I watched this video of Joni Tada this morning, announcing that she has been diagnosed with cancer. You may already have seen this or heard of it elsewhere. If so, you know her surgery was scheduled for this morning. If you haven’t watched the video, I encourage you to do so now. Go ahead, we’ll wait for you.
I want you to notice one thing about Joni’s message. Joni knows that God is absolutely sovereign over his creation. She knows that nothing happens that God has not only allowed, but ordained. She knows, therefore, that God can be held responsible for everything that has happened in the past and is happening to her now. Yet nowhere will you find her remonstrating against God for her suffering. On the contrary, she testifies that “God only does things for my good, . . . things which will cause us to lean even harder on him.”
At a particularly low point in my life, I was told that it was “okay to be angry with God.” “He can take it” I was told; “he understands.” I have no doubt that Joni has received similar counsel at some point in her life. Thankfully, when I received that bit of “wisdom,” I had already been converted to the doctrines of grace and understood divine sovereignty. I was not angry with God — although, to my great frustration, few believed me — and understood how terribly wrong my counselors were. Certainly, God can “take it,” and he does indeed understand. But then, does he not understand those who commit the vilest of crimes? And what crime is more heinous than imputing unrighteousness to God? No, it is not “okay to be angry with God.”
Some of you may have suffered greatly in the past. Some of you may be suffering right now. The rest of you, well, just wait; your day is coming. When it comes, I hope you’ll be prepared to embrace your affliction as a righteous visitation from the hand of God, and that even though you may never understand the why.
In your suffering, consider the testimony and example of Joni. Even better, consider the words of Job: “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” Let what was said of Job also be said of you: “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”
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1 Comments:
#1 || 10·06·28··13:18 || Marla
Very well said. I remember being given a book about being angry with God over 20 years ago, BEFORE I clearly understood God's sovereignty. It was by Philip Yancey, but I can't remember the title. It never sat well with me, and may be the reason I was constantly searching for clearer teaching on the subject of God's providence, which led our whole family to try a reformed church a few years ago. God's ways are so far above our ways!