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Foreign hey everyone. Welcome to Project 1.8. I'm Scott. I'm going to be your host today. Thank you for joining us. Especially if this is one of the first times that you've been able to tune in, really appreciate that you're here. And if it is one of your newer times or if it's your first time, just by way of a quick introduction, my friends and I have created this platform as a way to interact with you as a listener. The main bulk of our episodes will be answering questions that come from you, and we don't want you to be shy about that either. If there's something big going on, if there is something that's really troubling you, maybe even something that angers you quite a bit, or there's an issue going on, your marriage or in your family that's leaving you pretty exasperated, we want you to connect with us to share those things. You can do that anonymously. You don't have to out yourself. All you got to do is connect with us through the link that's in the podcast description. And we'll do our very best to address your concerns from a biblical perspective and maybe even giving you a different angle to think about the whole thing. And we'll do that without throwing any shame or guilt at you or we're not going to judge you. I mean, I would love to have you come to trust that our motives are pure and we just want to be a resource to help you in your journey. We can also provide personal counseling and meet with you to talk about things in person. Or if you're in the West Michigan area, we can connect you with counselors. We have the ability to do that. If that's something you desire, just reach out and we'll get you connected in that way as well. But in addition to our Q and A formats, then we'll also have some interviews lined up where you can hear some of the testimonies of people who, just like many of us, are going through some very difficult situations. And you'll hear what that raw struggle looks like day to day. But you also hear in their own words how their faith, excuse me, helps them navigate those choppy waters. Folks that are dealing with cancer, folks that are dealing with great loss, sudden loss, jobs being removed from them, all kinds of things that are very difficult. We get to hear from them one on one. I'll be adding some content in addition to those interviews, also about some of the lesser known amazing things that are in the Bible. And we'll learn how the ancient Audiences that first understood the scriptures saw the story of the Bible unfold. And I'm hoping those episodes, if nothing else, will make you even more curious about this book. Maybe they'll even spark some thinking about the sheer wonder of God and the amazing things that he's up to in the world today. Okay then, for today, I'll be answering a question that came in from a listener. And it's a great question. And in all honesty, it's probably a question we've all asked ourselves at one point in our lives too. This person asks, where is God when I'm hurting? Why does he let such painful things happen to me? So first of all, I just want to say thank you to this listener for being so transparent and asking such a deep question. Like I said, if we're honest, all of us, even if we've been a Christian for decades, have wondered this very thing. But like, whenever anybody asks us, hey, how's it going? We. We do that West Michigan Dutch, churchy veneer type of a response of, oh, yeah, fine, I'm good. When, you know, actually under the surface, it ain't good. And I'm in it right now, man, I just, I'm not doing good. So I think if we all learn to be a bit more vulnerable from time to time, like this listener, and ask each other and ask these penetrating questions like this, our homes would be less stressful and we could begin to understand the peace that comes from bearing one another burdens. So, yeah, great question. Let's talk about it here for a minute. Let me begin by restating the question then to get at what I believe is the root of what's being asked here, which will help us look at a couple of different things to help answer the belief and the assumptions behind this question. When we ask, where is God when I'm hurting? We're drawing a conclusion that God is absent because of the current trauma of my circumstances. Okay, so stay with me on this line of thought here. I'm overwhelmed right now mentally, emotionally, maybe even spiritually or physically. And because these events, or maybe one major sudden thing happened that God either allowed it to, or he continues to allow it. And it's causing such pain in my life that he must not care. And if he doesn't care, then he's either checked out or. Or maybe he doesn't even exist. This is what's the root of going beyond this question here, we connect dots in our head that our pain equals no God. Or if God is there, he doesn't care because he's either not answering my prayers to relieve me of these circumstances, which is what I believe needs to happen in order for me to believe his presence, or maybe if I'm not the type to pray, that he actually wants me to suffer as some celestial puppet master pulling the strings, he delights in my sorrow. Either way though, the lack of change that would eliminate this pain in my life means that he must be absent at some level. Are you following me on this? What we're doing then, either intentionally or subconsciously, is saying that my life is primarily about me and secondarily, if at all, it's about about God. My definitions of happiness and peace are built from my ideals. And if those ideals are not met, it must mean God is absent. This is different than foundationally believing that God in His infinite power and wisdom allows even bad things to come my way and knowing that to be true, my ideals of peace and a pain free life pivot to accept his presence through any situation. Do you see the difference? When I believe that God is present when I'm in a good spot and yet absent when I'm hurting really means that I think God has an inconsistent character and I get to define his motives. He is either motivated to love me, like when things are going good, or he can be equally motivated to make me suffer like when I'm in the midst of things. They're very difficult. Alternatively, when I believe that God is ever present with me, even in the darkest of times, I trust that whether my day is amazing or it really sucks that God is actively loving me and he never stops operating from a motive of love. Think of it as a matter of perspective. Which perspective is the accurate one? Which one does the Bible support? Does God abandon people seemingly complacent to their anguish? Or is he right there with us during the storms of life? Let me give you an illustration that might help here. In 1989, much of the world was glued to the television as we watched protests erupt in Beijing, China. The student led demonstrations went on for several weeks as many unsuccessful attempts were made between the students and the Chinese government to reach peaceful resolution. On the night of June 3, the government deployed troops to occupy an area called Tiananmen Square in the middle of Beijing and clear out the protesting students. If you were tuned in to the televised account, you may remember in particular one Chinese man that stood defiantly in what was called the Avenue of Eternal Peace in front of a line of 18 tanks and armored carriers. And for three minutes he stopped the military advancement. Well, 18 years later, our family traveled to China to adopt our youngest daughter. And while in Beijing, we had a chance to stand in that same spot in Tiananmen Square where the tank man stood. While we were standing there looking around, I leaned toward our guide and I asked, is this the same spot where the man stood in front of the line of tanks? I'll never forget her response. She looked me right in the eyes and said, no, that never happened. That is a lie that was propagated in the West. It's not in our history books. It's a matter of perspective. We all, to a certain extent, will create narratives based on outcomes that we believe or have been taught to believe that are true. So when we think about the perspective of the Bible, then what does it really tell us about who God is and what he's doing during the times when we suffer? Do we create a different perspective based on what we believe to be true and even if it isn't? In other words, first I'm going to suggest to you that the nature of God's interaction with humanity comes from a place of love. This is the perspective that we find throughout the Scriptures. One of the best places to read about this foundational love is found in a tiny book almost at the end of the Bible called First John. The letter is broken down into five chapters, and chapters three and four would be a great place to head to read about God's love for us. Let me read for you a couple of the highlights that we find there. I'm going to go to chapter three, and in chapter three it says in a couple spots in verse one and verse 16, he repeats himself. The author does. He says, see how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are. See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are. A little further on in chapter four, Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love. Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us and his love is brought to full expression in us. See all the number of times that just solidifies the fact that God is operating from a foundation of love when it comes to things in our life through good times and through bad times. There's another verse in the Bible that summarizes this really good too. It talks about God's love as well. In fact, it's a Bible verse that's very popular among people, even people who don't read the Bible. It was promoted a lot in days of old where people would have large cardboard signs at huge sporting events like basketball games and football games. There used to be a guy with a rainbow wig, in fact, that would hold this sign up at end zones and it would have on the sign John 3:16, which is where it's found in the Bible. Very simple verse, but very powerful. It says, for this is how God loved the world. He gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. The Bible often describes God in terms of a loving father, and as such, he never takes delight in the painful things his children experience. In fact, his love is so strong for us that he provides a way for us to communicate with him directly, with the understanding that he will help us during the darkest of days. Here's how that looks from the book of Hebrews, where we find in Hebrews, chapter 4, verses 14 to 16. So then, since we have a great high priest who has entered heaven, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This high priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of us. He faced all the same testings as we do. He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it the most. When we come to God during times of testing, he will be faithful to give us his mercy. A word meaning to show kindness or concern for someone in serious need to be merciful toward them. And he'll show us his grace, a word very similar that means to show kindness towards someone, to display graciousness. Both words are very similar and they fall together under a semantic domain of moral qualities. And so what we're saying is the moral quality of Jesus is, is to extend grace and mercy, especially during those times that we need it the most. These verses in Hebrews are reminding us that Jesus is fully understanding what it means to be tired, weary, misunderstood, even mocked, tortured, and ultimately killed. This same Jesus understands what we face and he's not going to abandon us. Instead, he awaits for us to approach him with bold frankness, to show us how much he loves us when we're in the thick of it. He doesn't promise to change our situation in order to achieve our comfort and eliminate the pain, but instead he assures us of his full attention to get us through it. I like how it says, when we need it the most, these verses declare the nearness of God. So going back to our question, where is God when I'm hurting, he is with you. He is near you. He will not abandon you. Deuteronomy, which is a book found in the Old Testament, the first half of our Bibles says this in chapter 31, which is also quoted in Hebrews chapter 13, reminding us, do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. And there's something else, too, that we need to call out, because it's really easy to avoid in Western cultures like the United States. Not only is God with us, but there's something else going on where he shows us that he's with us. Let's go to Romans 8:28, and let me explain what I'm talking about. Romans 8:28 is a verse that many Christians like to quote to kind of like, lessen the sting of difficult times. But because it's so familiar to many people, we sometimes forget the depth behind it. And when we do that, we miss what it's really telling us about God's presence during troubling times. Romans 8:28 reads this. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. So a couple of things we often do with this verse. We make everything to mean everything is good. In other words, God allows everything that is good to work together for us. But we also apply it personally, even though this was written to a group of people known as the church. Like, for example, let's say I have a friend who suddenly got fired from a job, and she doesn't know how she's going to pay the bills. It's a bad way to apply this verse to that situation would be to say like, oh, that's actually good that you got canned. Otherwise God wouldn't have allowed it. I mean, that's actually kind of a harsh translation. It really doesn't make sense, and it certainly isn't going to help my friend pay the bills. I think a better way to apply Romans 8:28 would be to encourage her along the lines of, wow, I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your job. I know that you Weren't expecting this. I'm not sure why God allowed this to happen right now, but I'm here for you. I can help you through this. And as your friend, we can figure it out together. You don't have to face it alone. See the difference? The first response turns a bad situation into something good, which it's not. And it paints it as a situation to be faced alone, which it isn't. That's not God's intention. But we are not meant to go through life isolated and alone. We, as followers of Jesus, are meant to help each other through life. This is why everything working for good means that whatever happens to us individually is an opportunity for the good of the whole, even if it's really difficult for the individual. Where is God? When I hurt, God is with me through other people coming alongside of me. Now, this is where we as a church need to do it better, right? We need to understand that we live in a community of people who are following Christ, and we live in a community of people that have no idea who he is. When we interact with them at the ground level and come alongside them during difficult times in a loving, gracious way rather than a judgmental, harsh, abrasive way, then we can begin to show them just who Jesus is, just how he's there with them through our actions and through our words. One of the most dangerous things we can do during difficult times is to remain alone. The heart behind the creation of this podcast is that you understand you are not alone. There are people in this world that legit care for you. There are people you can talk to about anything at any time without the fear of being mocked, shamed, or judged. One of the things that breaks my heart is to read about people who spiral to such a place of despair that it ends up taking down their entire lives. Like they just reach a point where everything has to stop. And they do that at any given time. We can fall into cycles of negative thought patterns that can quickly escalate to overwhelming and catastrophic things. If you have no other takeaways from this episode, please hear me that the message of the Bible is a message of hope that my team here at Project one eight wants to show you that hope. And we are here to connect with you, to understand that you're not alone. If you want to talk face to face, if you want us to pray for you specifically, please reach out through the link. If I can leave you today, then with just a final word of encouragement. I understand the difficulty of taking the first step. I mean, there was a time in my life when I was under tremendous stress just to survive. I was 17 years old, living on my own. I had quit high school to make money to live on. I was struggling under the weight of some powerful addictions. I was living with no money, nowhere to turn, and quite honestly, no hope. I thought God was nowhere to be found. I didn't see that kindness but for a couple of people, and they wanted to give me more, but I held them at arm's length. I just. I was just in a dark place. And if it were not for that small handful of people that just absolutely loved me no matter what, I wouldn't be sitting here today. And I still remember now, over 40 years later, that moment that I let them help me. You are not alone. There are people here who love you and our team loves you. And there's another option that's available for you. Please know we'll be praying for you and we will look forward to hearing from you soon. So until then, God bless you and take good care.