Have you ever been angry with God? For any reason? You prayed for something that you felt you needed, maybe healing, maybe happiness in marriage, maybe for a child, maybe for an honest job—and your prayer wasn’t answered. Seemed like Heaven was closed to you. This is a common problem many people have; and some just turn their backs on the Lord. “If He doesn’t care enough for me to help me, I’m through with Him!” But that’s not the solution! Let’s try to help a wee bit:
(1) God never promised He would be your lowly servant, to come and go at your request.
(2) He never promised that His children would be exempt from suffering, disappointment, pain. If He did “exempt” them, people would profess to follow Him who only wanted material benefit. Heaven would get crammed with hypocrites.
(3) Though He hasn’t promised you “exemption” from what all human beings have to endure, He has unequivocally promised to give you grace (an inner peace) to endure your pain, sorrow, disappointment, in a way that honors your Savior.
(4) That endurance (Rom. 5:1-5) immediately admits you to the privileged inner circle of those who are “partakers of the sufferings of Christ” (1 Peter 4:13).
(5) Bearing your suffering (whatever kind) in that spirit then qualifies you to be a member of the Lord’s University Teaching Staff where you are given the joyous labor of helping someone else in his/her suffering. I’m serious! A Christian psychiatrist told me that a humble lay member who has genuine faith and sanctified understanding, can help a needy person as much as psychiatrists can. (I didn’t say that—he did.) See Exodus 19:4, 5; if Israel had been willing to believe the New Covenant, they would have become a “kingdom of priests,” psychiatrists.
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
