Author: Editor

During our COVID-19 shutdown, Pastor Zekveld plans to provide a personal reflection from Tuesday through Friday.

Big Floyd

On Monday, May 25, police in Minneapolis responded to a call that a man had given counterfeit money at a corner store. The caller also said he appeared to be behaving not-quite-normally, like he was drunk or something.

The police found him, escorted him out of his vehicle, and even though it appears from that there was little, if any, resistance, an officer pinned George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, to the ground by pressing his knee into George’s neck. While Mr. Floyd pleaded that he couldn’t breathe, the officer kept his knee on his neck for more than 8 minutes until he was dead.

That was Monday, and since then Minneapolis has erupted into a frightening scene of rioting, breaking, looting and burning. (It should be noted that most, if not all, the protesters come from ‘out of town.’)

It’ll be sometime before we know the details of the arrest and death of George Floyd. But one thing is sure, the furor this event has ignited, and understandably so, will be with us for a long time to come.

It will take a lot of wisdom for America’s leaders to move forward from this. And it will take a lot of Gospel from black and white church leaders alike to give just and loving leadership which will magnify Christ and advance His kingdom.

But I want to tell you another part of the story of George Floyd’s life that gets lost in the May 25 video footage.

Before moving to Minneapolis in 2018 for work, George Floyd lived in Texas, in Houston’s Third Ward, a historically black neighborhood. There he was well-known as a Christian, a man of God, and a person of peace. He served his neighborhood for decades as a mentor to a generation of young men.

He knew that the Gospel was the key to breaking the cycle of violence among young people, so he brought the ministries of his Church, Resurrection Houston, to the Third Ward. He helped bring Bible Studies, church services, mercy ministries, and youth activities to his neighborhood. He wanted the youth to trade in their guns for Jesus.

He was a towering 6-foot-6 man, affectionately called ‘Big Floyd’ by all in his neighborhood. Big Floyd was well-known “as a gentle giant, an inspiration to his neighborhood, and a positive force for change. Floyd’s handle included the name ‘BigFloyd4God.’” (Kate Shellnutt, “George Floyd Left a Gospel Legacy in Houston,” Christianity Today, May 28, 2020)

I don’t want to paint too holy of a picture of this gentle giant. No doubt his life would have borne some of the marks of his prevailing culture – and the same is true for all of us whether we are Christians living in Houston or Strathroy – but we can be thankful for the “Gospel Legacy” he left in Houston’s Third Ward.

And we should all mourn his death – because of his life as the image of God, because of the gift he was to his community, and because of the especially tragic way in which his life was brutally snuffed out.

The challenge is to mourn well – to mourn in a way that builds community, rather than destroys it; in a way that pursues justice, rather than violates it; in a way that advances the Gospel of reconciliation rather than perverts it. These are easy words for me to say; it’s a huge challenge to implement them.

Let us pray that God will give much wisdom and courage to everyone at the frontlines of this tragedy to respond in a way that promotes healing.

Floyd’s girlfriend, Courteney Ross, pleaded with the public to protest his death in a peaceful way:

Waking up this morning to see Minneapolis on fire would be something that would devastate Floyd… He loved the city….He was about love and about peace.

Courteney Ross

Floyd’s family members also pleaded for pursuing justice peacefully. “We thank protesters for joining us in standing for justice, [but] we also cannot sink to the level of our oppressors, and we cannot endanger each other as we respond to the necessary urge to raise our voices in unison and outrage.”

One American Pastor who serves in an African American community wrote to me that earlier this week he was very anxious and not very hopeful about the church’s ability to overcome the tribalism of Babel in such times.  But then the truth of Pentecost came to his mind.

Jesus said: 

When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.

John 16:13

Our great need in this situation is to know the Truth of our current moment. It’s not black truth or white truth but the truth of the Gospel. This is the only Truth that will move us forward together in justice and love. 

May the almighty Spirit of Jesus Christ lead us to the Truth that conquers all our prejudice, racism, hatred, violence, despair, indifference and cynicism.

May the blood of Jesus cleanse us from all our sin and use us to build a community of faith which, like Big Floyd, urges people to replace their guns with Jesus, pride with humility, and hatred with love. 

As Floyd’s life was ‘Big’ may his death also be ‘Big’ in the way God can use it to shake us, break us, and remake us into a community which seeks and finds unity in Jesus Christ, the One Man for All Peoples.

During our COVID-19 shutdown, Pastor Zekveld plans to provide a personal reflection from Tuesday through Friday.

Primitive and Obscene

The Cross of Jesus Christ is the Good News that saves every sinner who believes in Him. But this Good News is offensive to the unbelieving mind, and impossible to accept. The Bible says that the world views the message of the cross as a stumbling-block, as scandalous. (see 1 Corinthians 1:23)

Today I read the terribly sad story of Jonathan Steingard, frontman of the Christian rock band Hawk Nelson. He declares he no longer believes in God. Raised in a Christian home, son of a Christian pastor, surrounded by everything Christian in his life, Jonathan now disavows the religion he grew up with. He no longer believes the Bible, or in God, or in any truths of the Christian faith.

He lists several reasons as to why he can no longer accept the Bible or the existence of God. But at the heart of his objections lies the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as a payment for sin. Why does Jesus have to die for our sins? That’s just more killing again. What kind of God appeases His anger toward us by taking it out on His Son? That’s an angry, vengeful and primitive God. What a terrible model for a Father!

More and more we encounter professing Christians who cannot tolerate the heart of the Christian faith – the so-called ‘blood theology’ of substitutionary atonement.  This is the teaching that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

God our Creator is holy. Sin is highly offensive to him and merits his eternal wrath toward us in the form of endless punishment of body and soul. Sinning against the infinite Majesty of Almighty God deserves the infinite penalty of eternal punishment.

But God in His great love for us, while we were yet sinners under His wrath, sent His Son to take the place of the sinner and suffer the punishment of God’s infinite anger in our place, as our Substitute. The suffering and death of Jesus Christ under God’s wrath in our place are the heart of the Bible’s message and the essence of the Christian faith.

It is the Good News that saves us and sets us free forever.

R. C. Sproul once told the story of being invited to speak at a gathering of the Society of Friends, the Quakers. They asked him to speak on the relationship between the Old and New Covenants.

He spoke about the day of the atonement in the Old Testament where animals were slaughtered and their blood was spilled as a picture of the way God forgives sins. This picture was fulfilled many years later in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ became a curse for us to redeem us from the curse.

Suddenly a man in the back couldn’t handle it anymore. He stood up and interrupted the speaker, “That’s primitive, and obscene!”

R.C. Sproul responded,

You’re right. And I love the words you used to describe this. What could be more primitive than killing animals and sprinkling their blood over the throne of God? What could be more primitive than taking an innocent human being and pouring out his blood as a human sacrifice? That is primitive. This is what I love about the Gospel. It wasn’t written merely for a gnostic elite group of scholars who had to have their PhD in theology to understand.

Not only is it primitive, it is obscene too. Sproul wrote:

If there ever was an obscenity that violates contemporary community standards, it was Jesus on the cross. After he became the scapegoat and the Father had imputed to him every sin of every one of his people, the most intense, dense concentration of evil ever experienced on this planet was exhibited. Jesus was the ultimate obscenity.

So what happened? God is too holy to look at sin. He could not bear to look at that concentrated monumental condensation of evil, so he averted his eyes from his Son. The light of his countenance was turned off. All blessedness was removed from his Son, whom he loved, and in its place was the full measure of the divine curse.

R. C. Sproul, “Forsaken – Jesus Became a Curse.”

This, dear friends, is the Good News. Jesus in your place. God’s wrath placed on Jesus instead of you. Jesus was cursed so you may be blessed. Jesus was forsaken by God so you may be accepted by God. This is all yours if you repent of your sins and believe in Him.

Rejecting this primitive and obscene Good News cuts you off from any hope of salvation and will lead to your damnation.

So do not be offended at God’s Good News. Don’t turn away from God’s salvation which is primitive and obscene to the world, but for everyone who believes it is the source of eternal hope and blessing!

During our COVID-19 shutdown, Pastor Zekveld plans to provide a personal reflection from Tuesday through Friday.

• 

‘Because I Live, You Also Will Live’

With these words, Jesus Christ saved Ravi Zacharias when he was 17 years old.

Ravi Zacharias, an evangelist and Christian apologist, died of cancer on May 19, 2020, after crossing the globe for more than 50 years proclaiming Jesus Christ. The first time I ever heard him and heard of him was when he was speaking on his radio program, ‘Let My People Think.’

That was his main concern – to connect the gospel with the life of the mind. The basic aim of his life-long ministry was to “help the thinker believe and the believer think.”

He wanted to show that Christianity makes rational sense on the one hand, and is able to offer deeply satisfying existential answers to life’s big questions on the other. It is both reasonable and liveable. (Alister McGrath, “Ravi Zacharias (1946–2020) and His Legacy,” May 19, 2020)

Ravi Zacharias grew up in India in a nominal Christian home. He did not know the Lord. He was not familiar with the Bible. An ache and a loneliness ate away at his life in his teen years. He confesses that his life was a like a leaf blowing in the wind. He was a very confused and angry young man. His life was endangered by a very violent father who battered him in fits of fury.

As a 17-year-old high school student, Ravi had come to a point of no hope. There was no tomorrow to live for, and today felt worthless. At his sister’s urging he attended a local Youth for Christ event where he heard Sam Wolgemuth preach from John 3:16 and Fred David singing “There is a Balm in Gilead.” He was moved by the Gospel, but his life continued to spiral downwards.

One day he stole several packets of poison from his school’s science lab and walked home. Then, when nobody was home except a servant, he locked himself into the bathroom, emptied the packets into a cup, filled it water and drank it down.

But his body couldn’t handle it and he began to retch uncontrollably. The servant heard the noise, broke down the bathroom door, saw Ravi on the floor, and got him to a hospital.

That’s where the Lord Jesus met him. Guess who came to visit him? It was Fred David, the man he heard singing at the Youth for Christ rally. Fred opened his Bible to John 14 where Jesus is talking to his disciples and said to them, “Because I live you also will live.” (John 14:19)

With these words, Jesus came to Ravi Zacharias on his suicidal hospital bed and changed his life. He later wrote: “With these words Jesus breathed eternal life into my broken body…it was a passage of Scripture that sprouted in the moisture of God’s sovereign grace.” 

He cried out to the Lord, “If You are whom you claim to be, rescue me, and I will leave no stone unturned to pursue the truth.“ He trusted in Jesus Christ, became right with God, and spent the rest of his life in the confidence that in Christ his life was filled with meaning and purpose.

The key was that now I looked at life through a window of meaning. And that was the one thing I had been desperately longing for: meaning. Now everything in my life was packed with it: my studies had meaning, my family had meaning, my friendships had meaning, my sports had meaning.

Ravi Zacharias, “Think Again: Through the Eyes of God”

In spite of the complexities of the worldview issues he addressed, Ravi confessed to being a simple person who lived by the simple belief that there is no answer to the meaning of life other than the Person of Jesus Christ. That is the message he brought to king’s palaces, atheistic universities, Christian conferences, and the poor villages of India.

It is the message that saved his father too and transformed him from an angry, violent man to a gentle and loving husband and father.

Jesus said, “Because I live you also will live.” (John 14:19) This is the good news of Jesus Christ. He saves sinners, rescues the suicidal, fills the empty, softens the violent, gives hope to the hopeless, and meaning to the restless. Jesus is life for the dying.

Jesus came to destroy death and to bring life. He did that by dying on the cross to destroy our sin, and then coming back to life again by His own divine power. And because He lives forever, in Him you also will live forever. In His death your sin and death are conquered. In His life your life is headed for glory. Your life is now an investment into eternity, and every day, every moment is overflowing with meaning and purpose.

If you are in a place of despair, if your life is without meaning and hope, a pointless investment of time and energy, I urge you to seek Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life. He will meet you in His power and mercy. He will breathe new life into your dead spirit. He will make everything new. He will make you whole. He will bring you to God.

Jesus said, “Because I live you also will live.” (John 14:19)

During our COVID-19 shutdown, Pastor Zekveld plans to provide a personal reflection from Tuesday through Friday.

‘And Be Thankful’

It’s easy to forget. And forgetting it will become the source of a lot of complaining, discontentment and anger in our lives. It causes discouragement and depression. So don’t forget to be thankful!

After mentioning a long list of Christian graces we must put on – compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forbearance, forgiving one another, love, peace – Paul adds one more sentence, almost as an afterthought: And be thankful. (Colossians 3:15) As if to say, “And, by the way, don’t forget to be thankful!”

But it’s not an afterthought; it’s more like the last word on the subject of Christian graces. A thankful spirit is the key to living the Christian life. Without it none of the other graces work. How can you be humble if you’re not thankful? How can you love someone if you’re not thankful?

Thanksgiving is the grace of being able to see God’s blessings even when everything seems to be going badly. It is the power given to you by the Holy Spirit to see God’s goodness in all that is going on in your life and world. He fills your life always with underserved gifts!

At the same time it is the spiritual discipline of counting your blessings and offering up praise to God for all He has done for you, is doing for you right now, and will yet do for you in the future. “And be thankful“ is a command. Since we easily become blind to the good that God is doing and the gifts God is giving, we are called to search and see God’s goodness and give thanks.

Especially if life is really dark for you right now, take a moment to write out a list of blessings from God you’re enjoying right now and give Him thanks. Count your blessings and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

When we become blind to the blessings that will bring a lot of mischief into our lives. There is a spirit of unbelief in that which produces constant complaining, self-pity, depression, anger, and unkindness.   

Thanksgiving comes from faith. It comes from seeing God’s hand and God’s goodness in our lives. This is why Paul commands us to remember to be thankful when we’re giving our worries to God in prayer. Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. (Philippians 4:6) Add a note of thanksgiving to every request you bring to God. There is never a good reason to be unthankful, even when your life is wrapped up in anxieties.

Thankfulness has two opposing vices – one is pride where you’re so focused on how talented and smart you are, and on all your wonderful accomplishments, that there’s little room to look past yourself and see that you have nothing in yourself; it is all a gift from God for His glory.  

The other enemy of thanksgiving is self-pity. You’ve become so focused on the things you’re missing, and on the troubles you’re facing, that you can’t see the abundance of God’s blessing. Self-pity is the evil twin of pride. It focuses on self and refuses to see the goodness of God.

And be thankful!

Joni Eareckson Tada reminds us that God calls us to be thankful in everything. The Bible says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) No matter what your circumstances are, you have reasons to give thanks.

But Joni says that this doesn’t go far enough. Too often we hear it said that we must give thanks in everything but that doesn’t mean we have to give thanks for everything. Not true, she says. What about Ephesians 5:20? “Give thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  

She proceeds to give thanks to God for the diving accident that broke her neck and made her a quadriplegic so that she turned to Jesus Christ and was saved. God used that terrible event to move her to dedicate the rest of her life to the Lord. She thanks the Lord for her lifeless limbs and her wheelchair every day. (see Nancy Leigh de Moss, Choosing Gratitude)

I’m reminded of the example of Corrie and Betsy Ten Boom in The Hiding Place. Remember how they were shoved and crammed into the women’s barracks in the German concentration camp in Ravensbruck?  Soon they discovered it was infested with fleas. Corrie wailed in horror. But soon Corrie and Betsy were thanking the Lord for the fleas because it kept the guards away and allowed them the sweet freedom of doing Bible studies with all the other women.

And be thankful.

Have you allowed thanksgiving to slip away from your mind and mouth? Have you closed your heart to the goodness and mercy of God? Have you allowed anger to strangle a thankful spirit?

Remember what God is for you and does for you in everything in Jesus Christ. In Jesus you are rich, full, and blessed every day and in every way.

During our COVID-19 shutdown, Pastor Zekveld plans to provide a personal reflection from Tuesday through Friday.

Who Allows the Church to Gather?

In response to a letter sent by hundreds of churches, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that, as of May 19, the Government was allowing drive-in religious gatherings, as long as vehicles are at least 2 metres apart, only members of the same household are in one vehicle, people don’t leave their vehicles, and no more than five people may conduct the service at one time from outside a motor vehicle, and they must stay at least two metres apart. 

Well, if you’ve recently visited your grocery store parking lot, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that few, if any, of these restrictions apply there.

But my main concern in the Government’s response is the word “allow.” Can the Government allow worship services? Does it have that kind of authority?

Back in March when we suspended worship services, we were not obeying a Government edict forcing the shutdown of church assemblies. We were obeying the Lord’s command to love our neighbor by cooperating with the Civil Government’s efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

As church leaders we were careful to acknowledge we were not being forced by the Government to shut down; we chose voluntarily to cease meeting for a short time, out of love for neighbour and respect for our government, while civil and medical authorities were trying to get a handle on the seriousness of the pandemic and bracing themselves against overburdening our health care system and workers.

I’m convinced that was the right thing for our churches to do. As Christians, we do not fear death because of the resurrection hope that is ours through Christ, but we deeply desire to show love to all people. (Letter re: Reopening Ontario Churches)

Just as the Lord permitted a temporary delay in the celebration of the Passover in the days of Hezekiah because of the condition of the people of Judah (see 2 Chronicles 30), we sought the Lord’s blessing on a temporary suspension of worship gatherings, even though the Lord commands us to assemble, especially on the Lord’s Day, to hear God’s Word, to break bread, and to pray together; to speak to one another in spiritual songs; to bring Christian offerings, and to stir one another up to love and good deeds. (see Exodus 20:9-11; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; Hebrews 10:24-25; Acts 2:42, 20:7).

Today, the virus concern continues, but the virus crisis is past. We can be thankful for immediate steps taken by all members of our society to mitigate COVID’s potential damage.

But now, God’s call to us to gather for weekly worship, to minister personally to the distressed and dying, compels and impels us to re-open our churches.  Gathering is an essential and vital service for all God’s people. We need to gather at least weekly in order for our faith to flourish and the church to prosper.

The gathering of the Church is also crucial for the well-being of our society. As Jesus said, the Church is light of the world, the salt of the earth. (see Matthew 5:13,14) Even if our province and nation do not recognize it, they need the Church too. Our culture needs the truth of the Gospel, the strong faith and witness of Jesus’ followers, and the Church’s service to the poor and disadvantaged in our communities. That’s God’s gift at least as much as any other front-line service.

 I appreciate the work being done in Ontario by Pastors Aaron Rock and Joel Boot, and also by Legal Counsel Andre Schutten, to appeal to Premier Ford to stand with our churches and support us in Jesus’ call to His Church to gather for the ministry of the Word and sacraments, and for the ministry of mercy. (see the correspondence at reopenontariochurches.ca). 

Their letter on behalf of many churches to Premier Ford includes this very important testimony: “We would respectfully remind the civil government that the church does not exist by permission of the state, for its establishment and rule is found in Jesus Christ himself.“

The letter goes on to implore Premier Ford “that we must start meeting very soon because of our obligations to God and because our people need us. We cannot delay.” It does not ask the Premier to allow churches to assemble but simply “to support the reopening of churches and ministries by early June, pending any unforeseen circumstance.” (italics added)  The letter includes a specific plan that honours government guidelines for social distancing.

At a time like this it’s very important for Christians to recognize proper spheres of authority. The Civil Government exists and functions by Christ’s authority, not by the Church’s authority. It’s equally important for Christians to recognize, especially at this time, that the Church exists and functions by Christ’s authority, not by the Civil Government’s authority. The state does not have the power to allow churches to gather. It can only support – or refuse the support – Christ’s command for churches to gather. 

The Church is called, in obedience to our Saviour, to decide when it’s time to gather. That decision does not lie in the hands the Civil Government. We should collaborate with our Government on this for wisdom, but in the end its our task to decide this matter in obedience to Jesus Christ.

So with the courage of our convictions, let’s all do our part, for the honor of Christ, the well-being of His Church, and the good of society, to press for re-opening soon. Let us urge our local and provincial officials to support us in that calling we have from Christ.

Let us pray that God would continue to grant us the blessing of religious liberty in our nation.

During our COVID-19 shutdown, Pastor Zekveld plans to provide a personal reflection from Tuesday through Friday.

I’ve Got The Joy

Remember when you used to sing, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart to stay“?

What is joy? It’s the deep and settled happiness of your soul in God your Saviour, a soul-happiness which can’t be taken away from you, no matter how sad you are. It remains with you regardless of what’s happening in your life and world because it comes from knowing for sure that no matter what you face, you belong to Jesus Christ, and in Him all your sins are forgiven and you have eternal life.

Joy is the reason Paul and Silas could sing in prison. That’s why the apostles could rejoice when they were beaten up for following Jesus. (Acts 16:25, 5:41. 1 Peter 4:3) When we believe in Jesus, Jesus comes to live in us through His Holy Spirit, and His presence in us is our constant joy.

Do you know this joy way down in your heart which is there to stay? It’s different than the superficial happiness that depends on your circumstances, temporary glee that comes from having a good time or winning the lottery or having your day go smoothly.

Joy is the deep, lasting happiness of the soul whose hope is built on Jesus Christ.

The Bible not only speaks a lot about joy; it commands us to rejoice. “Rejoice in the Lord always,” the Bible commands. Then it adds, “Again I will say, rejoice.”(Philippians 4:4)

But what is rejoicing? Joy and rejoicing are not quite the same thing. Joy is a noun; rejoice is a verb. Joy is a thing; rejoice is an action. To rejoice means that you let the joy which lives deep in your heart shine out from your life all the time, in every situation. Don’t hide your joy in the Lord, but let that happiness of soul come out of your life so people can see your joy and be blessed.

Especially when darkness is close. Especially when frustration is rising. Especially when things aren’t going well for you.

That’s what the apostle Paul tells the Philippian church when he’s chained up in prison for his faith: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. (Philippians 4:4) Not only is Paul joyful himself, but from his prison cell, in the very heat of persecution, facing death, he even stirs others up to show their joy! (Matthew Henry)

But have you ever noticed when Paul commands the Philippian Christians to rejoice? When two ladies, Euodia and Syntyche, were fighting in the church; when people were tempted to react harshly; and when anxiety was overtaking their lives. Right in the middle of that set of problems, Paul sets down this clear command to rejoice and, in case they didn’t get it the first time, he repeated it.

Rejoicing is a command for us not only when life is running smoothly, but especially when it isn’t, when life isn’t working the way it’s supposed to. It is the solution to petty grievances, holding grudges, and daily worries. 

But how does rejoicing help? Not by forgetting our problems but finding the right way through them. Tell Euodia and Syntyche to agree with one another in the Lord. (Philippians 4:2) These two Christian women must remember who they are in Christ, how Jesus has made them one family, and given them the same truth. Then in that joy of the Lord, they can work out their disagreement and come together.

If they let their joy come out in this circumstance and let it speak to them, they will find a way.

The same is true with fighting harsh over-reactions to difficult circumstances in your life. Paul first tells us to rejoice, then he says: “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:5) By remembering the nearness of Christ, you stir up your joy and deep happiness of soul, and then your rising frustration and anger can give way to a spirit of gentleness.

This is also true in anxiety. Replace worry with rejoicing, says Paul. But how do you do that? Send up your anxieties to the Lord in prayer, and then you will find the peace of God that passes all understanding. You will rediscover joy when through prayer you remember who God is for you, and what he has given you in Christ. Let joy overwhelm your worries when worries try to smother your joy.

There is enough in God to furnish us with matter of joy in the worst circumstance on earth.

Matthew Henry

So, dear Christian, let’s remember always the joy we have in Christ. Let’s use that joy by letting it come out of our attitudes, eyes, mouths and lives in the form of rejoicing. May rejoicing fill every nook and cranny of our lives, every room in our homes, and every relationship in the Church. May it settle our fights, calm our frustrations and replace our worries.

Our sins are forgiven, Christ is our perfect righteousness, our citizenship is in heaven, and our lives are headed for eternal glory. Why should we allow anything to overwhelm our joy in him? Why should we allow any hardship to smother the deep and settled happiness of our souls in God our Saviour?

During our COVID-19 shutdown, Pastor Zekveld plans to provide a personal reflection from Tuesday through Friday.

‘I Will Question You!’

Job was angry with God. Wouldn’t you be?

Job was a good man, a righteous man, and holy. He loved his family. He cared for the poor. He stood up for the oppressed and fought injustice. His advice was respected everywhere he went. If ever there was anyone who didn’t deserve suffering, it was Job!

But God sent Him wave after wave of heavy affliction: the death of his 10 children and loss of all his wealth. He was afflicted from head to toe with painful sores. He was rejected by his wife, and lost all his friends. The incredible pain, grief, shame, and loneliness he suffered were more than enough to destroy his life in every dimension.

So this believer, this righteous man, Job, became very, very upset, even angry with God. He was full of arguments and accusations against God. He had all kinds of questions for God.

Why has God overloaded me with suffering? What did I do to deserve this? How is this fair? Is God just? Why do so many evil people lounge around in the lap of luxury and get away with their abuse? Does it make no difference to God whether you’re righteous or wicked? Why do I strive hard to keep God’s commandments when it makes no difference to God? Does God really know how to run the world? Is He truly wise and good? If He is, I surely can’t see Him!

Job

Job cried out to God:

Let me know why You are fighting me! Do You find it good to oppress me…while You smile at the plans of the wicked?

Job 10:2-3

He even wanted to take God to court! 

Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come even to His seat! I would lay my case before Him and fill my mouth with arguments.

Job 23:3-4

God described Job as a faultfinder who was contending with the Almighty. (Job 40:2) After Job argued and argued with God, God finally answered him: I will question you.

“I will question you, and you will answer Me.“

Job 38:3, 40:7

Then He asked Job question after question:

• Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you’re so wise!  
• Can you direct the stars and order the seasons?
• Can you make the clouds drop rain and the earth give dew?
• Can you manage the lives of mountain goats, of wild horses and oxen, of ostriches, Behemoth and Leviathan?

In other words, God was challenging Job: Who are you? Who are you to question God? Do you think you can do a better job of ruling the world than I? Do you really understand all that I am doing, the good and perfect plan I am pursuing and advancing?

A man was talking to his neighbor some time ago on a cold, wet, windy day. “What miserable weather!” he said, in disgust. His neighbor rebuked him, “Do you think you could do better?”

It’s a lesson we all need to learn in  messed up, sin-cursed world. God has a right to question us about our lives, because He is God. But we don’t have the right to question God, because we are creatures, and sinful.

I don’t mean that we may never ask, “Why are you doing this, God?” “Where are You, God?” But in our questions we should never accuse God of doing a poor job of running the world. We should not try to become His advisors. The Bible says: Who has known the mind of the Lord so that he can advise Him? (1 Corinthians 2:16)

God is doing an amazingly, incomprehensibly superb and wise job of running the world! Just because we very little people can’t see what He’s doing doesn’t mean God doesn’t know what He’s doing!

Everything that happens, in every detail, whether good or evil, happy or sad, comfortable or crushing, is specially arranged by God:

1. for His glory,
2. for the good of those who trust in Him, and
3. for the total destruction of all evil and injustice.

The ultimate proof is the cross of Jesus Christ – where unimaginable evil and injustice were arranged by God in such a way as to accomplish the greatest good that ever happened: our eternal salvation!

Job could safely entrust his life to this good God even when everything was so bad – and so can you. Through the trial of suffering, God would bring Job to the triumph of glory.

A friend of mine was converted by Job 38 where God says, “I will question you, and you will answer Me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” In her pride she demanded from God an answer to all her questions, an explanation for all His actions. She expected God to give an account to her.  

Then she realized she had reversed reality. Reality is that she is insignificant and God is great; she must answer to God, not He to her. When God put her in her place with these words, “I will question you,“ she found peace in the midst of suffering.

She had met the God who was so great that He could work good out of evil. She trusted Him to save her even when what He was doing didn’t make any sense to her.