Psalms 4:8 NIV
[8] “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
How well I remember the way David’s words impacted me during troubled times in my country. I was living in a cottage on a smallholding on the edge of town. The windows of my home had no burglar bars and some didn’t even latch securely!
Dogs and cows belonging to the owner would move around my home at night, making scary noises. The property was not fenced, leaving me feeling vulnerable to possible intruders.
I would often lie awake at night, conscious of strange sounds, and fearful of the unknown. I needed the security which the property didn’t offer me…so I turned to the Scriptures.
Every night, as I lay in the dark, afraid and alone, I recited David’s words until they became second nature to me. I began to feel so safe that, in the end, no strange noises and no “what ifs” bothered me.
Such is the power of God’s Word in times of stress and insecurity…in fact, at any time we need the help that no human can give.
Look at David’s words. Peace…sleep…safety! How many of us wrestle with issues in a very real world full of unknown dangers, in a restless and violent society. How desperately we need the reassurance that God is all around us, as near to us as our breath. He is our safe place, our shelter from harm and danger. There is no human bodyguard more able and more equipped to protect His people than the Lord God Himself.
“Why, then,” we might ask, “do bad things happen to God’s people?” I can’t answer for God, but one thing is sure.
Romans 8:28-29 NIV
[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. [29] For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
Not long ago, I listened to the testimony of the late Dr Helen Roseveare. She served as a missionary doctor in the Congo during the Mau Mau uprising in the 1960’s. As a white lady, she was extremely vulnerable and unfortunately suffered terrible cruelty at the hands of people in transition.
The Lord confronted her with these words, “Can you thank me for trusting you with this experience even if I never tell you why?”
What strange and terrifying words! This is not the way God usually works with His people. The Scriptures are full of reassurances of His care and protection in times of trouble. Take Psalm 91, for example. Innumerable children of God embrace these promises in times of danger or desperation, and find God faithful to His Word.
Why, then, does God allow some to suffer in the extreme?
God’s ways are inscrutible. His has no obligation to explain His reasons, but reasons He has, that make sense to Him, if not to us. There are two examples in Scripture, of extreme suffering, one with no reason to the sufferer and one with a good reason.
Job suffered so much loss that he was left reeling…and forsaken by his own wife and his friends. Did God give Him an explanation? No! However, God completed what He set out to do without Job’s knowledge or permission. The outcome? Although Job questioned God, he never stopped trusting and worshipping Him despite his meaningless suffering.
Paul’s life as a servant of Jesus, was fraught with problems, difficulties, and suffering of every description and from every angle, fellow Jews, treacherous “friends”, and the Roman government. He was hated and hounded from place to place, beaten, imprisoned, and even stoned to death. He survived, but he was fed up with the whole deal. Even his prayers weren’t answered in the way he wanted.
2 Corinthians 12:8-9 NLT
[8] “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away…”
However, God had a different purpose and a different outcome for Paul’s predicament. Check the background!
2 Corinthians 12:2-4 NLT
[2] “I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. [3] Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know [4] that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.”
Paul had out-of-body experiences so amazing that he had every reason to boast but…
2 Corinthians 12:7 NLT
[7]”… even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God….I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.”
So, God’s response to Paul’s pleas was…”no” to his request but “yes” to a much better purpose.
9] Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”
God is always working on our character and stripping off every layer of self-sufficiency and independence, honing faith in Him in the worst of circumstances.
Does this mean that we cannot trust God for His protection because He might have some other purpose in mind? Not at all!
2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT
[20] “For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”
Even if some kind of suffering is part of His purpose for us, He always, ultimately, honours His promises for our good, and for His glory.
THE SAFEST PLACE!
So, we can weave God’s promises into the fabric of our daily lives, confident that the outcomes will always be for our benefit and His glory.