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Why did God cause Payton's sickness, suffering and eventual death?
February 7, 2001
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Life is hard..........
My very dear Christian friend and co-worker, Todd Leyden, just buried his 13 yr. old son, Payton, who suffered for 33 days in a hospital with a staph infection that affected his entire body........
The funeral was a "Celebration of Life" in accord with Payton's 10 year old brother's (Blake's) statement - - "we are happy for Payton, but sad for us."
Why "Happy?" - -
because Payton is home with His Father - - God .......Payton accepted Christ as His Lord and Savior at a very young age.......
....And - - 13 yrs. was the exact amount of time the sovereign Father God proclaimed that Payton would be on this earth.....
His word is clear - "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:16)..... His Word also proclaims that He knew us - - everyone of us - - even before the world was created !!!
What began Payton's eternal existence with God was Payton's death by a disease to his body........
One might ask, why would God create or cause this disease and the accompanying suffering of Payton and his family?
Well, the answer is - - - God didn't......
God created a perfect world in the beginning - a paradise - and He gave this paradise to Adam and Eve........and God called his creation "good" - - free from any evil or suffering.......
Consider this - - - If suffering and disease was from God - - why did Jesus spend almost every day of his 3 yr. ministry on earth healing the sick?? If Jesus is who he says He is (which is God), why would Jesus undo what God (or He himself) did??
The answer is He wouldn't and didn't ..............because Jesus always did the perfect will of His Father.........He never "undid" what His Father did...........God did not cause the suffering and disease.........man did........as a consequence of his free choice.......
In the beginning, God proved His perfect sovereignty over all things by speaking the world into existence......and He proved his perfect love of man by putting him into this new paradise......
God gave the first man and woman - - Adam and Eve - - the freedom to choose who they would love - - God or man himself......
You see, real love involves real choice.....because if love is the greatest value we have, then the only way we can truly express it is to have free will.....One can never be forced to love someone or something, --- --- it is a choice ..........
Adam and Eve chose - --
they chose to love themselves, rejecting God in this decision....and rejecting God - - - is sin.........
as always - there are consequences to rejecting God - - and we suffer the consequences today of Adam and Eve's sin made a long time ago.....
The result of their sin ???? Evil, sickness, suffering and death entered the world..........affecting both people and the earth.....
Therefore, God did not create evil, sickness suffering and death - - the first man, by his choice to follow Satan, ushered all of these things into the world. ....... and God, in His sovereignty allowed it to happen.........
From Lee Strobel, pastor of Willow Creek -
"Although God did not cause evil and suffering to come into the world, God did create the "potential" for evil to come into the world - --
but - - - it was the only way to create the potential for genuine goodness and genuine love to exist in this world !!!
AND - - think about it - - - - on a different level - - Parents make the same choice everyday - - - - who knows how their kids are going to turn out????Our own children could suffer disappointment, tragedies, hurts, even death…….but men and women still have kids !
Why?
Because parents know there is also the potential for great joy, love and meaning in their children's lives.......
As did God !
He knew most men and women would rebel, but He also knew there would be those who freely choose to follow Him; freely choose to take up his offer of eternal salvation.
And it would be worth it to God - - even though He would have to give up his own Son to the cross - - in great pain and suffering - - - to achieve this redemption……. "
This is a very important point - - - Jesus is not asking anyone to go through what He himself has not - - - Jesus has suffered more than any person will ever suffer on this earth........God turned His back on Jesus - which is the ultimate suffering - while Jesus was on the cross .....
We will never suffer like Jesus because God promises never "to leave or forsake us."...... and if God did leave us - - we would perish immediately- - "If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust" Job 34:14-15......
So, we could never suffer more than Christ - and it is for that exact reason that we should turn to Him in our suffering......
We understand that God did not create, but allows suffering in the world,............. but the question remains - -"Why?"
Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
All things includes - - - evil, sickness, suffering - even death.......
A study of the bible shows us the many ways God uses suffering in our lives "for the good of those who love Him.":
However - - suffering really hurts...........physically, mentally, socially and spiritually...........
Is there a better tool than suffering to teach us all of these things? If so, don't you think the creator of the world would have thought of it........... If you believe so, you are claiming to know more than God - - in effect, you have chosen yourself and your ideas as the "god" of your life.........and that is sin........
The facts are - - the bad and even the good that can come from the evil of suffering can never be totally explained by us on this side of eternity.......
In fact, trying to explain suffering or justice on this side of eternity is like trying to pour the entire Pacific Ocean into a tiny dixie cup!
We must trust God that He knows what is best for us.........
Here's a test for you - - Have you come to the point in your life where God can withdraw all His blessings from you without your trust in Him being affected ?
The key word is ........trust.........
When Job asks God "Why am I suffering?", (and Job suffered on all levels - click here), God responded with 77 questions to Job about the physical world - - here's a few - -
Job answered 0 of these questions.......exactly as many as we could.......
God responded - - you clearly don't understand the natural world, that you do see -- -- how could you ever expect to understand the spiritual world, which includes suffering and evil, which you do not see???
God concluded - - I am your answer - - when you know me - - you can handle anything !!!!
God continued - - I know why you are suffering - - and that's enough - - - you don't need to know why - - you trust me !!!!!
AND - - If we trust Him, we can trust what His word says about the final word on suffering - -- - eternity - - heaven !!!!!
If God has the power to eradicate evil and suffering why doesn't He just do it now and get it over with?
Well, He has promised in His Word - - -- that He will !!!
And why doesn't He do it right now?????
Well, maybe because He's waiting for you !!!!
Strobel says, "He's holding back the curtain of the close of history so that some of you might be touched by His love, that some of you may put your trust in Him, that you may come to a relationship with Him and spend eternity in heaven with Him!"
The apostle Peter confirms this message - - "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. " 2 Peter 3:9
Jesus is waiting for each and everyone of you to give His life to Him !!!! It is His will that you come to Him !
Nothing in this life is more exciting than the promise of spending eternity with Jesus Christ !!!! Absolutely nothing !!! In the same vein, no difficulty - - no suffering - - - not even death of a loved one - - can ever be too much to deny Christ - - - and lose spending eternity with Him !
Jesus said, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? " Matt 16:26
The answer -- -- nothing......
And..........as a reminder, you cannot wait until the "right time" to give your life to Christ..........
Who knows when the sovereign God will call for your life?
As Todd said at the funeral - how long is a long life? 60 yrs - 80? 50? 30?......... 13?..........
As we now know - - - It's really not our question to answer........It's God's and His alone ! He may repsond to this as He did to Job - - "I know the answer to this - you don't need to know - - you trust me !"
So, give your life to Christ as Payton did!
Do it right now !!!!
If you'd like help, ask a Christian friend, or write me at timothy.j.doyle@us.arthurandersen.com
Also, (see this 1 page summary on the steps to giving your life to Christ!) - personalize and pray the verses in the "Response" section !
God Bless you !!!
and ......if we do not meet beforehand - -
See you in Heaven !
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