In The Deep, Dark Place of Our Pain and Sorrow

In chapter two of The Good and Beautiful God, we are invited to think about the problem of evil in the world. Smith's story of the death of his daughter clears our illusions that he does not know enough about loss to feel the contradiction between the goodness of God and the evil in the world.

We know that tension, too. I have stumbled across cemeteries after doing the funerals of babies. My eyes were too filled with tears and my heart of full of pain to walk. I have stood in the viewing room with the wife and family of my best friend with him laid in state in a fine casket. I have held my wife's hand as she went into surgery with questions about her cancer and have held her in my arms after the surgery when all of the pathology was so dark and negative. And my experiences are not as dark and desperate as some. Probably not as difficult as yours as you read this.

Into this same world of pain and faithful doubt, Jesus has a word that we hear in this chapter. Jesus says in Luke 13 that bad people do bad things and that the physics of the world makes accidents possible. Neither of these circumstances argue against the goodness of God. From John 9 Jesus teaches that difficult circumstances are often unrelated to human sin, but do offer the opportunity for the power and love of God to be displayed. The easy equation that sin creates pain and trouble is sometimes correct; but not nearly always. Beware of simple, wrong answers to life's questions.

Here is what we know and pin our hopes on:
God is good-always.
Jesus intercedes for us-always.
The Holy Spirit prays what is unprayable out of us-always.
God will make all things right in due time-for sure.

In the deep, dark place of our pain and sorrow shines the light of God's goodness.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. I believe; help my unbelief.