What Use, Sorrow?

Many people wonder why God allows / causes suffering, tragedy, sorrow, difficulties.

There are of course many reasons but three obvious reasons are:

. Pain and sorrow drives those who are destined to reject Him further and further down the road to destruction.

. Pain and sorrow drives those who are destined to salvation into the arms of Jesus.

. Pain and sorrow are used by God, more than anything else, to bring about character change in those who long to become like Jesus.

Consider These Real-life Examples:

A man keeps score by how much money he makes. He cannot seem to stop judging those who make less.
- He is fired from his executive job - no one executive job but two.

A woman keeps score by the age and style of her furniture. She cannot seem to quit thinking less of those who have older, smaller, less than.
- The downturn in the economy forces her to buy used.

A person with depression becomes overly dependent on her husband.
- A death in the extended family forces her husband to leave her on her own while he takes care of business.

A woman lives with guilt because of being physically abusive toward her children. She prays for “gentle hands.”
- Arthritis renders her hands all but useless.

A man struggles with chronic unfaithfulness.
- Medications to treat a physical condition makes sex nearly impossible.

A man struggles with chronic lying.
- He is caught in a series of lies that threatens the survival of his marriage.

Without these difficulties and sorrows, these people would, in all likelihood still be caught in the folly of their ways.

Fools will cluck, cluck at the meanness of God for bringing these difficulties into these people’s lives.

Each of these people are today, giving prayers of thanksgiving for having been released from their bondage.

Fools will say that all this is coincidence.

“Coincidence is just God working anonymously.” Albert Einstein