I always struggled with passages like Jeremiah 18:3-6:
'So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the LORD came to me. He said, "Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.'And Romans 9:20-24:
'But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory-even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?'And Isaiah 45:9
'"Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' or 'Your work has no handles'?'And then I saw the movie Born to Win. If you haven't seen it, you ought to. It's the true story about Leon, a boy who was abandoned by his parents in South Africa, then was taken away from the one person he was taken in by simply because he was white. He was given back to his mom and abusive step-father, grew up, and went to college to become a teacher. He ends up working in Carpe Diem school for the disabled. Because of his abusive childhood, he drinks too much and isn't a good father/husband. He gives his life to Christ and things seem to turn around. But, there's a struggle to understand why bad things happen-why people suffer. At the school, there's a girl without legs, rejected by her parents because of it. A paralyzed man who feels like he is useless and ought to commit suicide because what else is he good for? These among others. And they're all searching for answers.
The pinnacle of the movie is when everything seems to come crashing down in Leon's life, and his faith wavers. 'Where is God in all of this,' he wonders.
Where is God indeed when His people suffer? Why do we suffer?
We've all heard of Job's story. He had everything going for him, and then it all came crashing down. But, why? Despite his lack of understanding, he stood firm. In Job 2:10, he says his wife, who is telling him to curse God and die,"Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?"
Until I saw Born to Win, I didn't understand much of what I just referenced. So, bear with me as I try to express what is in my heart/mind, hoping that I've not taken anything out of context....
We are born to win. Souls. Each one of us is born to win the souls of others. And the things we go through are, I believe, for His glory. If I wouldn't have gone through abuse and all the other things I've gone through, I would not be able to relate to others just like me. And because I can relate to them, I can tell them the truths that I know-that I've learned-to bring them to the saving knowledge of Christ.
This doesn't mean I'm glad that I was abused, because of course I wish I hadn't been. But I know that God is going to use it for His glory. He made each of us the way we are, and has maybe allowed the things we've gone through, because He has a purpose for us that is far greater than what we can see in our limited understanding.
Does this mean He initiates evil? Absolutely not. He is good and all good things come from Him (James 1:17). He is not like man (Numbers 23:19) and He does not do evil (James 1:13). He does not sin. But, in the case of Job, He allows things to happen (Job 1:6-12). And it's for His glory, if we'll allow Him to use us.
I am the clay and He is the potter. And however He sees fit to use me to bring glory to His name, I say so be it. If that means I get sick, so be it. If that means I die, so be it. If that means...so be it. I say this because I know He has a plan for me that He calls good (Jer. 29:11) and I know that He will use everything for my good (Rom. 8:28). And my life is to bring Him glory (Isaiah 43:7).
He doesn't need my permission, however. Did He ask Job? Of course not. He's God. He can do whatever He wants. But He isn't cruel. He doesn't do things just to watch us cringe. He is purposeful. Loving. Sovereign. And I need to submit to His will, whatever it may be, because again, I'm to bring Him glory.
As Christians, people are watching. People are watching our walk. And they are watching how we, as God followers, respond to the things that happen to us. And perhaps how we respond could bring them to Christ, or further drive them away. But, what will I show to a world that is so in need of Christ? Will they see Christ in me? Will they see His glory?
Here I am, Lord. Use me for Your glory.
