I met him as I was leaving a hospital in a nearby metro area. He approached me and asked if I was a "chaplain-pastor kind of person" had a minute. I said yes, and he asked if I had a few minutes. We found a spot and sat down to talk. "My name's Ben, pastor. So I want to know, what's next? Why is God doing all these things to me? What did I ever do to deserve all this?"
This young man had lost his beloved grandpa within the last hour - the grandpa who was his "rock" after his parents were killed in an accident four years before. He'd recently lost his job, so he couldn't pay for college and had to drop out. His girlfriend broke up with him shortly after he lost his job. Wow.
Ben drew a deep breath. With tears in his eyes, he continued. "And then, then my best friend's mom quotes the Bible at me, says 'All things work together for good for people who love God', or something like that. I don't remember the exact words, but I sure got the gist of it. Like I'm not loving God enough, so He's doing these things to me? She's doggone right about one thing – I sure don't love a God who'd do stuff like that. So pastor, is she right? What does the Bible really mean about that?"
I asked him what it would mean to shift gears a bit. What if, instead of doing all those things to him, God was with him through all of it, offering him everything he needed to make it through, and in fact come out stronger? I shared some of the rest of that Scripture passage with Ben, namely: "If God is for us (and God is), who is against us?" Answer: Nothing can be against us that is stronger and more persistent than God is in steadfast support and provision for us!
As we began to talk about his beloved grandpa, Ben smiled. "You know, it's funny you were here just at the perfect time, pastor. You know what one of grandpa's favorite sayings was? When something bad happened, he'd say, 'Life happens. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but God's always got your back.' He told me to never ever forget that. Maybe that's his best gift ever to me, you think?"
Then we talked about each of the bad things that had happened to Ben recently in this new light. He was able to see the truth of his grandpa's words, and also to see that God really was "for him", God loved him beyond measure, and that nothing could ever overcome that. As he left, he smiled at me through his tears. "Thanks, pastor. I can see the whole picture better now. It's been this way since the beginning of time with God, hasn't it? I think my grandpa knew that, and now I think I finally do too."
Remember: Nothing can be against us that is stronger and more persistent than God is in steadfast support and provision for us! Since the beginning of time, God has been for us. "If God is for us (and God is), who is against us?" (Romans 8:31) We are created in God's own image and given God's precious Son to save us and lead us to true and whole eternal life. So often we fall to the temptation to blame God for the painful imperfections of our earthly lives. Ben's question is all too common.
Nothing in this world is perfect. Bad decisions that affect ourselves and those around us, imperfect bodies, calamities in the natural world, and so much more….these things have happened since the beginning of time. But God has been God since before the beginning of time. And God loves us beyond measure, never abandons us, and continually offers us all we need to get through anything we face in this life.
"It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us." (Romans 8:38)Christ was given for us that we would choose to follow Him – right through all the seasons of our earthly life, through death itself, and onward to the rest of our eternal lives.
(This an excerpt from the book, "Exploring Romans – Everyday Stories", the 6th book in a series written by Dr. Adams. All the volumes in the series can be purchased through Chalice Press - chalicepress.com or on amazon.com.)