28 percent of 16-17 year olds have unintentionally been exposed to pornography online.
• 20 percent of 16 year olds and 30 percent of 17 year olds have received a sext.

How well are you protecting your teenager from finding porn? While we likely will not stop them from ever finding porn online, there are several things any parent can do.  

Would you pass this quiz?  

Receive family and parenting content in your inbox each week

Sign up for ERLC Highlights

Sign Up

Take this quiz to see how protected your teen is. While not every question may provide an answer that fits you exactly, choose the one closest to your reality.  

1. My teenager uses a smartphone in his room alone, with the door closed.

1. A. Yes. I think he deserves his own privacy.
2. B. Sometimes I let him as long as I know what he’s doing on the phone.
3. C. No.  I have a policy of no smartphone or computer use behind closed doors.

2. I have filtering software installed on my teenager’s computer and/or smartphone.

1. A. No, I do not have any software installed or filters set up.
2. B. Yes. I have software that blocks adult websites when she is at home and on our Wifi network. When she leaves the house though, I’m unable to filter out websites.
3. C. Yes. I have software installed for all devices at home and the software monitors what they do on their phones when outside of our home WiFi network.

3. I regularly ask to look at my teenager’s phone to review search history, apps and social media usage.

1. A. No. What he does on his phone is his business.
2. B. When I remember to ask I just check his text messages and nothing else.
3. C. Yes. I regularly ask to look at his phone and talk to him about what he’s been doing on his phone lately.

4. I have adjusted my teenager’s smartphone settings so that it blocks adult content.

1. A. No. I don’t even know how to do this.
2. B. No. I want to learn how to do this though.
3. C. Yes. And every device she uses (tablet, gaming console, etc) also has these settings in place.

5. I have parental controls turned on for YouTube to block mature or adult content.

1. A. No. I’m unaware of how to do this or I don’t think YouTube has content that is too mature for my teenager.
2. B. I would like to know how to do this.
3. C. Yes and I have his YouTube app connected to my Gmail account so that I can easily see what videos he’s recently watched.

Scoring:  

• For every A answer, give yourself 1 point each.
• For every B answer, give yourself 3 points each.
• For every C answer, give yourself 5 points each.  

5-10: Your teenager is not at all protected from finding online pornography. He has full access to the world of online pornography. You do not really have any precautions in place to protect him from viewing pornography. I recommend you start with some basic filtering software like Covenant Eyes.  

11-20: Your teenager is somewhat protected from finding online pornography. She is likely pretty safe while at in your house, on your own WiFi network, but once she leaves the house you cannot monitor her internet usage. I recommend you consider some software to prevent finding online pornography outside of your home and start having regular discussion with her about what you see on her phone when you ask to look it.  

21-25: Your teenager is well protected from finding online pornography. You have taken several wise precautions and are communicating with your teenager. I recommend you continue to be open and honest with your teenager. Ask hard questions. Display understanding and empathy, not judgment if he admits to finding a way to look at pornography.  

The lesson to learn from this quiz, no matter your score, is that you must be involved in your teen’s device use. This cliche has been used over and over, but it rings true: you would never hand over the keys to your car to your teenager without first teaching him how to drive it properly and safely. So, don’t hand your teenager a phone if you don’t have the time to teach him or her how to use a smartphone properly and safely.  

And it doesn’t stop there. You must also ensure that you’re aware of how your teen is using her smartphone. Keep communication flowing, ask good questions, and enforce boundaries. You will never regret asking your teenagers those hard questions about what they’re doing on the their phones.  

10 Things You Should Know about the Lifting of Hands in Worship by Sam Storms

Worship involves our bodies as well as our hearts and minds. Our posture tells a story. It makes a statement to God and to others about the state of our souls and the affections and passions of our heart.

If you were to visit Bridgeway, you would immediately recognize that we freely and frequently lift our hands when we worship. Some people may be seen kneeling. Some sit throughout the course of a service, either by preference or due to some physical limitation. Some just stand. And yes, some even dance. But for the sake of time and space, I’ll forego talking of the other postures and restrict my comments to the lifting of hands and its significance for worship.

(1) I raise my hands when I pray and praise because I have explicit biblical precedent for doing so. I don’t know if I’ve found all biblical instances of it, but consider this smattering of texts.

“So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands” (Psalm 63:4).

“To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary” (Psalm 28:1).

“Every day I call upon you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you” (Psalm 88:9).

“I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes” (Psalm 119:48).

“Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD!” (Psalm 134:2).

“O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!” (Psalm 141:1-2).

“I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land” (Psalm 143:6).

“Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court, and he stood on it. Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven” (2 Chronicles 6:12-13).

“And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God” (Ezra 9:5).

“And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen,’ lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground” (Nehemiah 8:6).

“Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven” (Lamentations 3:41).

“I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling” (1 Timothy 2:8).

(2) If someone should object and say that few of these texts speak of worship (see Pss. 63:4; 134:2), but only of prayer (as if a rigid distinction can even be made between the two; indeed, I can’t recall ever worshiping God without praying to him; and prayer is itself a form of worship).

I also have a question: Why do you assume that the appropriate place for your hands is at your side and you need an explicit biblical warrant for raising them? Wouldn’t it be just as reasonable to assume that the appropriate place for one’s hands is raised toward heaven, calling for an explicit biblical warrant (other than gravity or physical exhaustion) to keep them low?

(3) When I’m asked why I raise my hands in worship, I will often say: “Because I’m not a Gnostic!” Gnosticism, both in its ancient and modern forms, disparages the body. Among other things, it endorses a hyper-spirituality that minimizes the goodness of physical reality. Gnostics focus almost exclusively on the non-material or “spiritual” dimensions of human existence and experience. The body is evil and corrupt. The body must be controlled and suppressed and kept in check lest it defile the pure praise of one’s spirit. The body, they say, is little more than a temporary prison for the soul that longs to escape into a pure, ethereal, altogether spiritual mode of being. Nonsense!

In one particular wedding ceremony I performed, the woman was from England and asked that I include in the vows one particular part that goes as follows:

“With my body I thee honor.
My body will adore you,
and your body alone will I cherish.
I will with my body, declare your worth.”

Biblical Christianity celebrates God’s creation of physical reality (after all, he did pronounce it “good” in Genesis 1). We are more than immaterial creatures. We are embodied souls, and are to worship God with our whole being. We should “honor” God with our bodies. We “adore” God with our bodies. With our bodies we “declare” his worth. Paul couldn’t have been more to the point when he exhorted us to present our “bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,” which is our “spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).

By all means, we must worship with understanding. We must think rightly of God and love him with our heart and soul and mind (see Matt. 22:37). But we are not, for that reason, any less physical beings. We will have glorified bodies forever in which to honor and adore our great God. If we are commanded to dance, kneel, sing and speak when we worship, what possible reason could there be for not engaging our hands as well?

(4) The human hand gives visible expression to so many of our beliefs, feelings, and intentions. When I taught homiletics (how to preach), one of the most difficult tasks was getting young preachers to use their hands properly. Either from embarrassment or fear, they would keep them stuffed in their pockets, hidden from sight behind their backs, or nervously twiddle them in a variety of annoying ways.

Our hands speak loudly. When angry, we clinch our fists, threatening harm to others. When guilty, we hide our hands or hold incriminating evidence from view. When uneasy, we sit on them to obscure our inner selves. When worried, we wring them. When afraid, we use them to cover our face or hold tightly to someone for protection. When desperate or frustrated, we throw them wildly in the air, perhaps also in resignation or dismay. When confused, we extend them in bewilderment, as if asking for advice and direction. When hospitable, we use them to warmly receive those in our presence. When suspicious, we use them to keep someone at bay, or perhaps point an accusing finger in their direction.

(5) I lift my hands when I worship because like one who surrenders to a higher authority, I yield to God’s will and ways and submit to his guidance and power and purpose in my life. It is my way of saying, “God, I am yours to do with as you please.”

(6) I lift my hands when I worship because like one who expresses utter vulnerability, I say to the Lord: “I have nothing to hide. I come to you open handed, concealing nothing. My life is yours to search and sanctify. I’m holding nothing back. My heart, soul, spirit, body and will are an open book to you.”

(7) I lift my hands when I worship because like one who needs help, I confess my utter dependence on God for everything. I cry out: “O God, I entrust my life to you. If you don’t take hold and uplift me, I will surely sink into the abyss of sin and death. I rely on your strength alone. Preserve me. Sustain me. Deliver me.”

(8) I lift my hands when I worship because like one who happily and expectantly receives a gift from another, I declare to the Lord: “Father, I gratefully embrace all you want to give. I’m a spiritual beggar. I have nothing to offer other than my need of all that you are for me in Jesus. So glorify yourself by satisfying me wholly with you alone.”

(9) I lift my hands when I worship because like one who aspires to direct attention away from self to the Savior, I say: “O God, yours is the glory; yours is the power; yours is the majesty alone!”

(10) I lift my hands when I worship because as the beloved of God, I say tenderly and intimately to the Lover of my soul: “Abba, hold me. Protect me. Reveal your heart to me. I am yours! You are mine! Draw near and enable me to know and feel the affection in your heart for this one sinful soul.”

For those many years when I kept my hands rigidly at my side or safely tucked away in the pockets of my pants, I knew that no one would take notice of my praise of God or my prayers of desperation. No one would dare mistake me for a fanatic! I felt in control, dignified, sophisticated, and above all else, safe. These matter no more to me.

Please understand: these are not words of condemnation but confession. I know no one’s heart but my own. I judge no one’s motives but mine. I’m not telling you how to worship, but simply sharing how I do and why. I’m at that point in life where I honestly couldn’t care less what the immovable evangelical is thinking or the crazy charismatic is feeling. What matters to me is that God have my all: my mind, will, feet, eyes, ears, tongue, heart, affections, and yes, my hands.

No, you need not raise your hands to worship God. But why wouldn’t you want to?

The Lost World of Genesis 4-5 .... this Sunday at Rainsville First Baptist Church

We are walking through the early chapters of the book of Genesis in 2019 concentrating on the days of Noah.  But before the Flood, there was a world that is quite different than the world we know today.  In the flood, it became "The Lost World."  But in Genesis 4-5 we learn about this world:

* no rain but a climate that was near perfect
* people lived on an average to be over 900 years old
* cities were built, commerce was added, music was discovered

But the prophecy of Genesis 3: 15 was also being lived out...there were two seeds.  We will see this thought again in Genesis 6, but we also will see it this Sunday in Genesis 4-5.  If you read Genesis 4-5 before Sunday (and I hope you will), there are only two speeches in these chapters and it appears to be by the same man.  At least, a man with the same name.  But the two speeches reflect the two "seeds" of mankind and the two "ways" man must choose to go....The Way of Cain or The Way of Seth.

This Sunday night I continue the series on "Restore Thy Church" as continue to look at the subject of Church Discipline.