In the aftermath of a natural disaster, when we ask the tough questions and diligently search the Scriptures to see what the Lord has revealed, we see that God is decisive in these events, and that contrary to our instincts, our refuge from the storms of life is to be found in knowing this.
So why do these things happen or become rephrased in light of our previous conclusions; why does the Lord send these calamities? From where we stand as human beings, it seems impossible at one level to imagine any reason that makes sense. The terrible images of carnage and grief beyond what we have ever experienced before flash through our minds as we grapple to find meaning in what seems so brutally indiscriminate.
We must accept that we cannot understand God’s purposes perfectly, because we are not meant to. John 8:23 says “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.” John 18:36 reads “My kingdom is not of this world.” Isaiah 55:8-9 says further “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Psalm 145:3 says “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” Isaiah 40:28 emphasizes, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever" (Deuteronomy 29:29). Finally, Romans 11:33 repeats the same thoughts, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”
Scripture is at pains to make sure we understand that God is not like one of us. That in itself is great news! So we can’t know all the answers, but, as with the previous questions, the Lord has revealed something of His purposes in these things. There are really two levels at which we can ask why these things are sent. At the level of immediate purpose there are many specific examples of the kinds of purposes God has for us in suffering. We’ll look at these in a moment. At the second level, all these purposes are subservient to the ultimate reasons why this “groaning creation” exists as it does. We’ll take a look at the ultimate reasons in the next post.
One thing to keep in mind as we focus on the first category of temporal purposes, as we hinted at in the last post, is that the Bible does not separate types of suffering. From our perspective we would tend to separate natural calamity from persecutions for instance but the Bible does not do that when illustrating its applications. Romans 8 is the example we used before where in verse 35 Paul refers to a broad range of sufferings including natural disaster: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” In second Corinthians 11:25-29, Paul speaks of his own sufferings for the gospel, and again he groups together a wide range of sufferings including those related to nature saying “Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.” One final example is in the next chapter, in verse 10 of chapter 12, where Paul shares his position in relation to the “thorn” in the flesh which was given Him by God, and which God would not remove. Here Paul says “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
So let’s take an inventory of some of the temporal or immediate purposes God has for suffering as described in Scripture.
1. Judgement
The first temporal purpose God has for suffering is judgment. Especially the Old Testament is riddled with such examples. The most obvious example is the global flood in which the entire world was destroyed except Noah and his family. Genesis 6:13 gives God’s reason saying “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”
Micah chapter 1 describes the disastrous results of God’s “coming out of His place”, and then says that “All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. Nahum 1:3b-8 describes the effects of God’s judgment saying “His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; he dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither; the bloom of Lebanon withers. The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him. The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.”
Verse 7 of Nahum 1 is especially interesting in the context of our previous post. In the midst of describing God’s furious judgement, the inspired writer says that the Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble. Deuteronomy 32:35 says “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.” Proverbs 24:16 says “for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.”
Finally, for those who do not treasure Christ, suffering and death are God’s judgment. Peter says in 1 Peter 4:17 “It is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”
2. Mercy
God shows His mercy in disasters. In the Olivet discourse. earthquakes are a wake- up call alerting people that the end is near. Similarly, the earthquakes in Revelation are calls to repentance to unbelievers. Disasters draw people’s attention to eternity and to the Lord’s sovereignty, thereby calling them away from eternal destruction and to eternal joy in God’s presence. The joy that await us in eternity far exceeds what we can imagine in this life.
In Job’s personal disaster, God’s declares that "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away" (Job 1:21). Our lives do not belong to us and as Proverbs 111:10 says, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom".
In Luke 13, Jesus shows that the falling of a tower in Siloam was a merciful call to repentance when he says “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” The clearest illustration of how suffering is merciful, is the death of Christ. It was judgment on Jesus who bore our sins but it was mercy toward us who trust him to bear our punishment (Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24).
Lastly, disasters are a call to Christians to show love and mercy to those affected, that we might be salt and light in the midst of suffering and give an answer to “anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you”.
3. Purification
God, in His wisdom uses many things to conform us to the image of Jesus. Job’s sufferings are a clear example of how God uses natural disaster to refine His people. Job is described as being “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” His sufferings, though extreme, were for Job’s benefit, and his willing submission to them shows that Job accepted God’s wisdom in sending them.
The natural reason for disaster is the “groaning of creation” described in Romans 8. In verse 23, Paul says we as Christians groan too, and this groaning is as result of the subjection of creation by God (v 20). Notice though at the end of verse 20 that this subjection was done in hope.
Suffering is also meant to test our faith. John MacArthur puts it this way, “God doesn't have to test any of us so He can find out what's in our heart, God tests us so we can find out. In other words, He assists us in doing that spiritual inventory. If you're shaking your fist at God, if you're wondering why it's happening, if you're fretting all the time and worrying, if you're in anxiety from morning till night, there's a good indication that you have a weak faith. If, on the other hand, you're going through a trial and you find yourself resting in the Lord, having placed it into His care, letting Him bear the burden of it, and going on your way rejoicing as best you can in a difficult situation, waiting for God to show you the way out, then you are seeing for yourself that you possess a strength of faith.”
Suffering comes to humble us too. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12 that the thorn God gave him was “to keep me from becoming conceited…” God does promise blessings to His children, especially if they are faithful, but our nature requires that this be tempered or we would become proud.
Suffering also weans us from worldly ways. Like Moses in Hebrews 11:26 who “considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt…” God used many trials in his life to draw him away from the life of wealth and worldly success that could have been his in Egypt.
Suffering in this world reminds us that it is a fallen world, and that we are fallen and it points us to the joy that lies before us in eternity. Afflictions prepare us for “an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17). As Paul says in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Suffering reveals what we treasure most in life. In the floods we went through, although there was loss of life, for most people their loss was material. It is never easy to lose your home and your livelihood, but the effect of these losses on us as Christians should not indicate that these things were our treasure. If you loved these things more than Christ, you’re going to question God, and be filled with anxiety. God does not suffer idols in the hearts of His people, and He often removes them. So in your own life, make sure nothing is dearer to you than the Lord. That’s the point of Jesus controversial remarks in Luke 14:26. Christ must be your treasure, or you cannot be His disciple.
Trials teach us to value God’s blessing. In the midst of trials and suffering, if we obey, we receive blessings. Jesus was our example in this. His perfect obedience to the will of the Father through the most extreme suffering is what gave us life. The psalmist says in Psalm 63:3, “Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.”
Finally, God sends trials to make us more useful as we grow in spiritual strength and maturity. Each time you suffer and learn the things God teaches you in it, you become stronger and as you do God uses you more. As Thomas Manton said, "While all things are quiet and comfortable, we live by sense rather than faith. But the worth of a soldier is never known in times of peace."
In summary, Peter has some advice for us…
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6)
