Suffering and the Sovereignty of God.
If you’re like me, one of the conundrums in Christianity is understanding God’s total sovereignty, ie God being in total control and having total authority, while at the same time, us having free will and being able to make decisions of our own. Particularly when things get tough and difficult, we begin to ask questions like “if God is in total control, why are we experiencing this suffering/hardship?”. If God is in control, why are we experiencing this pain… sorrow?
We read in Ephesians 1:11
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
So if we suffer hardship, has God brought it about? And when we go through these difficult, sometime painful experiences we begin to wonder if God is really in control of everything, because surely a loving Father would not allow this? So let’s tackle these questions.
I have two daughters and being the analytical freaky father that I am, I set up a spreadsheet of skills I wanted them to learn by each age starting at about 3 years old and finishing when they left school at about 18 years of age. These including learning to read, riding a bike, throwing/catching balls, tying knots, fishing, self-defence, what to do if abducted, shooting, spread sheet use, bush survival skills etc etc. They were destined to learn those skills with me- predestined if you like! (Aren’t you glad you weren’t my daughter!) Now while I had this all planned for them, most of the time they were absolutely not interested in learning these skills. They went through the motions but were not interested at all! I was a bit disappointed but did not force them to learn what I had prepared. They were destined to learn those life skills, but chose not to (with many of them). However, there were some things which were not negotiable. One of which was that in our house we all went to church on Sundays. Another was learning our fire emergency plan on the farm and the occasional practice drills we did. There are aspects in life where we permit flexibility and other aspects where we say, no this is the path we will travel. When you leave this house you will be able to make your own decisions on these points.
So, on the one hand we were permissive in allowing certain things not to be done as we wished, on the other hand we were prescriptive (inflexible) about some things in our house.
How similar it is with our Father in heaven. He is in total control all …
Psalm 103:19NIV
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Colossians 1:16 NIV
16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
And like us fathers He also has a permissive will and prescriptive will. In other words, He allows some things and He ordains some things. And so yes, we do have a free will and we can choose, even though God is in total control. They may not align to His perfect will, but we make decisions in life, look at;
Joshua 24:15 NIV
15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Matthew 23:37 NIV
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.
So we have responsibilities in life. We can choose or reject Jesus, just like Israel did. And remember the Lord speaking to Cain in Gen 4: “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.
We are not without responsibility. We make decisions in our life that affects us and those around us, even though God is in control.
But you may ask, if we make decisions how is the will of God accomplished?
God’s will is like a river with an endless source. The stream will find a path to its destination no matter who tries to block it. It will find a way. Beavers may block it up with logs, but a beautiful sanctuary results. Man may try and block it, but it brings, fish and birds in the dams. Whatever hinders it, brings some good!
Proverbs 21:1 the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.
And if there are hindrances in the way, and blockages- like a river, it brings life!
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
So while God may allow or even ordain suffering, some good will always come out of it. And further, no matter who tries to hinder His will, that river will always arrive at its destination. Hindering it will work out for good!
Remember the story of Joseph in Genesis. He went through a tough time. His brothers plotted to kill him and throw him into a pit. Reuben convinces his brothers not to kill him, and they throw him alive into the pit. Some traders come by and Joseph is sold to them. These traders then sell him to one of Pharaohs officials. He ends up in jail for at least two years, before he becomes a senior official in Egypt. And because he was thrown into the pit, thrown into jail, sold into Egypt, he was able to save thousands, upon thousands in Israel at a time of severe famine.
Genesis 50:20 NIV
20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Ther point I’m trying to make is that the suffering we may go through does not detract from the sovereignty of God, it adds to it. God allows or He ordains all things.
God did not come to save you from the trials; He came to save you out of them.
Remember Jesus just before He was crucified prays this
John 12:27-28 NIV
27 ..what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”
Jesus was not saved from that hour, but out of it…. And all mankind is eternally grateful!
And when we face these times of sorrow or suffering, whether or not God has allowed it or ordained it, He has come to save you not from the trials, but out of them!
So why does God allow suffering?
You can tell people that have been through tough times, they have a depth that others don’t have. There is a resilience, there is a tenderness, there is empathy for others and there is humility. They have a depth of character that other don’t have.
Now we can join with Paul when he writes
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NKJV
8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
And so like a river, the more difficulties, the steeper the terrain, the more rocky, the more obstructions, the more beautiful the river gets and the more life it sustains. And the will of God will prevail until its destination is reached. And we’ll be the better for it!
Using the analogy of grapes and flour. It’s all very well having them on a shelf, but until they are pressed and crushed to make wine, and kneaded to make bread they are not of much value! Sometimes we need to be pressed and kneaded before we reach our full potential! Until we become bread and wine.
So in conclusion: God is sovereign. He has all authority and all power. He allows or ordains all things. John writes John 3:27
“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.”
We may not understand everything and why this happened or that happened. And we may not see any good from it right now, but then we are not God . But one day we will see why these things had to happen;
1 Corinthians 13:12 Living Bible
12 In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were peering at his reflection in a poor mirror; but someday we are going to see him in his completeness, face-to-face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred, but then I will see everything clearly,