Book Excerpt

Why Do Storms Come?

by Poppy Smith

The following excerpt is from Poppy Smith's book I'm Too Human to be Like Jesus: Spiritual Growth for the Not-So-Perfect Woman.

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“I’m so sorry,” the doctor murmured to Janet soon after she’d delivered her second child, a baby girl. “Your baby has some serious problems.”

As the weeks unfurled, Janet walked through a living nightmare as Claire, her little girl, struggled to live. “The tests show Clair is blind and severely retarded,” Janet choked out. “She can’t suckle, she has a malformed brain, and the doctors don’t expect her to live more than a few years—and then, only if she’s fed by a tube inserted into her
stomach.”

Questions wrack us when we suffer. Why do storms slam into our lives, leaving us devastated and broken? Why is there suffering and evil? What have we done to deserve this? Is God so powerless or so uncaring He can’t stop human suffering? We struggle with these same questions when we share in the heartache of others.

As Christians, our resources to both survive and grow spiritually stronger come through our relationship with God, based on insights from Scripture. God and His Word is the answer to our questions, our help amid confusion, and our comfort in pain.

Referring to the Bible, John Stott states, “Although there are references to sin and suffering on virtually every page, its concern is not to explain their origin but to help us to overcome them.” Even though we can’t be privy to mysteries known only to God, let’s see what we can learn to help us stand in life’s storms.

Suffering was not in God’s original plan. Everything God made was given His stamp of approval. “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). It was never His plan that humankind suffer the pain and brokenness we see around us and in our own lives. God’s plan was that His creation fellowship perfectly with Him and enjoy His absolute goodness. Because of Satan, all this was marred, leaving us to suffer sin’s consequences daily.

Scripture lets us glimpse Satan’s activity. For example: Job’s experience showed Satan as the source of his suffering; Jesus described a woman as “bound by Satan”; and Paul referred to his “thorn in the flesh” as a “messenger of Satan.” Clearly, suffering is linked to Satan’s activity in this world—a world that God created for our enjoyment. Suffering often comes through people’s choices. A drunk driver crashes into a teenager headed to the prom. A jealous spouse lashes out verbally and physically at his terrified wife. An angry mother loses control and beats her child. Much of the pain, sorrow, and heartbreak all around us is a result of human choices. Whenever people make choices without considering their devastating effects on others, someone suffers.

On a larger scale, look behind wars, famines, and many ecological disasters. The same cause becomes apparent. Without regard for the harm done to others, human greed, ambition, and callousness wreck lives on a personal and global scale. Ironically, God is blamed for what we human beings choose to do with our God-given freedom.

Suffering comes from sensitivity to pain. Don’t you wish God had made us without the ability to feel physical pain? Some people do have this ability, but they don’t consider it a blessing. Because they lack sensitivity to pain, leprosy sufferers can’t tell if their hands have been burned, their feet cut, or their tongues chewed into ribbons. Leprosy specialist Dr. Paul Brand pioneered rehabilitation work in India among those afflicted with what is now called Hanson’s disease. Horrified by the effects of a body without pain receptors, he marveled at God’s wisdom in designing a system that warns us of danger. Much as we dread it, pain is necessary for us to live as healthy a life as possible.

Although God is not the originator of sin and human suffering, nevertheless, He uses it as a tool to accomplish His purposes. Janet’s little girl, Claire, died shortly after her second birthday. At the memorial service, Janet read several entries from her diary. Addressing teary-eyed friends, she said, “God has changed my heart and my attitudes over the past two years. I was angry and bitter toward Him; I felt cheated of a normal little girl, and I was embarrassed by Claire’s appearance. But now I thank God for His love and help; I couldn’t have survived without Him. Most of all, I thank Him for filling me with love for Claire. I will miss her so much.” Yes, the howling storm did swallow up two years of Janet’s life, but God used it to change her for eternity. In God’s hands, no suffering experienced by His children is either meaningless or endless. When He allows us to go through difficult times, He has a purpose, an end product in mind. Let’s explore what some of these are.

What Is God’s Purpose?

Several years ago I came across four questions I find helpful to ask not only in howling storms but also when life takes unexpected turns. Proverbs states, “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding” (3:13). By turning these four questions into prayers, we open ourselves up to wisdom, insight that only God can give. Rather than wasting our rough experiences, let’s prayerfully probe God’s purposes and the growth He intends for us. Here are the questions to ask:

What does God want to do in this?
What does God want to produce in me through this?
What does God want to reveal about himself to me and through me?
How does God want to use my trial to benefit others?

What does God want to do in this?

“Poppy, would you pray about becoming the class administrator?”
inquired Judy, the teaching leader of the Bible study class I attended.
Shortly after God had zeroed in on my jealous attitude toward Denise, Judy
had invited me to become a discussion leader. Naturally, I jumped at the
opportunity. Now, four months later, she asked me to become her
assistant.

Loathe to leave my class of eager young women, I struggled with God,
telling Him I didn’t like His change of plans one bit. After all, I had
just begun this new adventure. I was a raw recruit. After a weekend of
resisting, I submitted, sensing this new direction was from Him. A few
years later, when I was asked to take Judy’s position, I saw why He put
me in that place of learning and growth.

Think of something you’re facing right now, or have faced. Now begin
prayerfully asking God, “What do You want to do with this situation? Do
You want to change my direction? To deepen my faith? To mold me for
something You are planning at a future time? Have You allowed this
situation to come crashing into my life because You have a greater design than
I can see right now? Lord, help me trust You and cooperate with Your
purposes in this situation.”

In our finite human wisdom, there are many times when we can find no
reason at all for what God has allowed. When this happens, remember
Joseph. He couldn’t possibly understand what God was doing when his
brothers sold him into slavery, his employer’s wife falsely accused him, and
his so-called friend forgot about him in prison. But in God’s timing, he
recognized there was a divine purpose behind all he had endured. With
God-given insight, he could say to his cringing brothers, “You intended
to harm me, but God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20).

We might not know what God is doing, but we can respond rightly in the
situation—and be confident God has a purpose in allowing it. Think
about something tough you are facing right now and write down any insights
that come to you as you consider the question “What does God want to
do in this situation?”

What does God want to produce in me through this?

“I prided myself on doing everything well,” Yvonne confessed. “I was a
perfectionist and I know I came across rather hard at times. If I felt
someone didn’t quite measure up to my standard, I didn’t show them
much compassion or understanding.

Then came my emotional breakdown, which was a shattering experience
for me, as it is for anyone. But God used it in my life. He not only drew
me closer to Him, He also broke my hard attitudes toward other people.
Instead of my old ‘I can do this perfectly’ attitude, I find myself
asking God to work through me as I depend on Him.”

Yvonne’s tenderness toward others is apparent now, leading many women
to seek her input and wisdom. And because of what God allowed, even the
most difficult and most needy people He brings across Yvonne’s path
find her a warm and understanding friend. In God’s hands, she emerged
from the storm more like the Lord than ever before.

As you look at your own stormy experiences, prayerfully ask God, “What
do You want to produce in me through the experience I’m facing now?
Could it be a yieldedness to Your will rather than my own? Sensitivity to
others? Trust in You? Courage to act and not hold back from what You
are asking me to do? Are You wanting me to draw closer, to learn to lean
on You through this storm? To move from my stagnant faith to one that
is alive and growing?”

What do you sense God wants to produce in you?

What does God want to reveal about himself to me and through me?

“I was sitting at the kitchen table reading my Bible the other day,”
said Pam, “and had put a Christian tape on. It was playing softly in the
background, but suddenly I found myself listening to the words: ‘I am
the God that healeth thee, I am the Lord, your healer.’
“As I thought of how God had turned my marriage around and removed the
bitterness I felt for so many years, I was overwhelmed. I started
crying and praying at the same time as I realized that the Lord had been my
healer.”

Pam felt she had made a terrible mistake after only six months of
marriage. She and her husband, Tom, had different opinions on almost
everything—from musical tastes to dealing with conflict. They clashed
constantly. Three years later the tension between them led Pam to feel divorce
was the only solution.

As the only Christian in her family, however, Pam wrestled with the
impact a divorce would make on her witness to them. She could imagine
them saying, “I thought being a Christian made a difference in how people
solved their problems. It doesn’t seem to have helped you.” She also
searched the Bible to see if there were biblical grounds for divorce. But
incompatibility wasn’t one of them. Finally, she begged God to let her
walk away. Instead, she sensed Him impressing on her mind the words
Divorce is not the answer.

“I decided not to get a divorce,” Pam continued. “In fact, I made a
conscious choice to stay in my marriage and turn to God with all the pain
I felt. So when I listened to the song ‘You Are the Lord, My Healer,’
I couldn’t help looking back over the past twenty years and thanking
God for what He had done. Through the years I have felt loved and
accepted by Him. I know it seems strange to say this, because I’m far from
perfect, but I feel His delight in me.”

What did God reveal of himself to Pam? She experienced God as
her Strength and Sustainer, as well as her Healer. Pam also recognized
that God, in His divine wisdom, had used a seemingly hopeless marriage as
a school for spiritual growth for both her and Tom.

What does God want to reveal to you about himself? Could He want to
show you that He is faithful and will supply the strength you need? That
He is wise and all-knowing—the One you can rely on? Does He want to
reveal himself as your Healer—from hurt, pain, abuse, a great loss in your
life? Could He be allowing a situation so you will turn to Him and
deal with an area that needs attention?

The Psalmist declares God is “a shield around me . . . my strength . .
. my rock, my fortress and my deliverer . . . my light and my
salvation . . . the stronghold of my life” (3:3; 18:1-2; 27:1). He is also a
source of joy when we’re in the midst of a joyless situation. These are
all attributes and characteristics of God that He wants to reveal to us
when we’re in difficult situations.
What aspect of His character is becoming real to you in your difficult
place?

How does God want to use my trial to benefit others?

“Of course I want to live to see my girls grow up,” said Amy, “but if
the cancer takes me before that happens, the most important thing will
be seeing the three of them put their faith in Christ.”
Amy’s trust in God’s sovereign wisdom shone through the three years
she battled breast cancer. Being human, she prayed for healing and longed
to have life return to normal—but it didn’t happen. Instead, God used
her trial to inspire many Christian friends to be more serious about
their own walk with God and witnessing to others. One by one, her three
girls came to put their faith in Christ. Their mother’s prayers
throughout her trial brought them eternal benefit.

Paul praised God as the “Father of compassion and the God of all
comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those
in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2
Corinthians 1:3-4). When God allows us to go through trials, He intends
others to benefit also.

In the right place, at the right time, and in an appropriate way,
sharing the storms in our lives might be God’s lifeline to another hurting
person. Let’s ask God, “How do You want to use my trial to benefit
others?” Then watch for His direction. As we make ourselves available to
encourage others, we can help them stand in life’s storms. Take a moment
to reflect on ways your trial might benefit others. Write down what God
is saying to you.

Wringing good out of evil and growth out of pain is God’s
specialty. Scripture illustrates this and so do the true-life stories given
in this chapter. God doesn’t shield us from the pain that comes with
living in a fallen world, but He uses it to accomplish His loving
purposes.

We choose which perspective to take when God allows life’s storms to
slam into us. We can bitterly fight against His ways, or accept that in
His love and wisdom He has permitted it for our good. What difference
does your perspective make? The difference between running away and
staying put, falling apart and standing strong.