WHY?

I attend Denver Community Church (DCC), which I love. Week after week, Michael, our pastor, delivers a powerful sermon. I never leave a Sunday service without REALLY thinking about what God is trying to teach me. Today was no different. Michael spoke about Revelation 2:8-11, which is a letter from Jesus to the Church of Smyrna. To summarize, Jesus tells the church that they are going to experience very hard times. The church at Smyrna was a suffering church. It was warned about an impending persecution and that some of its members would experience martyrdom. The church in Smyrna would soon be persecuted and martyred by Jews and heathens. This would happen for ten days.

Sounds rather gloomy, which is it, but Jesus states, "These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty." What does this mean? It means that Jesus has suffered and died, but he also overcame death. He KNOWS what it feels like to persecuted. He KNOWS what it means to be martyred for his faith. He KNOWS what it means to suffer.

Often times when we suffer hard times, we ask the question WHY? People are quick to give their answer. "It happened because..." Michael spoke of Job, who suffered severe pain. Satan killed his family and took everything from Job, and yet Job continued to follow Christ. Job's friends try to "help" Job and give their two sense of WHY this was happening to Job. At the end of the book of Job, God says to Job, "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me" (Job 38:2-3).

God continues to question Job. "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, 'Here we are'? Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food? Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!"

Job replies, "I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer—twice, but I will say no more."

God says, "Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Do you have an arm like God's, and can your voice thunder like his? Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty."

Job replies, "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

Job realizes the advice of his friends was opposite of what God was trying to teach him, so once Job prays for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. The question of WHY was never answered, and yet Job realized that God is God.

The answer of WHY usually isn't answered in our own lives. Why do people die? Why is there so much pain? Why do people have cancer? Why must a family member be diagnosed with MS? Why? Why? Why? Because we are human, we will always ask that question. But because God is God, we may never know that answer, but what we do know is that God has suffered. God has endured persecution. God has died. But God has risen again. He's right beside us through the pain. We can find comfort knowing that Christ overcame, and he'll help us overcome our pain, too.