“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:2-3).
The question of why God allows some of His dearest children to walk through deep, dark valleys may never be answered this side of eternity. Yet it seems to me that the ones who are most troubled are not those who themselves pass through that valley, but rather those who stand by and watch, seeing the threads of life shredded bit by bit.
That was the way it was when cancer took the wife of Joseph Parker, the illustrious pastor of City Temple in London, England. Long before doctors knew what to do other than to sedate a cancer patient, Parker watched his wife lose the very fight for her life. When she died, for a period of a week, Parker waxed in the very despair of atheism. He told a friend that if he had a dog which had suffered as did his wife, he would have put the dog out of its misery.
C.S. Lewis, a man who had written a great deal on the defense of the Gospel, shared those same feelings when, like Parker’s wife, his wife, Joy, died of the same disease. Lewis told his pastor that it was like a door being slammed in his face, followed by the sound of bolting, then double-bolting.
Later, Lewis described his feelings in terms of a man sitting in the total darkness of a dungeon. But then in the distance he hears the sound of waves, or is it the wind? Yes, it was like the cell was not bolted at all, and that note of hope, though it be so faint, is what takes the hopelessness from life. Lewis believed that, perhaps, it was his own desperate need which bolted the door from the inside.
Over 200 years ago, John Rippon wrote the words of an old hymn, and that hymn has blessed and encouraged the hearts of millions. He wrote, “When thro’ fiery trials thy pathway shall lie. My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply; the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”
So, how do you explain the fact that good people suffer and hurt? There is no explanation! Life is not always fair. Good people face the ravages of cancer and the assault of a broken world that takes unfair advantage of us. Should a voice come from heaven in answer to the question, “Why?” which we have hurled at God’s direction, I doubt that we would even begin to understand. Some things–suffering and loss included–can be understood only on the other side of eternity’s shore.
There are times when you have to hold on to what you really know is true, regardless of your feelings. Neither Joseph Parker nor C.S. Lewis turned their back on God and denied Him; neither did God turn His back on them, because they expressed the sincere, honest feelings of their heart.
John Rippon based his words on the truth of Isaiah 43, when God said. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:2-3).
Friend, to know that God is with you, that He has not abandoned you, that He has not locked the door from the inside and left you to your own pain, can help you get through the dark valley.
There is one more thought that I would like to leave with you. Neither should you lock God out of your life when you face pain. Denying the great answer to your intense need can only result in greater personal loss, one that compounds the original one. Think about it and remember Jesus understands your pain—He’s been there.
Resource reading: 1 Peter 1.
