Responding to Bad News

Today, my fiancee Sarah got word that her grandmother was diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer, and has been given just a few months to live.  She had been having trouble swallowing and eating, and had a few tests done-- and got back the alarming and unexpected results.  It has been a rough month for Sarah's family, as well as a time of uncertainty for my family.  Her dad is going through chemo for colon cancer, and her other grandmother is struggling with declining health and mental faculties.  My dad will be getting back MRI results tomorrow after undergoing tests to figure out the cause of some muscle issues.

In light of all of that, how am I supposed to respond to bad news when it inevitably comes?  And it is inevitable-- Jesus promised as much: "In this world you will have trouble."  Yet even so, He also said that He has overcome the world-- so how should that influence our response to tragedy and bad or unexpected news?  I'm absolutely by no means an expert on suffering-- compared to even the normal tragedies of life, I have led an incredibly sheltered existence-- but I want to know what Scripture has to say on the subject, so that I will be prepared with an anchor deeply rooted in truth when the storms come.  So here are my thoughts, from Scripture, on a biblical response to bad news:

1) Don't be afraid of bad news, because God is worth trusting in  ~Psalm 112:6-7
          For the righteous will never be moved;
               he will be remembered forever.
          He is not afraid of bad news;
               his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.

Oh, that I would live this out-- to never fear bad news, because God is a trustworthy and firm foundation!  His sovereignty is my assurance, His mercy is my plea, His love is my hope.

2) Grieve with Gospel-centered, hopeful grief  ~1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
          We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep.

I want the Gospel to be driven so deeply into my heart that when tragedy or heartache comes, my natural response is Gospel-centered hope.  That's going to take some more significant construction work by the Holy Spirit.

3) Cling to the absolute sovereignty of God  ~Deuteronomy 32:39
          See now that I, even I, am He,
               and there is no god beside Me;
          I kill and I make alive;
               I wound and I heal;
               and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

In the midst of blinding pain, the greatest hope I can imagine is that even in the midst of that, there is no one who can deliver me out of the hand of my sovereign God who is directing my pain for His glory and my good.

4) Comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received  ~2 Corinthians 1:3-5
          Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

The comfort that God extends to us in the Gospel is not meant to stay with us; God uses our sufferings to make us conduits of grace to others in similar trials.

Another quote about sovereignty and suffering

C.S. Lewis from The Problem With Pain:

"My own experience is something like this.  I am progressing along the path of life in my ordinary contentedly fallen and godless condition, absorbed in a merry meeting with my friends... or a bit of work that tickles my vanity... when suddenly a... headline in the newspapers that threatens us all with destruction, sends this whole pack of cards tumbling down.  At first I am overwhelmed, and all my little happinesses look like broken toys.  Then, slowly and reluctantly... I try to bring myself into the frame of mind that I should be in at all times.  I remind myself that all these toys were never intended to possess my heart, that... my only real treasure is Christ."

Amen.

Some More Spectacular Calvin Quotes

Gosh, I love The Institutes.  No, I take that back.  I love the power and wisdom and beauty of God so clearly celebrated and expounded in The Institutes.  I spent 6 1/2 hours today reading all of Book II, which focuses on the work of Christ as our Redeemer, and covers topics like sin, depravity, free will, Law, grace, the Incarnation (which I recommend as a great Christmastime devotion!), the person of Christ, the atonement, etc.  By now my copy of The Institutes is all covered in highlighter, but below are a couple particular quotes which are so awesome in provoking worship that they deserve to be reproduced and pondered and celebrated.

"Our acquittal is in this-- that the guilt which made us liable to punishment was transferred to the head of the Son of God."  (Yes, we know this, but oh how sweet it is to hear it again and again, especially with such eloquence!)

"Christ crushed, broke, and scattered the whole force of death."

"For the good and safety of His people, God overrules all the creatures, even the devil himself, who, we see, dared not attempt anything against Job without His permission and command.  This knowledge is necessarily followed by gratitude in prosperity, patience in adversity, and incredible security for the time to come."

And perhaps my favorite, from the chapter on the Incarnation:

"It was His to swallow up death: who but Life could do so?  It was His to conquer sin: who could do so save Righteousness itself?  It was His to put to flight the powers of the devil and the world: who could do so but the mighty power superior to both?  But who possesses life and righteousness, and the dominion and government of heaven, but God alone?  Therefore God, in His infinite mercy, having determined to redeem us, became Himself our Redeemer in the person of His only begotten Son."

Praise, praise, praise the Redeemer!  Praise His infinite mercy!  Praise the One who "crushed, broke, and scattered" the whole force of death and rules all the universe for the benefit of His chosen people.  What a God we serve!

Calvin on the Sovereignty of God

I've been reading John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion this week in preparation for my Luther and Calvin exam (although honestly, the exam is really just an excuse for me to set aside time to go deep with God in some really weighty theology-- getting a good grade on the final is just sort of a bonus).  It has been an amazing, exhilarating read.  Theology should always lead to doxology, and Calvin's theology has definitely been doing that.  I sat around for about 5 hours today reading most of Book I, and chapters 16-18 especially had me practically shouting for joy at the indescribable grandeur of God.  Chapters 16-18 are about God's sovereignty and providence and His control over all events and times and creatures and people.  Below is an excerpt from Chapter 16 which rocked my socks off.  Expect more quotes tomorrow.

"God is deemed omnipotent, not because He can act though He may cease or be idle, or because by a general instinct He continues the order of nature previously appointed; but because, governing heaven and earth by His providence, He so overrules all things that nothing happens without His counsel... This is the solace of the faithful in their adversity, that everything which they endure is by the ordination and command of God, that they are under His hand... They can rest secure in the protection of Him to whose control everything that could do them harm is subject, by whose authority Satan with all his furies and engines is curbed as with a bridle, and on whose will everything adverse to our safety depends."

What is the result of this doctrine for our lives?  How does this change things?

"Once the light of divine providence has illumined the believer's soul, he is released and set free, not only from the extreme fear and anxiety which formerly oppressed him, but from all care.  This, I say, is his comfort, that his heavenly Father so embraces all things under His power, so governs them at will by His nod, so regulates them by His wisdom, that nothing takes place save according to His appointment; that received into His favor and entrusted to the care of His angels, neither fire nor water nor sword can do him harm, except insofar as God their master is pleased to permit."

What sweet, sweet Gospel truth this is!  I pray that you and I will more fully grasp this precious Biblical doctrine, and more fully live lives of God-glorifying assurance and peace in the light of the comfort it brings.

The Sovereignty of God and the Stock Market

In my moments of cynicism as a soon-to-be-graduated-and-married college senior, I often grimly marvel at my "luck" to be graduating into what economists are calling "the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression."  Oh goody.  So how does that affect my chances of landing a job next year?

I have to confess, my avid following of the economic news has been becoming something of a stumbling block to my faith.  When every day's headlines bring triple-digit stock declines, job losses in the hundreds of thousands, and toppling financial and corporate giants, it is easy for the recession to seem bigger than God in my mind.  I've been feeding my mind a steady diet of doubts, and I'm beginning to reap some of the fruit of that.  Not good.

So I'm directing my attention back to the solid rock of Christ and His Word and His promises.  Faith comes from hearing the word of Christ, and so if I want more faith I need to fill my heart with visions of the omnipotent, sovereign, unchangeable, gracious, faithful God of the Bible as revealed in His Word.  Verses like Isaiah 45:7, a timely reminder of God's sovereignty in the midst of economic meltdown:

"I form the light and create darkness,

     I bring prosperity and create disaster;

I, the LORD, do all these things."

God creates housing bubbles and economic booms and Great Depressions.  The stock market rises and falls as He wants it to rise and fall.  He decrees job losses and job gains.  God is sovereign over the economy.  Repeat that truth.  God is sovereign over the economy.  And by "sovereign," I don't just mean He has the power to control all events, but that He DOES.

Do you see that as good news?  I do.  Romans 8:28 is good news, and true, because God has the sovereign muscle to back it up.  "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good."  But the promise is deeper than that.  Verse 32 makes it clear that God doesn't just use every circumstance for good; He gives every circumstance for good.  "He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?"  Connect the "all things" in verse 28 to verse 32, and suddenly you have a very, very deep promise.  God gives all things, all circumstances to you for your good.  

Now that's a promise you can take to the bank.

How Christians Should Respond to the Election

So how should Christians respond to the election of Barack Obama, the most extreme pro-abortion member of the Senate (and now the President-Elect), the liberal Democrat, and the first African-American President in history?  Here are 8 responses from Scripture that should be expected of God's people:

1) Pray for our President.  Pray for our new President-Elect.  Pray for our country and its new leaders.  Pray for the cessation of injustice, the freedom of the Church, and the advance of the Gospel.  "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."(2 Chron. 7:14)  And do not think that, because you do not support President Obama or his policies, that you should not pray for him.  "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matt. 5:44)  Pray especially that God will change his heart to save the lives of the millions of defenseless unborn who will otherwise die during his term.

2) Do not fear.  If the prospect of an Obama presidency scares you, you should take a good hard look at where you are placing your security.  We as Christians will almost certainly face more opposition in the next four years, and we will almost certainly face setbacks in the cause of justice.  But God is our security, heaven is our home, and we are not citizens of this world.  "He has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'  So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not fear, what can man do to me?'" (Heb. 13:5-6).

3) Respect our President.  Regardless of how you voted, you are commanded by the Word of God to respect your new President.  "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." (Rom. 13:1)  If Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, could write these words concerning the anti-Christian pagan emperor, how much more should Republicans submit to their Democratic leader!  Do not be like so many partisans who will drag the name of Christ through the mud tomorrow morning by the vindictive bitterness of their words.  Honor Christ in how you honor the President.

4) Rejoice at the demise of racism.  The election of the first African-American President, regardless of his political views, is a thrilling moment in American history, a decisive blow in the ages-long battle against bigotry, racism, and hatred.  Christians everywhere should rejoice in this triumph of justice-- justice that for centuries was denied to people created in the image of God for His glory.  Pray that God will use Barack Obama's presidency to further heal the divides of racism that still exist in this country.

5) Defend the defenseless.  With pro-choice Democrats now in control of the White House and Congress, the people of God must speak out with one voice against the horrific evil of abortion.  Pray earnestly, desperately, and faithfully that God will deliver us from this judgment and will renew this country's love for the sanctity of life.  "Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.  If you say, 'Behold, we did not know this,' does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?  Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay each man according to his work?" (Prov. 24:11-12)

6) Trust in God's sovereignty.  We must never let election outcomes cloud our view of God's sovereignty as revealed in Scripture.  "He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings." (Daniel 2:20-21)  "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, 'What have you done?'" (Daniel 4:34-35)  God is sovereign, and the outcome of this election was always in His hands.  If He has chosen to lose the restraints on evil and "give us over" to the fruition of abortion and homosexuality, His judgment is just.  Continue to pray for mercy for our nation and boldness for His people, but never cease to trust His unswerving allegiance to His Church and to His glory.

7) Thank God for His mercy.  Though God has "given us over" to a liberal, pro-abortion, pro-homosexuality President, in His great mercy He has not given us the leaders we deserve.  In our sin, we deserve anarchy and dictatorship and violent oppression, yet God in His goodness has seen it fit to preserve our political freedom.  This is the fruit of the Gospel; God continues to defend His church and extend incredible patience to rebels.

8) Remember our freedom.  Many Republicans will say that a liberal President means the end of liberty.  I disagree.  It may be true that Constitutional protections will be rolled back or ignored; it may be true that Big Government may take away economic and social and educational and familial choices that once were ours.  But President Obama cannot take away our freedom, for our freedom is found in Christ.  "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)Do not put too much stock in political freedom; after all, this world and everything in it is quickly passing away.  Christians in North Korea today are just as free before God as Christians in the USA.  Remember the benefits of the Gospel bought and applied to you by the Holy Spirit: you are free, forgiven, reconciled, a citizen of heaven, and no human government can take that away.

Thoughts on the Election

I have been enormously helped towards thinking biblically about today's election by John Piper's and Justin Taylor's blogs on this subject.

In his interview, Piper reminds us that we need "a healthy dose of the sovereignty of God" when thinking about the election.  He says:

"God governs this election, and He's gonna get elected the one He wants elected, and if it's the person we think will be hurtful, then we need to be hurt.  Sometimes people say, 'God's gonna judge us if do abortion or if we have gay marriage, or if we elect a pro-choice president or something.  Well, He's not going to judge us because of that; that IS the judgment!  Abortion IS the judgment.  The spread of radical gay activism IS the judgment."

What Piper is saying is Romans 1-- God's judgment against humanity is, three times from verses 24-28, that He "gave them up" to impurity, to dishonorable passions, to a debased mind.  God is sovereign over sin; the extent of evil in the world is God's judgment against that evil.  In other words, God says, "You want abortion?  Very well, reap the consequences of your slaughter.  You want gay marriage?  Very well, reap the consequences of your perversion."  Abortion is the judgment.  Gay marriage is the judgment.

So today, on this historic election, as we go to the polls to exercise our right to vote and to exercise our duty to pursue God's prescriptive will for leaders, we need a big dose of the sovereignty of God.  God is in charge of this election, and He will govern the result-- whether towards restraint of evil or judgment on evil-- to the praise of His glory.