England has been basking in one of its warmest spells for years and Garry asked us the question ‘How have you been taking the heat?‘ However, he was not really talking about the weather, but exploring the ‘heat’ involved in being a Christian….
- The Heat of Suffering
Despite what we may say, many of us subconsciously believe that bad things should only happen to bad people and that if we do the right thing, things will always go well for us. When suffering comes our way, we may feel we have done something wrong. In John 9:1-5, we see how the theological question of the causes of suffering is answered by Jesus. When asked if a man’s blindness was caused by his parents’ sin or his own sin, Jesus said neither. God does not work that way. Job is the classic example of one who suffered greatly despite having done nothing wrong, and it is unhelpful if we simply trot out simplistic answers (‘you’ve obviously done something wrong’/ ‘you don’t have enough faith’) when faced with suffering.
The Psalms show us many examples of the confusion and questions which suffering causes (see Ps 63:1, Ps 13:1-2, Ps 35:17. Ps 74:10-11). We often ask ‘why?’ and ‘how long?‘ when facing suffering (see also Ps 10:1, Ps 22:7), but God does not always answer our questions in the way we would like (He asked Job more questions, for example, rather than answering Job’s questions!) The challenge for us when facing the heat of suffering is to believe that God works in perfect faithfulness even through suffering. (Is 25:1) God’s faithfulness will not let us go, even when we suffer.
2. The Heat of Persecution
For so long in the West, we have been used to common beliefs based on Christianity being the accepted norm, but the effects of humanism and scientism have led to a godless philosophy which has a profound effect on life now. George Orwell said, “For two hundred years we had sawed and sawed and sawed at the branch we were sitting on. And in the end, much more suddenly than anyone had forseen, our efforts were rewarded, and down we came. But unfortunately there had been a little mistake. The thing at the bottom had not been a bed of roses after all, it was a cesspool full of barbed wire.” In some countries, persecution for being a Christian is often deadly, but we should not be naive about this topic, since Jesus told His disciples that they would be hated because of Him. (Matt 24:9) Our response to persecution must be the same as Jesus’s response. We are called to love our enemies and do good to those who persecute us (see Matt 5:42-48), to rejoice in persecution (as Paul and SIlas did, even after being severely flogged – Acts 16; see also Acts 5:40-41).The heat of persecution will show our mettle.
3. The Heat of Disappointment
We suffer sometimes because something happens to us which we did not expect or something doesn’t happen which we feel ought to have. In short, we are disappointed by life (and by God) and this leads to disillusionment and discouragement. Our hopes are dashed when we don’t get the promotion we deserve or illness strikes or misunderstandings and relationship problems hit us. HIdden disappointment can be extremely dangerous to faith. When we are disappointed, we need to admit it honestly to God and to understand that our disappointments are often based on wrong beliefs or distorted perceptions.
Disappointment needs to be viewed positively. As Thomas Edison remarked on making the light bulb, ‘“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” If we can view life with tenacity and perseverance, we will be able to withstand the heat of disappointment. Like Jacob, we need to learn to wrestle with God.
James 1:3 reminds us that we are to count every trial and trouble as pure joy. Taking the heat refines us and ultimately is meant to shape us into the image of Christ.