Probably the most asked question about life and religion is “If God is all loving and all powerful then why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?” Or “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Or simply “Why is there evil in the world?”

People ask this question when a marriage ends badly, an innocent child dies, when a loved one contracts a terminal illness way before the expected time, when drug runners take over a society and law-abiding citizens live in terror, and when dictators send their armies across national borders to claim territory and waste lives with what seems to be a simple motive of national pride.

It makes sense that God is all powerful and all knowing . . . after all He is God. There are promises in the Bible saying God is love and Jesus was the living version of love. There are also verses saying God knows the number of hairs on our heads and that he cares for the birds so He will also care for us. These characteristics of God are sometimes hard to reconcile with the pain and suffering in our own or others’ lives.

This question is very relevant to me as I write since in the last few weeks doctors and tests have discovered a large tumor on my liver. The biopsy indicated it as coming from cholangiocarcinoma, an aggressive form of cancer in the bile ducts with no a clear path to remission. My wife and I are talking about what life will be like with the shadow of death hanging over us daily.

I am not shaking my fist at God saying “this is unfair! I deserve another 15-20 years of life!” But I do have a lot of questions. Will this be the last Grove Soccer season I can be a part of? If my health deteriorates quickly, will my kids and I be able to get closure though they all live a long plane flight away? How can I not be a grumpy old man from the pain of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments? Will I see my son get married, see my grandkids grow up, take a long run again and can I continue being a thorn in the side of my wife into old age?

I do not know. But I do know that God has called me to finish well. Spending time with loved ones, having important conversations, and reaching out to those who need more of Jesus in their life are all part of finishing well, whether I be around 1 year or 10 years.

Jesus Was a Realist

It has been very encouraging to me in this journey that Jesus was a realist when He told his disciples “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (ESV)

Many preachers interpret the promises in the Bible to be promises of physical health and financial prosperity. But what Jesus says here flies in the face of their teaching and rings true when we look around the world and see pain and suffering. As our pastor Tom says (and I quote him loosely) “if how we interpret scripture or what we promote as truth does not work in third world Africa or Asia, then it doesn’t work.” By that common sense definition, the “Prosperity Gospel,” where believing God for health and wealth is all you need to do, does not work. If it did work, we would not have the poverty or famine or wars that are evident in every age of history.

Note a couple things in John 16:33:

1. Jesus did not say “IF you have tribulation” but “WILL have tribulation.” So rather than promoting peaches and cream to His followers, He says life is going to be hard and full of challenges. I think we all can relate to that and be encouraged Jesus didn’t candy-coat things. Jesus understands our pain because He suffered himself.
   • In the Incarnation (God becoming Man), we see God’s compassion and empathy revealed most deeply to us.
   • Jesus felt our pain and stood with us in it.
   • Since Jesus was God/man, his all-knowing character goes beyond information. It goes to the depths of empathy and understanding our pain.
     (Thoughts/excerpts from The Genius of Jesus by Erwin McManus)
2. Jesus did not offer a physical solution but a spiritual one. We know Jesus did not become an earthly king or overthrow the Romans, so He must be speaking here of a spiritual victory over the world. The Bible points to that spiritual victory which was accomplished by Jesus being God in the flesh, living a perfect life, dying unjustly to accomplish victory over sin and death, and was resurrected to prove He was the real deal.I also see the promises of the Old Testament to mostly be addressing spiritual well-being and less so physical well-being. (Isaiah 42:16; Psalm 91:1-6; Isaiah 41:10, 13; Isaiah 40:29-31, Psalm 37:23-24). These verses are encouraging me daily that God will show me how to finish well, to not be fearful or angry, and to love others, whether I have 1 year or 10 years.

We will go through tough times

Another encouraging verse to me these days was shared by Shirley early in this cancer process (Isaiah 43:1-2). We have an excerpt of it on a wall in our house. The nation of Israel is a foreshadow of the New Testament church and believers and how God will relate to us, so I inserted our names to make it personal.

Now, this is what the Lord says — he who created you, Joel, he who formed you, Shirley:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;  I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

So God promises:

1. 1. We WILL (not IF) pass through difficulties (waters, rivers, and fires) in our lives.
   2. He will be with us through these tough times.

I’m clinging to these promises and other Biblical promises as I go through cancer. These promises help me trust God is not “messing with me” and that He wants the best for me, not just here on earth but for eternity. I’m reassured when I remember His guiding me over the years in ways I can’t explain except through divine intervention. My trust is supported when I see God in the outpouring of love, prayers, tears and support of others during this hard time. If God is love, then I am feeling it through His people. My peace is rooted in Jesus’ victory at the cross over the troubles of this world and that He has an eternal hope for me.

I Corinthians 13:12: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” It should be noted that mirrors in Biblical times were not the perfect reflection like we have today, but a polished metal which revealed some degree of clarity for the person looking in the mirror but also some fuzziness left to question. As the verse above indicates, it is the same with faith. We see the fuzzy outline of God’s plans but are left without all the answers and clarity we want. This verse indicates when we enter the next life, we will see all things clearly and be fully known. I look forward to that someday.

On Healing

I believe God can heal me. Jesus did MANY miracles, especially healing, when He was on earth. So I conclude God and Jesus like to see people healed emotionally and physically. Yet we all know someone who walked closely with God, yet died at an early age from terminal illness.

James 5:14-15 says “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”

From this passage it would seem that we simply need to be prayed for by the elders of the church (or go on the Benny Hinn show) and we will be healed. But this doesn’t sync with reality. What I see here is a bold request of God to heal while humbly trusting God’s perfect plan, a plan that culminates in Christ “saving” and “raising up” all of his people in the resurrection. Physical healing will occur in some cases but not every one.

In obedience with this passage, our small group prayed and anointed me with oil last Sunday. Our pastoral team has prayed over Shirley and I, anointing me with oil. Yet, I do not see this as somehow twisting God’s arm to heal Joel. I hope God sees me as a good candidate to display His glory by healing me from what seems to be a terminal illness. Or to use a new medical discovery or relatively unknown treatment to extend my life beyond the statistical norm. But if not, I trust His plan for me and that he will save and raise me up spiritually during this tough time and for eternity.

Thankfulness

For me, thankfulness works as an answer to this tough question of sickness and pain. I do struggle with feeling cheated that I may miss out on seeing my grandkids grow up or enjoy growing old with Shirley. I hoped to have another 10-15 years on this earth!

In 1820, the average human life span in Western Europe was 36 years. Today the average life span in the U.S. is 79 years. So I can be thankful that I’ve already lived 160% longer than the average 200 years ago. We are all blessed to live in this age of abundance in the U.S. and should not take it for granted. Jesus lived 33 years on this earth and I have had almost twice that number of years, with much more ease and entertainment, so who am I to complain?

Thankfulness is also easy when I consider my 57 years of good health (year 58 has not been so good), 3 well-rounded kids who are off on their own, being married to an amazing wife for 34 years, wonderful parents and sisters, great friends, a job which has given me flexibility and a chance to impact the world for Christ, a church with great ministry opportunities such as youth soccer, and many other daily blessings.

It is human nature to focus on imperfections rather than enjoy the beauty surrounding the imperfections. Watching the local Los Angeles news reveals the negative focus we have. The majority of news time is focused on crime, labor strikes, badly-behaving politicians, and weather disasters. We need to notice and be thankful for “the good things that happen to good people.” Then when bad things happen, we can keep them in better perspective knowing that there are many, many good, beautiful and positive things happening in our world. As a friend recently said, “start each day with thankfulness.”