I DON’T KNOW? WHY ME?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
This is a two part lesson on suffering and how easy it is to misunderstand suffering and cause even more suffering.
Life has many Big Questions -- with Little Answers --
Have you ever notice, few real questions, ever get real answers?
We probably don’t know more than we do know.
Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
22: In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
PLEASE NO SUFFERING!
Dad called, Mom was dying. I drove our Oldsmobile to Frankfort, I looked heavenward through the sky roof ... and I quietly prayed: God all I ask is that My Mom does not have to suffer....
In my stillness the Holy Spirit asked me: Is that fair? God never exempted His Only Son from suffering, yet you want all you know to be exempt from suffering.
1. TWO KINDS OF SUFFERING?
Job’s name is associated with suffering.
Job disapproves and strongly objects to his having to suffer...
A. Two kinds of suffering in the Human eye?
1. Bad Boy Reward Suffering - JUSTICE
A. You’ve done wrong, you deserve what you get.
B. Spanking, punishment ... you earned it for bad
choices.
C. Discipline because wrong
2. Unfair Suffering
A. Do good - unappreciated, unnoticed, unapplauded
B. Blindsided...confusion
C. Complain, suffer, fuss, argue
B. WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER?
This is a really good question, but I cannot find any really good answers?
God looks at suffering a lot different from man does?
2. SUFFERING IS REALLY BAD, WHEN THOSE THAT LOVE YOU CAN’T UNDERSTAND THE SUFFERING, AND THUS ENLARGE YOUR SUFFERING.
When those close don’t understand suffering, they may hurt us even more by not understanding the real scope of suffering. Maybe at times suffering is not eternal suffering, it can be a keystone or a building block?
JOB’S PRECIOUS WIFE SPEAKS OUT OF SUFFERING TO THE SUFFERING AND CAUSES MORE SUFFERING?
Job 2:9 Then said his wife unto him, Doest thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die.
A. Does getting rid of God, get rid of suffering?
B. Job does not attack the one that does not understand his suffering ...
Job 2:10 but Job said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh.
C. Job can’t explain to his precious wife why they are suffering?
D. Seems we love and accept God, when we see good, but we ponder God making mistakes
when there is pain, trials, darkness, and suffering in our eyes...CAN THIS BE GOD?
3. SUFFERING CAN DRAW NUTS OFF THE FRUIT TREES ALL AROUND YOU!
As a buzzard - As a Vulture to Road Kill... some people like to see others suffer. Don’t forget the friends.
A. Some don’t understand the key to suffering, and they bring a great offering that proves they have more words than compassion, they have more answers than they have wisdom.
B. Out of love friends will start showing up, their intentions are good, but their lack of compassionate wisdom will pile on more suffering?
C. They have their plan as to why you are suffering?
D. They have a plan as to why you are suffering, they have their plan on how you can do better?
E. Seems the know the letter of the law, but not the spirit of the law.
They use God’s words very loosely.
4. THERE LURKS IN THE HEART A "I KNOW WHY?" AND "I CAN FIX IT FOR YOU!"
We grow attitudes like I CAN FIX your problems mentality ---
We have great diagnosis/prescription abilities.
A. We don’t want to see friends suffer
B. We have hope and want to give hope, so we presume for God.
C. People seem to feel better after they speak their mind regardless of how the victim feels...
D. We want to simplify Gospel to explain with words so positive spin.
5. WE GROW MECHANICALLY CORRECT BUT COMPASSIONATELY WRONG!
We mechanically know the whys of suffering --- and we can get out a BIGGER HAMMER!
A. Legalism - strict interpretation
B. The Friends knew all answers that put Job down.
C. No compassion, not sympathetic
D. Criticize without solution, fault finding and no alleviation of the problems?
John 6:63 It is the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing, the worst that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Rom. 8:5-6 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6: For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
11 Cor. 3:6 For also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life..
6. GOD VALUES PEOPLE MORE THAN RULES AND FORMS AND
TRADITIONS!
A. David was hungry, he and his men had battles to fight, and they were growing weaker by the hour.
All there was to eat as the priests’ food, and David was not qualified to eat THE SHEWBREAD!
Let the warriors starve? No, those doing the work of God were allowed to partake.
Mechanically right would have allow David to starve to death.
Compassionately right saw the need, and offered a solution.
B. Jesus and his men were hungry? They stopped and started eating corn out of the field. Those mechanically right jumped on Jesus. Those that really understood knew there are exeptions
and exceptions to be COMPASSIONATELY right.
C. The seemed to be some sick on the Sabbath, Healing vs. Sabbath argument?
The Sabbath debaters were mechanically correct, those that saw the opportunity to help those suffering knew man was more important than the day of the week.
The letter of the law can bring death, but the SPIRIT OF THE LAWS ALWAYS YIELDS TO LIFE.
Seems them that don’t know don’t know they don’t know!
D.When we consider what we don’t know, it might be best to yield to compassion,understanding, and listening with the mouth closed.
7. LET ME SELL YOU SOME SNAKE OIL?
Favorite People Opinions are often mechanically correct, but differ from the compassionate
understanding of the language of LOVE!
A. If you have a close relationship to God you will be prosperous, with a new car, new house, pain free, little trials ... sounds so good, but this can’t be true in a real world.
111 John 2 - Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, EVEN AS THY SOUL PROSPERETH.
B. We must see beyond "POSITIVE THINKING," faith is much more than positive thinking!
C. Spiritual Gimmicks for sale/profit/ crowd pleasing .... mechanical schemes of Manipulation of those weak in the word.
D. It is our scheme to avoid all suffering/fix it now, but God has a BETTER IDEA!
E. We as a third party think we can easily solve and bring change ... there is Divine timing, and growth plans for God’s children.
F. Moses suffered 40 years of menial desert life as God’s people were dying in slavery, God had a plan even when man could not see it.
8. OF ALL THE QUESTIONS JOB AND HIS FRIENDS OFFER, WHEN GOD COMES ON THE SCENE, GOD DOES NOT ANSWER ONE OF THEM. GOD ASK EVEN MORE QUESTIONS.
God does not answer one question, not one? Why not answer a few God?
God knew the lesson of Job was complete TRUST! Faith! Patience, and more patience!
9. GOD HAS A COMPLETE OVERVIEW OF YOUR CASE.
A. God’s view of suffering may differ from yours....
Finite - definite limits
Infinite-immeasurable, extended
HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED AT EVERY BIG FOOTBALL GAME THERE IS A COACH HIGH IN THE STANDS WITH A HEADSET AND A MIKE TO THE COACH ON THE GROUND?
Why? Because, things can look differ, and you can see better when you can see the bigger picture?
As we look at suffering, we can’t see the forrest for the trees?
B. We know in part
1 Cor. 13:12 For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am know.
13: And now abides faith, hope, love...But the greatest of these is love.
C. Maybe we don’t know it all?
D. You cannot guarantee the answer...we are nearsighted...no quick fix. See the bigger picture?
8. SUFFERING DOES NOT TEST GOD AND WHAT HE KNOWS, SUFFERING AND TRUSTING TEST HUMAN VISION.
The real revelation of suffering... CANNOT BE REVEALED BY MAN OR MAN’S WORDS!
Suffering is not Questioning God, but our vision.
A. You do not suffer alone...
B. Suffering has a lesson...
C. Suffering has time frame...
Job 42:10 And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
The real revelation of suffering ... God has a plan and a purpose.
Suffering can reveal the heart OF MAN, not just the heart of God.
Suffering can be a door to Presence of God.
Suffering can be fertilizer for love, praise, when we see the revelation. Only God can make His revelation on pain, suffering, and trials, TO YOU...
God give us a "Compassion Attitude" on suffering!
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Can you join my team and help me and pass this on to others?
