Barb Wooler - 30 Days to a More Resilient Faith

30 Days to a More Resilient Faith

Embracing the God of the Storm

Copyright Barb Wooler and Wayne Hannah, 2016

ISBN: 978-088469-317-8

REL022000 RELIGION / Devotional

Published by BMH Books, Winona Lake, IN 46590

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan.

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The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

T HE OLDEST BOOK OF THE B IBLE , J OB, DEALS WITH THE OLDEST question of man: why do seemingly bad things happen to good people? Or put another way, if God is good, why is there suffering?

A thousand generations have asked this question, and their sages have done their best to answer, to make sense of suffering, pain, and evil. Part I includes 30 short readings one for each day of the month drawn from two sources: the Bible and the wisdom of contemporary thinkers. In Part 2 consists of reflections on the role of pain and suffering in life as told by a man who has lived most of his life with a painful disease.

While there are many facets to this complex issue, the conclusion drawn from both the Bible and the sages is this: God is in the midst of crisis and suffering, drawing people to Himself and into His purposes.

CRISIS

a difficult, often dangerous situation or event

SUFFERING

the anguishing impact of crisis on humans

TABLE OF CONTENTS

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other.

Ecclesiastes 7:14

Read Psalm 119:67; James 1:2-4

W HO IN THEIR RIGHT MINDS WOULD PREFER HARD TIMES TO EASY ? Ask 100 people which they prefer, and 100 would answer the same: give me the GOOD TIMES!

So how does one account for two very strange statements I heard recently? At a small group meeting a woman started her word of praise to God by saying, I thank God for my stroke. Then in May, while in Nepal assisting earthquake victims, I heard a man say, I thank God for the earthquake.

Crazy, right? But consider the fuller context of both.

In the case of the woman, she was thankful for her stroke because it brought her back to the Lord and also was healing her relationship with her estranged son. Though walking is now a bit of a challenge for her body, in a figurative sense, her spirit has a new spring in its step!

The man in Nepal is a pastor, and he has good reason to thank God for the April 25, 2016, 7.8-magnitude earthquake! Though his life became very difficult since that fateful day, he rejoices because the earthquake has brought his neighbors to their church in search of a safe place to sleep. The close contact between believers and unbelievers has resulted in quite a few of his formerly lost neighbors finding Christ!

It makes one wonder if, as Paul and Silas left Philippi, they, too, were thanking God for the earthquake, which resulted in their early release from jail, and more importantly, in the salvation of the jailer and his family!

Such stories are not all that unusual. Many know of people whose lives have been completely turned around by tragedy. I recently heard a story of someone whose difficult temperament was utterly transformed by a cancer diagnosis. Today, she is a joyful person who is grateful to God for all the friends she discovered she has. She never knew such joy B.C. (before cancer).

So, theres obviously another side to suffering, a side we could call an inconvenient truth. This truth is hinted at by the Apostle James in his bizarre statement, Consider it pure joywhenever you face trials of many kinds (James 1:2).

For these 30 days, we will consider the ubiquitous presence of things-going-badly in life. We may reach some surprising conclusions about crises, ourselves, the human experience, and yes, even about God.

Read Genesis 45:5, 46:1-4; Acts 8:1

M Y THOUGHTS ON THE SUBJECT OF CRISIS HAVE EVOLVED A LOT FROM when I was first approached by Encompass World Partners about developing a Crisis Response ministry. To be honest, at that time I wasnt sure crisis ministry was a good match for me. But all that changed when I looked at the role of crisis in the Bible, and I came to a conclusion that left me wildly passionate about serving in crisis.

What conclusion did I reach? I saw that God uses crisis to move people, to change peoples hearts, minds, and even their geography. The crucible of trial awakens; it shakes us from lifes patterns and routines so that we are listening differently; it readies our mind to see afresh. But God uses crisis to move people geographically? Really? Yes, even geographically. Consider these well-known examples.

ISRAEL INTO EGYPT

When God wanted Israel to go into Egypt where they would grow into a great nation, how did He move them there? He sent a severe-famine (crisis) and as food grew scarce, the patriarch Jacob had no choice but to seek provisions in the only land that still had food: Egypt.

His sons were welcomed by the Egyptian official, and returned home with bulging grain sacks. Turns out that this generous official in Pharaohs court was none other than Joseph, their brother!

Sohow did brother Joseph end up in Egypt? It was by his brothers wicked betrayal (crisis) years before, when they treacherously sold him to traveling merchants happening by on their way to Egypt.

Another geographic migration brought on by crisis was 430 years later, when God used ten horrific plagues (crises) to bring Israel, now a vast nation, out of Egypt.

MOBILIZING THE EARLY CHURCH

After Pentecost the church was exploding; Jerusalem was Christianity-Central. Believers were living and fellowshipping together, and their numbers grew daily as they anxiously awaited Jesus return.

But werent they forgetting something? Oh, yeah, the Great Commission. Their town, Jerusalem, was only Phase I! So how would God move the church into Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth? Through persecution (crisis) ignited by Stephens martyrdom (crisis).

So we see throughout history that God uses crises famine, betrayal, plagues, persecution to move people into His good and perfect purposes.

Read Acts 9:15-16, 14:22; 2 Corinthians 11:23-29

S AUL OF T ARSUS . T HE BEST OF THE BEST . S INCERE . Z EALOUS . S MART . Highly educated. Passionate in his zeal for God. And dead wrong.

Suffering is central to Sauls story. It starts with his inflicting suffering on the church to destroy it, which ironically, God uses to spread the church. Then after two years, Gods purposes in the persecution having been accomplished, the tables turn and now Saul is on the receiving end of the suffering. But lets go back to the beginning of the story.

GODS CHOSEN VESSEL TO SUFFER

On the road to Damascus, Saul is traveling with documents authorizing him to capture, imprison, and even kill followers of Jesus. Suddenly, a bright light flashes from heaven and strikes him down. A voice from heaven says, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is the voice of Jesus! (Jesus words answer forever the question, Where is Jesus in my pain? a subject for another day.)

Now blind, Sauls posse guides him to the home Jesus had indicated, and for three days he sits in darkness, in stunned silence and awe, wondering how he could have been so wrong! At the end of those three painful days, Saul emerges a man with a completely changed heart.