By Valerie Klicka
Have you ever thought that God might be rewarding your behavior and faithfulness with a smooth life? Have you ever looked at someone going through a difficult time, like a divorce or unemployment, and thought, “What did they do to deserve that?”?
I have, and recently, too…
My pride and bad theology have sprung up so ugly in the past six months. I’m ashamed even as I write this. Here are a few pieces of bad theology I had and how God dealt with me.
BAD THEOLOGY EXPECTS PROTECTION FROM SUFFERING
Say a prayer, be blessed. Be kind, be blessed. Read your Bible, be blessed. Serve your neighbor, be blessed. The list goes on of things I believed were points for me. Christian life for the win!
But this doesn’t add up. In fact, see Job chapter 1 for a clear retort.
“Have you considered my servant Job?” God said to Satan. Job by account of scripture was a God-fearing man, faithful to the Lord in all his dealings. Never would I place myself on the same level as this guy… and God serves him up on a silver platter to Satan. All it took was an hour or so for all Job’s children to be killed, all his livestock to be stolen, and his wife to turn viciously on him. “Curse God and die,” she said.
But Job’s response was simple and harsh: “Are we to accept good for the Lord and not bad?”
Job knew what I needed to learn: God’s economy is not like our own. He is the Almighty and His ways are higher than ours.
Matthew 5:45 reminds us: “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
BAD THEOLOGY DEMANDS AN EXPLANATION FROM GOD
When bad things happen, I tend to ask why. As if I would accept the circumstances if there were a good enough reason. Did I do something bad? Is God trying to teach me something? Does God have no real control over evil? Is this just a coincidence? Bad luck? Am I not a good enough Christian? I’ve asked these questions as though God had to answer for my suffering.
A problem with these questions is that I can never truly know the heart of ‘why’ with God this side of heaven. We do know a few things from Scripture:
- Sin will always be a factor. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
- Personal sin isn’t always the reason. John 9:1-3 “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’”
- We are co-heirs with Christ, so we share in his suffering. 1 Peter 4:13 “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”
My conclusion from this: I’m asking the wrong questions. Why is there suffering? Take your pick of answers: sin, to bring glory to God, to bring us closer to God, a natural reality of following Christ…
So what is the right question to ask? What is the right response to suffering?
BAD THEOLOGY PRIORITIZES HAPPINESS AND COMFORT
Three weeks ago my husband injured his index and middle finger while working with his table saw. It happened so fast. He had emergency surgery to try to save his fingers and the nerves. He now has at least six months of recovery ahead of him. With a husband with only one arm, I am left to do all the household chores, cooking, and caring for our son.
This is a very uncomfortable situation for us both, and if I were to come to this with bad theology, I would be in a very dark place.
My actions are a direct result of my belief system and I need help to shift my perspective and my priorities or I’m in danger of sinking into a dark discouraging pit. But how can I do this???
GOD HAS REMINDED ME OF HIS PRIORITIES: HIS GLORY AND OUR SOULS
Because of who He is, the Lord God is worthy of praise, glory, and honor and it is right that we should give Him glory. Psalm 105:3 says, “Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!”
Because of who He is and who He made us to be, He is passionate about us being in relationship with Him. John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
These two priorities – His glory and our good – take precedence over everything else, including my happiness (a fleeting feeling) and comfort.
When my focus shifts to these two priorities – bringing Him glory and drawing near to Him – every move I make is filled with purpose and strength from Him. Suffering can bring me closer to Him. Suffering can allow me to see, in a small way, how greatly Christ suffered on the cross to save me. And so I praise Him with this new focus and new perspective.
He has shifted my priorities to bring Him glory and to draw near to Him. With this shift in priorities comes the shift of perspective on suffering. The suffering I experience here is nothing when we think on the glory that awaits us in eternity. 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.”
God is bringing me out of my bad theology and into a new way of thinking. So I cling to Him and I cling to the truth of His Word. How can you do the same?
- He has good things for us: Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
- He will help us through suffering: Isaiah 40:31 “…but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
- He is good: Psalm 107:1 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”
(Valerie Klicka and her husband Jesse have been a part of SBC for over a year, serving on the music team and connecting with the family of SBC at every opportunity – from hosting others in their home, discipling, and growing the church through the birth of their awesome son, Maelan.)
