Hopelessness, Suffering, and Unjust Loss - Part 7
When God described the future of Abram’s descendants to him, He put it all in context. He not only described their enslavement in Egypt, but God also described the repayment they would receive for those 400 years of unjust treatment. Without that description of the repayment, the picture would have been incomplete.
“Then the Lord said to Abram, ‘You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth.’”—Genesis 15:13-14 (NLT)
This is how God looks at tragedies and experiences of unjust loss, and it would help us to direct our focus in the same way, not just seeing them as tragedies and great losses alone, but seeing them as evidence of a great repayment that God has in store for us! This is how the Apostle Paul encouraged us to view times of suffering.
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”—Romans 8:18 (KJV)
“For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ… . And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.”—2 Corinthians 1:5-7 (NKJV)
This is how Jesus was able to endure His suffering and crucifixion, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2 ESV). (Italics mine)
When God Sets You Up to Bless You
There are even times when God intentionally allows pain and great loss in our lives in order to set us up for incredible blessings in the way of repayment for all that we have suffered. These are blessings that we would never experience if that pain and suffering had not come into our lives. This was the situation in the life of the man who had been born blind in John 9. Jesus’ disciples specifically asked Him why this man had endured this suffering.
“Jesus’ followers asked him, ‘Teacher, why was this man born blind? Whose sin made it happen? Was it his own sin or that of his parents?’
“Jesus answered, ‘It was not any sin of this man or his parents that caused him to be blind. He was born blind so that he could be used to show what great things God can do.’”—John 9:2-3 (ERV)
Did you catch that? God intentionally caused that man to be born blind! Does that sound like the actions of a just and loving God? Is that fair?
Like every situation of great pain and loss, if you only look at the pain and loss, it seems terribly unjust. But God doesn’t look at situations that way and neither should we, because that’s not the whole story.
Consider this. Out of all the people who would ever live, God chose this man to be the first person in history to be healed of blindness with which he had been born. Not only that, but he was chosen to be healed by a personal touch from the Son of God Himself! Not only that, but He would then be invited to give testimony of his healing to the religious leaders of his day. Not only that, but Jesus Christ Himself personally sought out this man and led him to salvation! Not only that, but the story of his healing and testimony was chosen to be recorded in Scripture for all time! The entire ninth chapter of John is dedicated to this man’s story! Not only that, but this man who was born blind will reap eternal rewards for the countless lives that are touched as his story continues to be shared around the world, generation after generation, wherever the Holy Scriptures are shared. And there are probably many more rewards that are included in this man’s compensation package from the Righteous Judge.
I don’t know about you, but after considering the repayment that was awarded to this man who was born blind, I’m feeling a bit left out! I feel like he’s the real winner! Considering the repayment that this man received—and will continue to enjoy throughout eternity—wouldn’t you stand in line for an opportunity like his? I’m sure that he is not complaining now. I’m sure he would tell all of us that being born blind was well worth the compensation package that he received from the Lord as repayment for all that he had suffered.
Justice for Hannah
God “imposed” a time of pain and suffering on Hannah in a similar way. We are told very clearly in 1 Samuel 1:5-6 that God Himself had shut Hannah’s womb so that she could not have children. But what happened as a result?
Hannah’s intense desire to have a son prompted her to earnestly pray and ask God to grant her heart’s desire. In doing so, she vowed that if God would grant her request, she would give her son back to Him, dedicating her son to serve God all the days of his life.
As a result, Hannah was not only given a son, but was granted *four *sons and two daughters! But that’s only the beginning! Her oldest son, Samuel, grew up to become a righteous leader for the entire nation of Israel, reversing a period of shameful moral decay. Samuel lived a life of integrity and was widely respected as a prophet of the Most High God. Samuel was the one who ushered in the period that many consider to be Israel’s golden age. He anointed Saul as the first king of Israel, and later anointed David, whose son, Solomon, would build the great temple for the Lord in Jerusalem.
Before Samuel was born, the nation of Israel was in moral decline, lacking clear leadership that was respected by the people. As a result of Samuel’s life and influence, there was a complete turnaround. Righteous leadership was restored to the government and to the religious practices of the entire nation.
Was Hannah’s temporary pain and loss worth it? Absolutely! There is no doubt! The full justice that God granted to Hannah in repayment for her pain and loss not only satisfied her own personal longings, but met the needs of an entire nation! That’s pretty good compensation!
In every situation of pain and great loss, God provides a compensation package that *more *than makes up for the pain and loss that was suffered. We must learn to view pain and loss in that context. We must learn to see the whole picture. Once we realize that situations of pain and loss are signals that great compensation packages are set aside for us, then we can look to “the joy that is set before us” and focus on claiming that compensation from the Righteous Judge.
