How do you survive when you feel like you're drowning? Right now, my family
as well as a family dear to us has been going through what I term "the Job
Cascade." For those unfamiliar with the story, the first two chapters of the
book of Job relates how righteous Job is attacked by Satan, first by an
incredible series of events that target Job's livelihood, his property, and his
family. However, Job proves his righteousness by pouring himself out before God,
praying with the words "naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I
return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the
Lord."
In my human mind I would think that is enough. Job did not sin,
nor did he charge God with wrongdoing. But life doesn't always go the way one
expects and Job gets hit a second time, this time by being afflicted with sores
over his entire body. That's the Job cascade. It's when you have been drowning
in one bad situation after another, and just when you think you might be able to
catch a breath, another wave slams down on you.
Why would God allow so much
tragedy in the life of a Christian who only seeks to rest in Him? I truly don't
know. In Job's case, we get a peek behind the curtain and see two different
factors happening simultaneously: God is demonstrating to Satan that holiness is
not self-seeking and we learn that Job had some misunderstandings about God's
nature that needed to be corrected. But, that really doesn't help you, if you
are the one going through the Job Cascade, so I wanted to provide three specific
tips to help you if you are in a free-fall now or when you may find yourself
there in the future:
1. God Exists and Jesus Rose from the Dead
The first point may seem a bit quizzical, but it is the most important one.
Many faithful Christians when facing a crisis will turn to prayer. When another
crisis comes on top of the first, they pray harder. But when that next wave
comes and knocks them back under water, that's when people begin to doubt. They
may ask themselves "Is God real or are my prayers only reaching as high as the
ceiling?" "Do I really believe that Jesus saved me just so I can go through
this?"
These kinds of questions happen frequently in difficult times,
but those are the exact wrong times to be asking such important questions. You
never ask the most difficult questions in an emotionally charged state, because
you simply cannot think as clearly as when you are calm. That's why I have held
that a discipline like apologetics is so important. If you've wrestled with
questions like does God exist or did Jesus really rise from the dead—taking the
most strenuous objections and working through them—then you can at least clear
those doubts from your mind.
I
almost lost my wife when our third son was born to us, and that was my exact
experience. As soon as I began doubting in my prayer time, I was able to say,
"Look, I've worked through those questions strenuously, and I'm convinced that
the evidence shows there is a God and Jesus did rise from the grave." That
confidence enabled me to quickly vanquish my doubts and change my question to,
"I don't know what you're doing Lord, but I know that my hope is in you. Can you
help me get through this?"
2. Other Good Christians Have Tread Your Path
A frequent question in times of turmoil is "how can I survive any more of
this?" Your particular group of circumstances may be unique, but rest assured
that other Christians have gone through each of them and survived. Of course
it's hard. I understand it's REALLY HARD! But know that people have come through
some of the most difficult trials and they still take joy in their relationship
with Christ.
Find someone who you can talk with and cry with. Find a
Christian brother or sister whose walked with the Lord a long time and ask them
to tell you about their heartaches and how the Lord sustained them. We can
receive comfort knowing that God has worked in the past and He will continue to
work.
3. No Purpose of God's Can Be Thwarted
In Job's case, it was when Job confessed his hubris in assuming to know the
Lord's mind that brought an end to his trials. Job 42:2-63 records his prayer:
"I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be
thwarted. 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have
uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not
know." That's an important idea for anyone hurting today as well. God's
purposes cannot be thwarted, and God's purposes are clearly spelled out in the
Bible. He is the unchanging Father of Lights, who give s us every good and
perfect gift (James 1:17). He is the God who loves us so much that He gave His
only begotten Son for our benefit (John 3:16).
The verse that I cling to most
in difficult times is Romans 8:31-32, "What then shall we say to these things?
If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but
gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all
things?" Meditate on that for a moment. God knows what sacrifice and pain mean.
He had to give up His Son for sinners who were in rebellion against Him. If God
would love you enough to sacrifice His only Son, then His purposes towards you
are nothing but good. Do you hurt? Absolutely, sometimes with a pain that keeps
you from breathing. But, God will ultimately bring glory to the events, either
here or in heaven.
The Christian life is based on hope. It isn't the hope
that comes from abolishing pain in this world, it is the hope that once we see
His face in Heaven, that we would then realize our present sufferings are
unworthy to be compared to the glories to be revealed there.
I know you feel
like you're drowning and you may never surface. I pray deeply for you in your
pain. But please hang on. There really is a God, and that means we have a hope
that transcends this world. Hold on to that one thing, just that one thing, and
know that all is not lost.
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