God’s Plan in the Face of Suffering
‘As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’ - John 9:1-3
I have always struggled with the concept of suffering. For a people who worship and serve an almighty and wholly good God, how could any struggles or misery ever befall us? This internal struggle is one that became external in many of my conversations with an old friend who had turned away from his faith. Our conversations often got tangled in the logical arguments that any thoughtful skeptic might claim. If he is an almighty God and wants the best for us, why wouldn’t he heal us when we are sick or hurting? If God commands his people in the Old Testament to wipe out cities, is he really as loving as everyone says? Or the famous “can God create a rock that he can’t lift”. I have never been able to answer these types of questions other than explaining my belief in God’s almighty power and infinite wisdom, combined with our fundamental humanness and incapability of fully understanding God’s divine plan.
My reasoning sometimes held up as a tempered rebuttal and, at best, let me say “I don’t know” without sounding apathetic. This was, until our Fellow’s class heard Reverend Joe Ananias speak during one of our typical Monday morning classes. Joe is a Priest Associate at Saint George’s Episcopal Church, and what I would call an “impressive Christian.” He speaks with clear wisdom and humility, has received his Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School, and exudes a kindness you feel the moment you meet him. Joe is also battling ALS. He explained that earlier in his life, he was a musician and loved playing worship songs on his guitar, and that many other activities are no longer possible for him. When he shared his outlook on his prognosis and the work the Lord is doing through it in both him and the community, my perspective on suffering shifted. Two points that Joe made particularly stuck out to me. He said, “I do not believe God gave me ALS, but I do believe that he is using it for his glory,” and “The church benefits from people who are weak and in need.”
His first point is something I had always believed but never understood. Hearing that God does all things for his glory is easy to wrap your head around when thinking about working miracles, but hard in the context of pain and suffering. Seeing Joe at peace with his prognosis, accepting it not as something done to him but as something that happened through natural means, and eager for the Lord to use it for the good of his church and followers, was astonishing. I saw how the Lord was using this affliction for his glory. My faith was strengthened by watching this servant of the Lord profess Jesus as his Lord and Savior even in the face of such a struggle. To witness God’s glory revealed through suffering brought me a peace I had not known before.
Joe’s second point took a little longer to process. How could the Church benefit from affliction? He explained that Christians are called to serve: first the Lord, but also one another. It brings glory to God when his servants lay down their lives, wants, and needs for the sake of someone else. Paul tells the Galatians to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2), but a burden has to exist before it can be carried. People in need, who are suffering, are a benefit to God’s people as they provide us an opportunity to serve and act as servants to the Lord. I look forward to the day when there is no more pain or suffering, when we will live in perfect unity with Christ. But in the here and now, in this fallen world, even what is broken is used perfectly for God’s glory.
Nate Pedigo, Class 13
Hometown: Chattanooga, TN
Berry College Graduate
