“If There Was a God…”

My good friend and preaching colleague, Ralph Walker recently sent me an article by Judd Garrett about Megan Rapinoe, a “highly decorated member of the US Women’s National Soccer Team.”

If you watch women’s soccer you may remember she “became a controversial figure due to her protests of our National Anthem.” In her final professional match, Rapinoe tore her Achilles tendon in the first six minutes.

In the post-match press conference, she said, “I’m not a religious person or anything and if there was a god, like, this is proof that there isn’t.”

“This has to be the most narcissistic response to an injury or setback an athlete could have,” Garrett wrote. “She is saying, ‘there is no God, because if there was, God would have given me everything I want.’ “

Garrett likens her hubris to a millionaire who prays to win the lottery, but doesn’t. So he concludes there’s no God because he didn’t win.

Rapinoe’s charge, of course, raises bigger questions. Does God care when bad things happen to good people? And if He cares, why doesn’t he intervene? Why does God allow evil in the world? And allow evil people to prosper?

It’s obvious the world is filled with suffering. The atrocities that occurred last month when Hamas attacked Israel killing innocent civilians, raping women and beheading babies, certainly raises these questions about God’s role in the affairs of humankind. But are those horrendous acts, far worse than an athlete’s injury, a justified “referendum on God?”

The Bible teaches that God is good. He’s the giver of good gifts. He cannot be tempted with evil. Nor does he try to entice us to commit evil acts (Jas 1:12-17).

Evil occurs because of sin. “All have sinned” (Rom. 3;23). People with free will sometimes choose to violate the will of God. To hurt others. To commit crimes. To steal. And even to murder and maim. The Devil is called “the tempter” (Matt. 4:3). He enticed Eve to sin. And she did.

It is clear in the first two chapters of Job that God allowed the Devil to tempt Job. The evil that befell this righteous man was not his own fault. In fact, when you read the first chapter note that others raided his livestock and killed his servants.

Job, like many today, struggled to understand his suffering. We endure, as he did, anguish of spirit, emotional despair, and mental agony. He failed to find comfort either from his wife or his three friends. You might argue that they became a pawn of Satan to “curse God and die.” Or to wallow in misery and self-pity because of a failure to be righteous.

Fortunately, Job sought a closer communion with God and ultimately came to see God’s love, concern and wisdom even through his sorrow and pain. His quest is ours today. And may we suggest the answers won’t be found in watching Fox news. Or CNN either. Or listening to bitter, prideful soccer players like Rapinoe.

Victor Frankl, who was a Holocaust survivor, wrote Man’s Search for Meaning, and offered this insight. “Suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning.”

Suffering may sharpen our character and make us stronger. The Bible says that even Jesus, the Son of God, learned obedience by the things that he suffered (Heb. 5:8).

Suffering, pain, problems, and physical injuries occur because we live in an imperfect world.  We are not invincible. The wise man observed “Time and chance happen to them all.”  The fastest runner doesn’t always finish first. The best team may lose. And star players may get injured. (For more insight on this point see Ecclesiastes 9:11-12)

Pain may draw us closer to Christ. God’s book offers insight into God’s plan and purpose for humankind even as we endure sorrow and suffering. C. S. Lewis expressed it this way, “God whispers to us in our pleasure. Speaks to us in our conscience. But shouts to us in our pain. Pain is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” I have seen people become more spiritual because of their pain (2 Cor 7:10).

God may even use suffering to discipline us for our own good. We often confuse discipline with punishment. Punishment is retribution for misbehavior. Discipline is training or correction to change future behavior. Our suffering may be God’s way to provide discipline (Heb 12:9-11).

Evil acts of the worse kind that inflict suffering remind us that Satan is alive and well. He’s the arch enemy of God. The accuser of the brethren. The father of lies. And the prince of darkness. He, and through his many like minded minions, sows discord. Infuses hearts with hate. Arouses lusts. Fills minds with pride. Destroys homes. Plots destructive schemes. Murders the innocent. Foments anger. Stirs up strife between nations. Agitates and divides people with racial prejudice, and class warfare. And seeks to destroy our souls in Hell.

Through all of this suffering and turmoil, God says, “Cast all your care upon Me, for I care for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). His Book reminds us that there is a better world awaiting us. With a better home. A better body. And better circumstances. One that is free of pain, suffering, sorrow, and sin.

Don’t accuse God for your problems or mishaps. Find purpose in adversity. Draw closer to God. Be thankful for what you have. And earnestly yearn for that eternal home of the soul.

“There is a God.”

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman