The Bible depicts a life that can seem contradictory, and confusing. Yet one of the things that helps me know the Bible is true is that it talks about life the way it really is. It depicts life exactly as we see it. First it says that God will be with us, bless us in various ways, protect us, lead us, and guide us. I have shared a lot about the truth of that as I have experienced it. And at the same time, on the same pages, it says that horrible things might happen to us as well. Death, loss, disease, betrayal, poverty – these are all horrible things that it says He allows. It is such a contradictory message. But it is exactly true to the life we see, even after we begin to follow Him. There is good and bad, both in the Bible and in real life.
I always say that God has a marketing issue. Brands always try to paint a totally positive picture of what they are selling. “Come with us and you will lose two hundred pounds. You will get rich. You will look like this … People will fall in love with you. You can break par after five swings … etc.” You never hear marketers talk about the downside except when the FDA makes drug companies list all of the possible side effects in a commercial. Everywhere else, it is usually all positive. (By the way, shouldn’t the doctors do that instead of a commercial?)
And in God’s marketing, He does promise us a lot of good stuff … Jesus said to follow Him in order to have an “abundant” life. I like that. He promises to “bless” us, whatever that may mean in various contexts. But He also promised us suffering in life, and even extra suffering if we follow Him. Not only from others, but from the suffering of self-denial, having to give up some selfish and unloving patterns and the like. Suffering sometimes when we “love our enemies.” Not exactly a great marketing approach: “Buy this product, and you will get to carry your cross daily! Buy a life with Me and it will cost you big time.” Yet, He does tell us the truth. Most products say if you use it well, you will live a long life and be happy and successful. But the only one who ever did it perfectly in God’s story-line got crucified. And so did many of His followers. Not what they teach you in marketing school to be honest about those kinds of outcomes if you buy their product. But that is what He does. He tells it like it is. That helps me have confidence in the Bible …it does not try to make it look all rosy. It mirrors real life as we find it. God is not afraid of reality.
As I was remembering some of the examples I wanted to share with you where God showed up and did miracles for me, so many stories came to mind that served as examples of the promises of God’s abundant life, plus the pain that goes with it, and then the goodness of God showing up in the trouble. But that is what makes suffering with God different than suffering without Him – when we suffer with Him, we do not suffer alone, and as I have shared, He is with us, and because of that, the suffering is very different.
As the Bible says about going through losses of loved ones, when we know Him, we “do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.” For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him” (I Thessalonians 4: 13-14). In other words, we know that death is not the end of our relationships or even our own lives. We can be back together with loved ones again. So, even suffering through loosing people we love has a different flavor to it when we have a relationship with Him.
So, in sharing a few more experiences of “God showing up” in my life, I hope you enjoy these anecdotes that show only a handful of the many interventions into life that I have seen God perform. These experiences have help build my faith and I hope they do that for you as well.
BOTTOM LINE:
The following stories reveal a very important reason why I believe. Throughout my journey of faith, I have found out something important: God does things. In pain and suffering, and in times of “normal life.” Some of them are dramatic, and some less so. But in each one, I was able to clearly know it was Him who was showing up. As they say sometimes, “you can’t make this stuff up.”
NEXT TIME:
Dr. Cloud’s fear of public speaking and it’s resolve…
PS. I’d be remiss if I didn’t encourage you to read yesterday’s Utmost June 25 reading about Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow, closely linked to Dr. Clouds heart for this book. Click the link below