“I
feel like I’m being punished,” says a woman in her mid-50’s after learning that
she has cancer. Reflecting on a wrong she committed years earlier, she
concludes, “This must be God’s way of telling me I sinned.”
WHEN faced with adversity, many people feel
that God is punishing them for some past wrong. Overwhelmed by a sudden
avalanche of problems, they may be heard to lament: “Why me? What have I done
to deserve this?” Should we conclude that our problems are an indication of
divine disapproval? Are personal adversities really a punishment from God?
Faithful Worshippers
Experienced Adversity
Consider what the Bible reports about a man
named Job. Without warning, he suddenly lost his wealth. Next, all ten of his
children were killed in a windstorm. Soon thereafter, he was struck with a
debilitating, loathsome disease. (Job 1:13-19; 2:7, 8) Such adversities
led Job to cry out: “The hand of God has struck me down.” (Job 19:21, Today’s
English Version) Evidently, like many today, Job felt that God was
punishing him.
However, the Bible reveals that before Job’s
trials began, God himself had described Job as “a man blameless and upright,
fearing God and turning aside from bad.” (Job 1:8) In view of this expression
of divine approval, it is clear that Job’s adversities were not a punishment
from God.
The fact is, the Bible is filled with
accounts of upright individuals who faced personal adversities. Although he was
a loyal servant of God, Joseph endured years of unjust imprisonment. (Genesis
39:10-20; 40:15) The faithful Christian Timothy suffered from “frequent cases
of sickness.” (1 Timothy 5:23) Even Jesus Christ, who never did wrong, was
cruelly mistreated before suffering an agonizing death. (1 Peter 2:21-24)
Hence, it is a mistake to conclude that adversity must be an expression of God’s
displeasure. But if God is not responsible for adversity, who, if anyone, is?
The Causes of Our Problems
The Bible shows that Satan the Devil was the
cause of Job’s tragedies. (Job 1:7-12; 2:3-8) Furthermore, it identifies Satan
as the chief source of our problems today when it states: “Woe for the earth
and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger,
knowing he has a short period of time.” (Revelation 12:12) As “the ruler of
this world,” Satan has influenced many to engage in evil acts that have
resulted in untold misery and heartache.—John 12:31; Psalm 37:12, 14.
We should not, however, be quick to blame the
Devil for every adversity we experience. As a result of inherited sin and
imperfection, we are prone to make unwise decisions that can cause us problems.
(Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12) For example, imagine a man who by choice neither eats
properly nor gets sufficient rest. If this eventually leads to serious health
problems, should he blame the Devil? No, the man has merely reaped the bitter
consequences of his own poor judgment. (Galatians 6:7) In such an instance, it
is just as a Bible proverb puts it: “A man’s own folly wrecks his life.”—Proverbs
19:3, The New English Bible.
Finally, it must be realized that many
unpleasant experiences are simply the result of “time and unforeseen
occurrence.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11) Consider the person who is unexpectedly caught
in a rainstorm. Whether he will get a little wet or completely drenched may
just depend on where he happens to be standing when the rain begins to fall.
Similarly, in these “critical times hard to deal with,” negative conditions can
quickly turn into a downpour of adversity. (2 Timothy 3:1-5) To what
extent we are personally affected is often a matter of timing and
circumstances, over which we may have little or no control. Does this mean,
then, that we will always be plagued with adversity?
All Adversity Soon to
End
Happily, Jehovah God will bring an end to all
adversity very soon. (Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 1:3; 21:3, 4) In the
meantime, he shows that he really cares for us by providing “instruction” and “comfort
from the Scriptures” so that we can cope with trials now as we look forward to
that wonderful future just ahead. (Romans 15:4; 1 Peter 5:7) At that time,
those who are upright in God’s eyes will enjoy unending life in a new world,
free from every form of adversity.—Psalm 37:29, 37.
For more informative reading please go to www.jw.org
No comments:
Post a Comment