I receive Bible questions all the time, and it’s very easy for me to go back and forth with someone over text messages (much easier for me than face-to-face discussions, but we all have our flaws). I recently received a message from someone battling a terminal disease, expressing frustration and anger, not only concerning his condition, but against God. He is certainly not the first one to possess those thoughts; it’s at the heart of the most commonly cited argument against God.
So what do you say to someone in that situation? How do you concede their emotions without speaking against the good God? Here’s a little of what I told him…
I think it’s very natural to be frustrated and even angry.
However, God didn’t do this to you. I don’t even know if I would say Satan did it, either, but if it was one them, I’d blame the devil.
The sad reality for all of us is: we live in a world of disease and death. But in the beginning it was not like this. In the beginning, God gave mankind a paradise garden. It was Satan, temptation, and sin that separated us from the perfection of Eden.
Now we all live in a world where people suffer. Whether it’s a person dying at the age of 9 or 90, it’s the same curse of death. Whether a person dies of natural causes, or a plane crash, or a disease, it’s the same curse of death.
Death is the enemy, and it’s the last enemy that will be destroyed upon the second coming of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15).
Being upset at your present condition is normal. It’s human. But don’t misdirect your anger. God did not give you this illness, but the salvation that He offers can make it so that death, whenever it comes, is not the end.
Keep in mind this is not our first discussion, so if my words seem pointed or blunt, that may be why. Then again, now is not the time for beating around the bush. Now is the time for urgency… as it is for us all. None of us is promised tomorrow. We must all be sure we are right before our own end arrives.
~Matthew
PS: Don’t forget that, at the end of September, we will enjoy our Family Day weekend Gospel Meeting with Barry Grider. Be here on Friday evening, September 26th, at 7pm, as well as Saturday evening, September 27th, at 7pm to hear two excellent lessons from God’s Word, both in the lead-up to our big Family Day Sunday on September 28th.