Barry's Blog

The story is told of Saint Teresa of Avila, that she was once thrown off her carriage and slammed rudely to the ground, and deposited in a mud puddle. When she questioned God, He answered her, "This is how I treat all my friends." To which she tartly replied, "Then, Lord, it is not surprising that you have so few."

It is so tempting to believe that God "owes us," that somehow if we are good enough, and obey Him, then we can "broker" a deal with him so that he will protect us, and lead us to be successful. Sadly, this is a pernicious teaching that we are regularly hearing from those who are generally regarded as solid, evangelical bible preachers and teachers: "Obey God, and He will make your paths straight. He will take care of your finances. He will watch over you and your children. He will protect you in all you do." No doubt, it plays well from the pulpits in many churches in America, particularly where the style of ministry is geared up to meet the "felt needs" of the hearers.

Don't misunderstand me. There are clearly benefits to following God in this life. Oftentimes Christians get their lives and priorities properly aligned. They experience the joy of forgiveness, and walking with Christ in fellowship with Him. They come to better understand their Christian faith, and are equipped to answer questions that others have about the Faith. But to say that our relationship with God gives us a carte blanche benefit with the Heavenly Father, so that we are protected from the pains and sufferings of this present world, is misinformed, and lacks biblical support.

Consider the struggles of Asaph, a musician in the temple guild of Israel during the days of the Old Testament, as he records his struggles in Psalm 73. Asaph is bold enough to wonder, why is it that good things often happen to bad people, and why do bad things sometimes happen to good people? While he begins with the bold admission that "Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart," he admits his crisis of faith, that "my feet came close to stumbling...for I was envious of the arrogant, as I saw the prosperity of the wicked" (vv. 2-3) Asaph wonders, as often many of us sometimes have, is it really worth it to live the Christian life? Asaph raises the startling inference that perhaps it is all in vain: "Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure, and washed my hands in innocence; for I have been stricken all day long, and chastened every morning" (vv. 12-14).

While resolution of his spiritual crisis comes later in the psalm, Asaph provides us with a few important lessons about life in this temporal, transient world. He shows us how important it is for us to be ruthlessly honest with God about our disappointments and doubts in life, as well as to confess the limits of our understanding in this world. Qoheleth, the Preacher of Ecclesiastes, tells us that "There is a futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility." (Ecclesiastes 8:14)

But perhaps the most profound (and disturbing) truth of this psalm is that there is no assurance offered that obedience to God will lead to material and/or physical well-being! In fact, it seems that Asaph's purity of heart may have led to the opposite. And while the Christian hope is that God will one day renovate this blighted planet, and correct all the wrongs of this temporal existence (note the epiphany Asaph experiences at the end of his psalm), we should be cautious of any teaching, or expectation, that we can broker a deal with God. It simply isn't in the cards...

"My flesh and my heart may fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever...As for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge..." -Psalm 73: 26, 28

"Does God then forsake just those who serve Him best? Well, He who served Him best of all said, near His tortured death, 'Why hast thou forsaken me?' When God becomes a man, that Man, of all others, is least comforted by God, at His greatest need. There is a mystery here which, even if I had the power, I might not have the courage to explore. Meanwhile, little people like you and me, if our prayers are sometimes granted, beyond all hope and probability, had better not draw hasty conclusions to our own advantage. If we were stronger, we might be less tenderly treated. If we were braver, we might be sent, with far less help, to defend far more desperate posts in the great battle." -C.S. Lewis, "The Efficacy of Prayer," from The World's Last Night and Other Essays.