Keller again

I'm continuing my coverage of Tim Keller's book Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering. It's important we think about this topic before we are in the middle of a huge mess. It's too difficult to come up with a plan and a firm basis to deal with suffering while we are in the middle of it.

Keller starts Part Three by asking  how we can actually, practically face getting through the suffering that has come upon us. The Bible often talks about walking through affliction. This points to the idea of progress. We are not to lose our footing and just let the suffering have its way with us. But we are also not to think we can somehow avoid it or be completely impervious to it either. We are to meet and move through suffering without shock and surprise, without denial of our sorrow and weakness, without resentment or paralyzing fear, and also without acquiescence or capitulation, without surrender or despair. See Isaiah 43:2-3, 5. God does not say if you go through the fire but when you go. 1 Peter depicts suffering not just as fire but as a forge or furnace which can obliterate or improve. Suffering can destroy some things within us and can purify and strengthen other things – it depends on our response. We must recognize, depend on, speak with, and believe in God while in the fire. God will not always rescue us – the idea God will rescue us may seem confident, but it is filled with anxiety and insecurity. We are scared that maybe he won't answer the prayer for deliverance. Our greatest joy would be to honor God, not to use God to get what we want in life.

I really like what Keller says next, so I underlined it: Think of four things that we want. Do you want to know who you are, your strengths and weaknesses? Do you want to be a compassionate person who skillfully helps people who are hurting? Do you want to have such profound trust in God that you are fortified against the disappointments of life? Do you want simply to be wise about how life goes? None of these are readily achievable without suffering. OK, I'm not saying this statement is wonderful news. But it is realistic. No pain, no gain, as the saying goes.

We must walk with God to grow during suffering. The author says that means we must treat God as God and as really there. We must see with the eyes of our heart how Jesus plunged into the fire for us when he went to the cross. If you remember with grateful amazement that Jesus was thrown into the ultimate furnace for you, you can begin to sense him in your smaller furnaces with you. This means remembering the gospel. We need to say, "This is my furnace. I'm not being punished for my sins, because Jesus was thrown into the ultimate fire for me. And so if he went through the greatest fire steadfastly for me, I can go through the smaller furnace steadfastly for him. And I also know it means that if I trust in him, this furnace will only make me better."

Again, this is enough to think over. I'll stop here. More to come next time.