If God were such a loving God, why would He allow the Covid 19 pandemic? If He really is so powerful, He can do anything, then why didn’t He stop 9/11 from happening? … or the Hurricanes on the South coast? … or all the people in Africa dying from drought and famine? … or all the unborn innocents dying by abortion? People, both Christians and non-Christians alike ask God these questions or similar ones every day. These “Why God…?” questions have Christians running around in circles and tying themselves in knots trying to come up with a response that is true and will satisfy the seeker’s need once and for all. Sadly, though, not only has answering those “Why God…?” questions truthfully and Biblically never persuaded the unbelieving or uncommitted to step into the light, it’s not even the right question! No, the question that people really want an answer to is “If God is everything that you and your fellow believers say that He is, and can do everything that you say He can do, then why doesn’t reality match (or even surpass) my expectations?” I get it. It seems like an honest question that merits an honest response, but after giving the question some serious thought it just seemed to lead to another question that is even more important and that is, “Where do our expectations come from? Let us look at a Biblical possibility.
Genesis 3:1-7 NLT
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” “Of course, we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
"You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful, and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So, she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So, they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
So here we are basing reality on the word of God, or What God Said, and expectations on What Satan Said.
God said (paraphrased), “Don’t eat fruit of that tree, it will kill you. It will kill you spiritually, destroying the relationship you have with me and the freedom and intimacy we share, and it will kill you physically, making your time on this earth and in this body a time of uncertainty and sorrow. And that is reality.
The serpent or Satan said (paraphrased) Don’t you believe that! You won’t really die. What will really happen is that your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God. What He knows, you will know, and what He sees, you will see! That’s what you can expect if you just eat that fruit.
Eve chose to believe her expectations rather than God’s proclamations, and she shared her fruit and her expectations with her husband and he ate them too. And the first thing they felt after their eyes were opened was not glory, or exultation or ecstasy or even satisfaction. What they felt was…shame; a shame so overwhelming that all they wanted to do was to cover up and hide. Sad then, and sad now.
Who are you going to trust? Who will you believe? Will you build your list of expectations from the world’s many resources like television ads and “reality” shows: from social media, or popular culture?
Or will you instead choose the reality that God offers, a reality that is as unchanging as God Himself, His unchanging Word.
Psalms 37:3-5 NLT
Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.
Comments