One Question??

He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food. Job 23:10-12

The year of our Lord 2020 has certainly afforded the opportunity for us to ask many questions. We have asked things like, “What is Covid 19? What do we do? Why would God let this happen? Where is God? Why weren’t we prepared?” and so many others.

I began to wonder, what if we could ask God one question and be guaranteed that He would answer? What would we ask? I would probably want to know why there is suffering? I would want to know why good and faithful Christians suffer? I would ask if we are penalized for trying to do good?

The pollster, George Barna, actually asked this question in a national survey, and the primary response to it was: Why is there pain and suffering in the world?

At some point in our lives, we will all face pain and suffering. It might not be all physical, but it is a guarantee. In the above scripture, Job was a good and godly man, yet all ten of his children died tragically in a single day. His wife wanted him to curse God and die, yet Job never betrayed God with his lips. He grieved deeply, but he never gave up on God. Even though I know he had lots of questions for God that went unanswered, he remained faithful.

This year we have personally lost several friends, relatives, and watched as many have suffered, yet God is still faithful. There have been times when God has seemed at his farthest away, but in those times, He is often the nearest to us. He helps us see the integrity and joy in the lives of those we love.

He has been near to us as we have take the time to remember the lives of our friends and relatives and all the joy they brought into our lives. Randy’s uncle Fredrick died recently, and the occasion marked the last of the brothers and sisters in the Mickler of Madison family. We remember this gentle doctor for all the babies he birthed in the community, his love of baseball, his beautiful voice, all the sports games he announced, his love of his family and friends, and all the people who loved him. He was excited to arrive in his heavenly home! He was always faithful and steadfast.

We lost our dear friend, Paul, this year after a battle with Parkinson’s. My question rears its head yet again. Although in the end, he was confined to a wheelchair and covid had sequestered him, he never lost his sense of humor, his love of family and friends, his love of his Men’s Club, his enjoyment of a mellow cigar, and his appreciation of a good scotch. He stayed faithful and encouraging.

Our friend Randy died this year as well. The question that I would ask is, “Why do good people have to suffer?” Yet, when we remember the assurance he had, the career he enjoyed, the stories he told, his love of family and friends, and his laughter, we feel joy for him and his new home. He stayed faithful and was always reassuring.

Our sweet friend, Debbie, died this year as well from cancer. There again, is the question of suffering. Yet when we remember her, we only see her laughter. her love of children, and her love of fun! This family have been friends since our daughters were in school together. Our daughters roomed at Ole Miss together, and we spent lots of good times in the grove. I can still see Debbie preparing her famous drink recipe, and us all laughing at the name of it. She always stayed faithful and upbeat.

Everyone of us has a name that is dear to us that could be inserted for the names I have listed above. The short answer to the question of why is there pain and suffering in the world appears to be: “Christ’s first coming was to save us from the penalty of our sin. His second coming is to save us from the presence of sin and restore paradise lost.”

The real question for us this day is, do we allow ourselves to give in to adversity or do we hold on to integrity as Job did? We either fall apart or we draw nearer to God. My prayer is that we draw closer and feel His presence and allow Him to comfort us until He answers our one question personally.