I recently visited a good friend of my mother. He's a great golf companion (taught me some swings before), and always in high spirits. He has been fighting cancer for a few years now but has always mustered enough strength to play golf on Saturdays.
However, in the recent Saturdays, he has been missing in action. It is suspected there is a growing tumor which is pressing against his spine. As a result, it is causing severe pain for his entire right leg up to the hips. The pain is so severe to the extend that he has to administer morphine for pain relief. To counter the tumor growth, he has to undergo 12 sessions of radiotherapy. The doctor however has pre-cautioned that there is no guarantee that it would remove the pain. This is because the strain on the spine if its caused by mechanical reasons, i.e. slipped disc, then removing the tumor growth would not solve the root of the problem.
He shared that it is most painful in the morning when he attempts to stretch himself. When sitting down or driving, he has to find his 'sweet spot' for the position that his pain is most relieved. His days now involve going to radiotherapy sessions, countless hospital visits and regular administration of pain relief. Its just not too long ago that he underwent an operation in which his wife shared that he almost lost his life.
When I chatted with him, i will always remember his first words, 'Count my blessings'. He is a devout Christian who has great faith and submission to God. He says, 'I pray for a miracle, that God will heal me. But if He has another plan for me, may God help me to submit to His good will.' He quotes Romans 8:28, "For all things work for the good of those who love Him."
I told him that he reminds me of a modern day Job. Job as recorded in the bible, was a God fearing man, blameless, upright, and shunned evil. He had many children, had many possessions and servants. However, one day, God allowed Satan to test Job. Overnight, all his children died, his servants killed, his possessions stolen. Job, tearing his robe out of extreme sorrow, shaved his head and fell to the ground worshiping, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked i will return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:20-21) Through all this, Job did not blame God for his misfortune. He held his faith and submission to God.
That wasn't the end of Job's sufferings. Some days later, Job was inflicted with sore boils on his entire body. Even his wife said, "Do you hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!" Job however replied, "You speak as one of the foolish woman speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (Job 2:9-10) To make things worse, some friends of Job came and blamed Job that the reason he was under so much suffering was that because he had sinned against God though he had not. He was not only under physical pain, more so, he was undergoing emotional hurt.
Job complained, questioned, and challenged God's wisdom and justice. And finally, God Himself spoke. God spoke of His mighty power, "Where were you when I laid out the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding." (Job 38:4) "Have you ever commanded the morning and caused the dawn to know its place," (Job 38:12). God spoke of His authority over nature and its beings. "Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane?" (Job 39:19) "Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord?" (Job 41:1-2)
God does not give us a direct reason on why there are sufferings. But He wants us to know that it is all in His sovereignty. It is in His good will. All things, good or bad, work out to God's good will. He just requires that we trust in Him.
In the ending of Job, it records that God gave back to him double of what he had lost. He restored his possessions, healed him, and give him children again. However, God does not promise us the necessity of health or wealth though He often blesses it to us. We cannot be eternally healthy or eternally wealthy. Even if we are healed now, we will one day have to face death too. Even if we are in prosperity now, there will be one day when we have to leave all that behind. There will be a time when we just have to let go and let God. God might not necessarily resolve our problems in this life time, be it healing our illnesses, or our state of poverty, But He assures us that in heaven, there will no longer be pain nor suffering. Every tear will be wiped away. We just have to trust in the good God Himself. Our satisfaction should only be in God Himself.
Uncle Timothy has a living hope. A hope based on earthly matters will diminish as death nears. But his hope is a living hope which does not diminishes as the days to death nears but one which grows livelier and
livelier till he actually sees Christ face to face. He himself said, he no longer fears the sting of death. Christ abides in him, and he abides in Christ.
It is certainly not easy at all, to go through suffering. We are all weak people. But may we rely on prayer to Him, to help us in our difficulties, and to trust in Him that He knows best what is good for us.
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