I'm struggling a little theologically, and I think it's a good thing because I'm thinking about God a lot more and not making dumb assumptions. The topic on my mind is suffering, and there have been two voices in my life (one is from my church, while the other is John Piper) that are hammering the point that God not only allows and uses suffering to sanctify people, but He also intends suffering, plans the painful circumstances, and makes sure that suffering occurs in believers' lives. I could provide the links to these sermons, if anyone wishes. John 11 and the book of Job are used primarily to back up their points. I belong to a body of believers that's very concerned with God's sovereignty over all things, so if any suffering happens that opposes His will, that would be perceived as a threat to this aspect of who He is.
What troubles me a little is that a discussion has already been underway at my workplace, where church planters overseas are seeking to counteract what they term as "fatalism" among unreached people groups. For instance, in their countries, when a young person constantly makes stupid choices and dies on his motorcycle, since he wasn't wearing a helmet, his relatives console themselves with, "It is written." I myself have experienced some really crazy driving by foreign drivers, who keep muttering, "If it is God's will, if it is God's will..." as they make crazy, reckless moves into oncoming traffic. They reason that they may drive as bad as they wish because God's will is always going to be done, and they can't die until He wills it. Some of my co-workers want to counteract this philosophy and show that these deaths that keep happening could have been prevented. That they were not predestined.
I'm beginning to sense that I'm being called to adopt a few fatalistic principles--namely, seeing all suffering as God's will, in order to uphold the idea of God's sovereignty. In American Christianity, we don't call it fatalism, though. It's going to be called something more impressive because who wants to be known as a fatalist? I can tell you this--if/when my daughter gets sick, I'm planning to take her to the doctor, believing that God wants to heal her and use medicine, rather than passively waiting for the suffering she's going through to develop her character(?) take its full course and horribly weakens her. God has given me reason, and I'm going to assume, until I know differently, that He expects me to do everything in my power to fight against viruses and predators in her life and mine--even if they've been appointed, ultimately, by Him.
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I hear one say, “Well, sir, you seem to be a fatalist!” No, far from it. There is just this
difference between fate and providence. Fate is blind; providence has eyes. Fate is
blind, a thing that must be; it is just an arrow shot from a bow, that must fly onward,
but hath no target. Not so, providence; providence is full of eyes. There is a design in
everything, and an end to be answered; all things are working together, and working
together for good. -CH Spurgeon
One who had a hot desire to preach Christ everywhere and one who understood God's absolute sovereignty. Mike
I have been wrestling a lot with this recently. My wife's miscarriage is really hurting her ability to trust that God is good. She cried out genuinely, and the baby died. She could not love, and let something like that happen, so she can not see how God is loving, and all powerful. She can not see how he can be in a "relationship" where there is no trust.
It makes me ask questions that I might not otherwise ask.
I'm not prepared to offer you any answers for your wife's hurts right now, but my wife and I are getting blessed by Piper's talks on suffering, which you can listen to on the desiringgod.org blog (free). He addresses the question of a miscarriage directly, I believe.
The Shack has an interesting take on suffering. Allows for the role that evil plays in our suffering and God's sovereignty over it.
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