Gideon asked the question thousands of years ago, and we’ve been asking it ever since.
Looking at his circumstances, Gideon saw no evidence that God cared. And if we are not careful, we can also fall into that same mindset. In the circumstances facing Gideon, the children of Israel had been warned that their worship of pagan gods would result in judgement, and that was the primary reason God was allowing His people to be disciplined.
But that is not the only reason that God will allow us to walk through seasons of trials and pain. Jesus, He who was without sin, also suffered many trials and pain beyond our imaginations. And He told His disciples, "If they hate me they will also hate you." So sometimes suffering can be the result of persecution for our faith in God.
But there is another type of suffering that honestly might be tougher to understand then the examples above, and that is where people, through no fault of their own, are allowed by God to undergo trials and tribulations. And that is where we have to trust in the character and love of God and take refugee in the fact that He is with us, through all circumstances in our lives, and there are mysteries in God's sovereign rulership that escapes our finite capabilities to understand. Yet, even in those situations, God gives us a clue in John 9: “that the works of God might be displayed”.
That verse has comforted me throughout my life, knowing that God would use my suffering for His glory, yet, if I'm being honest, when new struggles surfaced, I would return to the familiar question: If the Lord is with me, then why did this happen?
When our prayers seemingly go unanswered, Satan wants us to doubt God, inciting us to ask, “If God loves me, why am I suffering?” Or as Gideon asked, “If the Lord is with us, why has this happened?”
If the Lord is with us? If God loves me? Those statements should never have an “if” before them. God’s presence and love are guaranteed to those in Christ. When Satan tempts us to question God, we must stand on the truth of Scripture. Jesus loves us.
Since His love is a rock-solid guarantee, we must reframe our question and ask instead: “Because God loves me, how can I help bring about good in all of my days?"
When I ground myself on the truth that God loves me, and that He is always with me, I am confident that everything in my life is a result of His love and presence, not His disfavor or absence.
God doesn’t love your suffering. He promises to one day bring about good through all the situations of our lives. But most importantly, He loves you and He will never leave you. That is the true character of the God we serve!
To read the entire story of Gideon and his encounter with God, click HERE.
