If You See Him...

I’ve been thinking a lot about suffering lately. Not by choice mind you, but because its become a reality for a close friend of mine. As I type these words, there is a heart that is breaking, and as their heart breaks, mine is breaking for them. They’re asking all the right questions – questions anyone of us would ask. ‘Why me?’ ‘Why now?’ ‘Where is God in the midst of this madness?’ ‘Is there purpose somehow in this pain?’ ‘Is there some greater good to be gained?’ ‘Will all of this somehow be redeemed, or will I just be left reeling in a sea of hurt, confusion, loneliness and anguish?’

They are fair questions. But fair questions don’t necessarily equate to helpful questions. Meaning – what happens when there are no answers? What’s worse – the suffering itself, or not having any answers to the questions you are asking? To suffer is bad enough, but to suffer with no knowledge of why you are suffering can lead one to despair.

So what does one do? Not just when suffering becomes a reality (and it will), but when there are few to no answers to the questions born out of a broken heart?

Answers would be helpful, but I’m no longer convinced that answers to my questions in the midst of suffering is actually what I need most. So what is needed most? If not answers, then what?

Vision!

Suffering as a unique way of blinding us. We can only see as far in front of us as our current pain will permit. Why vision? What does vision have to do with comfort in the midst suffering?

Consider Job – that’s the guy in the Bible whose life got flipped upside down, turned around and then flipped all over again. Talk about suffering, well let’s just say that Job would be somewhat of an expert on the subject. Throughout his entire story, he had no knowledge of what was going on. Meaning, he had no idea that a private meeting took place in heaven with Satan and God. He had no idea that Satan was the architect behind his suffering, and He certainly had no idea that God had granted Satan permission to do anything and everything short of killing him (Job 2:6).

No answers came to Job. He asked, but he never got understanding as to why he was enduring the suffering of it all. But the one thing that Job got in the end was VISION. Not answers, but vision. What did he see? God!

“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” (Job 42:5)

Through it all, Job had heard of God, but he had not seen God until he endured the suffering of it all. We often want answers to our questions, but I don’t think what we need most is answers. What we need most is vision – a vision of God. And when one sees God the reality is that the suffering might not end, but our view of it will be radically altered because we have been given a new vision – a vision of something, rather someone far greater – God!

Maybe the answer is that suffering comes so that we would see what we cannot see in the calm of the day. Maybe the answer is that God is most concerned not with our comfort, but that we would cast our eyes on Him and Him alone. Maybe the reality is that His desire for us to see Him is so strong that He permits the unthinkable to happen in order that our vision of Him would be set aright. Vision is what we need most, not answers.

To my friend who is suffering right now – my prayer for you is not so much that you would have answers, but that you would see God. Despite the pain, confusion and hurt, my prayer is not for relief, but that you would see God with clarity. For I know if you can learn to see Him in the pain, you will never miss Him when there is peace. If you can see Him in the storm, you will never miss Him again in the calm. If you see Him, you will see a God who not only sees you, but you will see that He cares. If you see Him… that is my prayer for you!