It is disturbing to think God might be out there causing us difficulties. In part, for this reason many have accepted deism--the religious idea that God is an impersonal being--a being who spun the world and humanity into existence, but then stepped back and left us to our own devices, without interference of any kind. Many find this concept easier to palate because we have no one to answer to except ourselves. According to this view, we are our own guides and we have no one to blame for our troubles except ourselves (or each other), but neither do we have any source of help or rescue except that which we can ourselves provide--or exact from others. The atheist viewpoint also embraces these consequences.
Personally, I find this idea not only lacking in merit from an emotional standpoint, but from an evidential one as well. There simply is no evidence to support such a view; it is empty philosophy and nothing more. Furthermore, the Bible contradicts this idea in nearly every passage of its 66 books. God is described as a very personal Being. He is highly relational. Not only did he design our world and our bodies, but He left His fingerprint on our hearts--leaving a place there only He can fill. He is intimately interested in our every moment. And, while it is true that He has limited His visible interactions with us since the fall (when we basically asked Him to stay out of our lives) His love compels Him to remain accessible to us and involved to the extent which we will allow (and, sometimes, beyond). In fact, though we may try to hide from Him, there is no place we might flee to escape God's presence.
Psalm 139:1-16
"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
It makes sense, then, that so many, when facing some trial or need, lift their faces to the heavens with lips ready with either supplications or accusations. Even those who question God's existence often succumb to these kinds of interactions when dire times come.
So, does God afflict us? Is God to blame for the troubles that come into our lives? You may be surprised at the answer. The answer is both "yes" and "no". God does not cause evil or delight in seeing us suffer. However, Psalm 119:75 says: "I know, O Lord, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me."
The reason it is so difficult for us to accept "affliction" from God is because of our lack of a trusting, loving relationship with Him. But consider who God is:
He is our Father. (Col. 1:2)
He is Love. (I John 4:8)
He is our strong deliverer. (Psalm 140:7)
He is our refuge in times of trouble. (Psalm 59:16)
He is the one who is able to keep us from falling. (Jude 24)
He is our provider. (Gen. 22:14)
And much, much more... (See Names, Titles and Descriptions of God)
Now, let us look at that verse again, along with the ones following:
I know, O Lord, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me. May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight. (Psalm 119:75-77)
The writer of these words obviously had a deep, loving and trusting relationship with God. He was thankful that God was faithful in afflicting him! Then he seeks God's unfailing love as his comfort and stated that God's laws were a delight to him! This is not a cowering, frightened man begging to be spared from the hands of an angry God. This is a son speaking to his Father!
Imagine for a moment a good father and how he would guide his child through the obstacles of youth. No doubt there will be many times he will have to provide consequences (or cause "affliction") for misbehavior or as lessons for further healthy growth. For example, he might insist on a healthy diet, despite the child's sweet-tooth. Or, he might demand that the child get regular exercise, even though the child would rather spend the entire day playing Minecraft. He may have to provide punishment for disobedience or give a lecture in response to a bad attitude. And, yet, because of the relationship that exists between them, we can clearly see that each of these actions, while they may cause pain or discomfort for the child, springs from this man's deep love for his child and his desire to see the child one day become strong, healthy, independent, and full of integrity, compassion, and wisdom.
This is what God desires for us. When God "afflicts" us, it is not to see us crushed, but to see us develop into a person of character--one that reflects His own amazing qualities. However, to understand these trials, it is necessary for us to have a relationship with God.
Challenge: When you feel as if you are dealing with some kind of affliction, refrain from whining and blaming God. Instead, spend time in prayer and in study of God's Word, the Bible. Ask God to reveal to you the amazing thing He is trying to show you. Ask God to give you wisdom. And offer yourself and your life to Him to mold into the person He created you to be.
