5 Reasons for Sub-biblical Responses to Suffering

I’m reading through D.A. Carson’s excellent book, How Long O Lord?: Reflections on Suffering and Evil.  Carson begins the book by outlining a few false steps in explaining the reality of suffering and evil.  He notes that sadly believers can even fall prey to these false steps.  He then lists five reasons why we are susceptible to having a poor theology of suffering and evil:

1. We may get the balance of Scripture wrong
2. We may succumb to the crush of the urgent
3. Some of us thoroughly misunderstand a number of important texts
4. Some of us have absorbed a form of theology with all the answers
5. Above all, many of us have not adequately reflected on the cross

Any of us are prone to these five reasons to offer a bad theology of suffering.  I am enjoying the book so far and it is proving very helpful.  To read more you can buy the book here. 

Husbands, Understand Your Wife

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way…

If you want to see what that looks like it is modeled in Revelation 2-3.  Every letter from Jesus to these individual churches display’s his understanding.  All seven letters have the phrase, “I know”. 

Jesus knows His Bride.  He knows her struggles.  He knows her circumstances.  He knows her good.  Her motivations.  Her reputation.  Her love.  Her faith.  Her service.  Her pain.  Her needs.  Her wounds.  Her sin. 

When he speaks tenderly to her he does so out of knowledge.  When he exhorts her to more faithfulness it is from a storehouse of understanding.  Jesus knows His Bride.  Husbands, do you know yours?

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Of course this analogy breaks down at one point.  Husbands are not called to make sure that our wives find their ultimate joy in us.  We are never in a position to “remove a lampstand”.  But we are encouraged to pursue our joy in their joy in Jesus.  May such a pursuit be done with knowledge. 

God’s Happy Little Trees

I love watching Bob Ross paint his happy little trees.  However, on occasion Bob will do something that really bothers me emotionally.  What almost killed me was that Ross would paint a very intricate and beautiful mountain, or a bunch of happy little trees on a mountain ridge and then…I’m getting all worked up remember it…he would practically destroy the thing by putting a big fat tree that covers almost everything he just painted. 

For a solid 10 minutes I’d sit there shocked and quivering and not able to enjoy my Fruit Loops while I watched this afro-wearin’ painter make something beautiful and then taunt me by destroying it.  Then slowly…ever so slowly…I started seeing what he had already created in his mind 15 minutes ago.  Suddenly what seemed like a disaster turned into a masterpiece. 

Bob, you beautiful genius, you did it again!

I think the Lord paints the same way as Bob Ross.  You get the idea from Ephesians (2:10, 3:7-13) that God is painting this beautiful masterpiece of redemption.  He is displaying on the canvas of history a bunch of happy little trees that resound to his glory.  At times it is absolutely beautiful and looks almost complete. 

But then…

He does the unthinkable.  He covers up those happy little trees with that squirrel-infested log it looks a bit unbecoming.  We were comfortable with the happy little trees of buzz words like “gospel-centrality”.  We thought the picture was nearing completion and filled to the brink with beauty.  Then the Master decided to draw a big fat tree of emphasizing holiness right in the middle of it. 

We did not know it but the canvas was not complete.  It was missing something.  And so He continues painting.  Sometimes, in our view spoiling things that seemed quite beautiful only to emphasize something that at first looks detestable. 

But He keeps painting.

With his Paul’s, his Augustine’s, his Monica’s, his Benedictine monks, his his Luther’s, Edwards’, Newton’s, Moody’s, Graham, Pipers.  And covering them with his praying widow, his baking grannies, his humble maintenance men, and his weary pastors.  Some shine more than others but all are essential.  They each emphasize something different that would be an incomplete canvas without their presence. 

History moves back and forth with each stroke.  And often making a watching and waiting church quite uncomfortable.  Yet, he keeps painting. 

And when the Lord gets done with his painting, all of creation will sit back and say, Lord, you beautiful genius, you did it again!

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If you aren’t familiar with Bob Ross here he is remixed:

Why Jesus Might Want to Punch Us in the Face

I have lost track of how many books begin by telling me how jacked up the church is.  Usually after lambasting the church and pointing out her many failures there is some obligatory statement on how Jesus still loves her and how she is the only hope of this generation.  But at present she is unattractive, whorish, and a little on the ugly side.  What usually follows is the authors solution for making the church not quite such an ugly old hag. 

I’ll be the first to confess that I’ve spoken numerous times on how the church can be a pretty messed up place.  When Jesus draws sinners into such an intimate fellowship things can get ugly.  So, I get why people say that the church isn’t quite how she ought to be. 

Yet if I overheard some dude talking about my wife the way that we often talk about Jesus’ bride I’d start turning green like the Incredible Hulk and probably smash him in the nose.  “Jesus, your wife is an ugly old hag, that often plays the harlot, and she is unattractive to even her best friends.  But have no fear I’ve written a book that will shape her up to make her respectable.”  See how ignorant that sounds? 

I wonder if Jesus ever wants to thump us in the nose for the way we talk about His precious Bride that He is washing in the water of the Word? 

Yeah, but I’m part of the church…

It’s not quite as black and white as I have presented it though.  Because many of these authors are pastors that are really wanting to lovingly encourage the church.  And let’s be honest, often these assessments do have a level of truth to them.  And what muddies the waters even further is that the one speaking to the church is also part of the church, and so it’s really as if the bride is talking to herself. 

But what would a husband’s response be if he overheard his wife referring to herself as an ugly old hag?  Though I would never resort to a Hulk-smash I still don’t take kindly to even my own wife talking bad about herself.  It angers me.  She is my treasure and I’m not cool with anybody—even her—making it seem like what I value is really nothing better than a dilapidated rag doll that would be better served in a trash heap.  I’m offended that she would let someone other than her own husband provide her identity.  (Feel free to read into that last statement and entirely miss my point). 

If there ever was a church that deserved having a letter addressed to it as “dear uncomely peeps”, it would have been the church at Corinth.  They had plenty of faults that Paul could have really laid into them for.  Yet notice in 1 Corinthians 1:2 that Paul reminds them of their fundamental identity in Christ instead of the foolish garments of rebellion that they’ve decided to parade in. 

Maybe a better formula for helping the church is to constantly remind her who she is instead of dogging on her for who she ain’t.  Our identity comes from our husband and not from our falls and foibles.  Soiled and sullied we might be at times, but we’re still His precious Bride. 

Those of us that are occasionally the means that God uses to wash His Bride with the water of the Word ought to remember just who it is that we are talking to. 

Today in Blogworld 9.5.12

Top 10 Women’s Blogs

David Murray indexes the top 10 blogs written by women and also provides a place in the comments for you to add your favorites.

Answering Anger

Joe Thorn gives a few helpful pointer on knowing your anger and also conquering your anger.   

How Jesus Changed the Way I Study

Helpful post here for students and anyone else that applies themselves to rigorous study.  Will Little offers suggestions for studying for the sake of the Lord and not our own prideful advancement. 

No Longer an Orphan (But Tempted to Live Like It)

Powerful words here from Christine Hoover as she reflects on the story of Rose Marie Miller.  “Until my late twenties, I spent the majority of my Christian life striving — striving for perfection, for God’s favor, for the approval of others, and for the joy and freedom that the Bible spoke of yet completely eluded me.”

Lecrae’s new album, Gravity, hit stores yesterday.  Here is a sample:

You can buy the album here.  Or you can preview it via stream on this website.