Thursday, May 29, 2008

IS GOD GOOD AND RIGHT ONLY WHEN I WIN?

July 20, 2004
Joan Elise (Rhoden)

Something just occurred to me and I am compelled to write it down while it is fresh in my mind. The enemy would certainly try to rob me of this eureka of thought and would distract me toward something less profound.

In the emailed version of Slice of Infinity - Judging the Judges, Ravi Zacharias recounts the following:

During the 2002 Winter Olympics, a major publication had a headline that read, "Crybaby Olympics." The article highlighted the refrain of complaints launched by several competitors who felt they had been duped out of their legitimate attainment by some unscrupulous judge.

In the midst of many events taking place in my family at the present, some disheartening, some disappointing, some merely inconvenient, and others brutally tragic, a profound and divine thought came to mind. Have we EVER questioned the sovereignty of God and His wisdom when we were the recipient of a blessing, some pleasant thing that arrived in our lives providentially? I dare say we have not. Why is that? Why would we question God’s decision in allowing difficult things to befall us but be so willing to receive of the goodness from His hand? There is an elemental flaw in this theology. If God is right and just, then He is right and just ALL the time, not just when it seems to meet with our desires and expectations.

The question must be addressed: Does God have the best interest of His people at heart, or is He randomly selective, raining down blessing and cursing indiscriminately upon the just and the unjust? Is God good and loving all the time or only when He supports my view of how life should play out?

If a check for $1000 from an anonymous donor appeared in the mailbox every week for five years and then abruptly the checks stopped, would I be disappointed? Angry? Let this scenario sink in for a moment before settling upon which emotion would rise up from within the soul. Would there be a strong sense of gratitude or a deep sense of resentment at the loss of this resource?

The elements of this scenario expose the most basic precepts of mankind and reveal a less than noble character and a elemental flaw in basic theology. Why would I not be deeply grateful for the five years of blessing rather than cursing the loss?  I must ponder these things, for herein lies the answer to life.

(Selah)

"I will trust when I cannot see
When I’m faced with adversity
And believe Your will is always best for me
I will trust when I cannot see"
http://youtu.be/HEZ9xvrg58k

"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other."
Ecclesiastes 7:14

(Updated June 7, 2014)

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