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God is Enough

Hannah Whitall Smith was a famous Christian author and evangelist at the turn of the century (author of "A Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life"). She lived a life of suffering like Job’s (see Job, Old Testament), but unlike Job, she went to the grave without renewed health and blessings, and without seeing her prayers answered the way she wanted them to be. Yet despite all the tragedies in her life, Hannah loved God unwaveringly, trusted Him inexplicably and remained faithful to Him to the very end. ...

Hannah wrote the following in the last chapter of her book, The God of All Comforts:

No soul can truly be at rest until it has given up all dependence on everything else and has been forced to depend on the Lord alone. As long as our expectation is from other things, nothing but disappointment awaits us. Feelings may change, and will change with our changing circumstances; doctrines and dogmas may be upset; Christian work may come to nought; prayers may seem to lose their fervency; promises may seem to fail; everything that we have believed in or have depended upon may seem to be swept away, and only God is left, just God, the bare God, if I may be allowed the expression; simply and only God . . . This, then, is what I mean by God being enough. It is that we find in him, the fact of his existence, and of his character, all that we can possibly want for everything. God is, must be, our answer to every question and every cry of need. If there is any lack in the one who has undertaken to save us, nothing supplementary we can do will avail to make it up; and if there is no lack in him, then he of himself and in himself, is enough.

The all-sufficiency of God ought to be as complete to the child of God as the all-sufficiency of a good mother is to the child of that mother. We all know the utter rest of the little child in the mother’s presence and in the mother’s love. That its mother is there is enough to make all fears and all troubles disappear. The child does not need the mother to make any promises; she herself, just as she is, without promises and without explanations, is all that the child needs . . . God’s saints in all ages have known this, and have realized that God was enough for them. Job said out of the depths of sorrows and trials, which few can equal, ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.’ Therefore, O doubting and sorrowful heart, cannot thee realize with Job and the saints of all ages that nothing else is needed to quiet all thy fears, but just this–that God is. God is enough, God is enough for time; God is enough for eternity. God is enough!

True faith is remaining faithful to God no matter what happens in your life.

Here's the thing: While we shouldn't cease to pray for our heart’s desires, we must be willing to let go of said desires when God says no. And if He does say no, we shouldn’t then berate ourselves for not having enough “faith” to get a yes-answer. Prayer is not a magic wand. God isn't ignoring our prayers: on the contrary, He has listened to them, considered them and said no.

True faith is saying, like Job and Hannah, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” (Job 13:15)

Dear friend, if you have begged God for healing and He has said no, it is not because He doesn’t love you as much as the person He did heal. If you have begged God to free you from a certain hardship and He has said no, it is not because you didn’t have as much faith as the person He did free. If you have begged God to make your dream come true and He has said no, it is not because someone else was more deserving of the same dream. God does not show favortism (Ephesians 6:9, Acts 10:34, et al). He has a unique plan for each of our lives. As Jesus told the disciples many times, being a Christian does not exempt us from the common sufferings of mankind (the result of living in a cursed world).

Some Christians are rich, some are poor, some are healthy, some are sick, some are happy, some are sad. Are the latter somehow weaker Christians, lacking in faith? Or is God punishing them by withholding rewards and blessings? Consider this: The Apostle Paul said, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (Philippians 4:12). And Jesus said, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (John 9:58). Both Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul endured poverty and hunger, but it certainly wasn't for a lack of righteousness or faith.

Now it is true that unrepentant sin in our lives will cause us great pain (as well as others), and even when we do repent, we'll still suffer the natural consequences in most cases. It is also true that if there is unrepentant sin in our hearts, God will displine us as sons (see Hebrews chapter 12). But if you've honestly and prayerfully examined your heart and can find no unrepentant sin there, then there's no reason for you to assume that God is punishing you. Remember, Paul "pleaded" with God to remove the "thorn" from his flesh and God said, No, "my grace is sufficient for you." And Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethesamene that "this cup might pass" from him (the crucifixion), and God the Father said no. Can we not accept that God is just as sovereign when He says no as when He says yes? In John chapter 9, Jesus heals a man who was blind from birth. His disciples asked him: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" and Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life" (John 9:2-3).

Here is something else to consider: A drunk driver does not select which car he will smash into on the highway, but he did choose to become intoxicated, and he chose to drive his car. When he crashes into someone, a tragedy is likely to result, and it will be the consequence of his sin; not the innocent driver in the vehicle he happens to hit. C.S. Lewis said, "it is better for you and for everyone else in the long run that other people, including wicked ones, should exercise free will than that you should be protected from cruelty or treachery by turning the human race into automata." That being said, God does intervene miraculously at times. But by the very definition of a miracle, if God were to intervene in every single circumstance, the miraculous would cease to be miraculous; it would become the norm. The Bible tells us that angels keep watch over us and there is no telling how many times we've been miraculously spared from tragedy! Nevertheless, the truth remains that we have free will and there are consequences for wrong choices. These wrong choices don't just hurt us, they hurt other people too. If evil acts didn't have negative consequences, they would cease to be evil in our eyes.

And what about natural disasters? A tsunami wave does not pause to make sure it is only wiping out bad people; it will devastate anyone who happens to be living or visiting within its destructive path, good or bad. And so it is with most hardships and tragedies; they are situational or the consequence of free will choices. The integral thing isn't whether or not we live a life free from tragedy, but whether or not our hearts are right with the Lord. Luke 13:1-5 says: "Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Yet guilty or not, nothing happens to anyone without God's express consent (see Ephesians 1:11). Even the most random acts of nature must conform to His Will and are never without purpose.

Hebrews 12:2-3 says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scourning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES:

The Problem of Pain

Does God Play Favorites?

Genie in a Bottle

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