Let’s take some time to deal with the specific benefits of using godly wisdom when we face human tragedies. Remember that the difference between worldly wisdom (which isn’t bad) and godly wisdom is that godly wisdom applies God’s perspective found in the Bible to our intuition and experiences.
Godly wisdom has three important elements. It uses human reasoning or common sense and takes into account what we learn through life experiences. Then it overlays them with principles and precepts found in God’s revelation of who he is and how his world operates.
Why we ask why.
There are two reasons we ask why when bad things happen. First, we find it difficult to grasp why innocent lives are lost and second, we lack faith that God is just. We live in a sin-filled, problematic, and sometimes chaotic world. To make things worse, there is a universal spiritual enemy, the devil, who constantly attempts to make things worse. This world is under a curse due to sin and evil (Gal 3:10). This is why injustices occur and why we find it hard to believe God truly loves us.
Fortunately, tragedies are rare occurrences. And yet, when they strike, we are inclined to blame God as if he were punishing us or has abandoned us to the impersonal forces of nature. Neither is the case. God is never unjust and he never lacks compassion on us (Jam 5:11).
God never makes mistakes.
Furthermore, it’s also true that God never makes mistakes and he has never relinquished ownership of his creation (Col 1:15-17). God’s control encompasses you and me, the culture and world we live in, the animal kingdom, and the entire created universe. If there is one molecule that can go rogue and defy the LORD, then all hope is lost that God can protect or sustain us. If he doesn’t control everything then we have no grounds for feeling secure about anything. Because God is infinitely wise and able to execute his will at every moment, we can be assured that he selects the best possible ends to everything we experience.
Discipline comes in two forms.
Consider the disciplining of children for a moment. Disciplining young children is rarely painless and almost never appreciated at the time. Yet, a wise parent knows that a child that isn’t disciplined will become unruly, self-centered, or delinquent. A child that suffers from a lack of discipline will have limited success in the future. If there’s one thing I wish I had learned better as a child, it would be the value of disciple.
Discipline comes in two forms. First, a child is disciplined when they learn how to stick with a project until it’s complete. Through struggles, they learn to work hard and complete tasks. They realize that nothing good comes without valuing discipline. The second form of discipline is when a child rebels, disobeys or makes a mistake. This form of discipline requires that the child is corrected, trained, and sometimes punished. This teaches them the importance of respect, obedience, and the value of working to the best of their abilities.
Similar to our parents, God uses adversity as a tool to disciple us and train us to trust and depend on him. As painful as it may seem at the time, God knows exactly what we need to spiritually grow. He knows what will and will not prepare us for an eternal existence in his loving presence. So out of love, he disciplines his children (Heb 12:7-10).
God doesn’t have to explain himself.
Perhaps the most difficult thing about human tragedies is that God rarely if ever explains himself. We don’t know why events happen. They seem random, senseless or unjust. Why doesn’t God clarify why we go through hard times or why we face great losses? Doesn’t a good teacher explain to students what the learning outcomes are? Not necessarily.
I remember during my school days when I was training for football that practices were grueling. Each day one of my coaches required me to run up and down every stairway in the stadium bleachers. At the time I hated that exercise. I didn’t see any purpose in it. I was left all alone and often times struggled to catch my breath. Moreover, he required me to do this at the end of practice when I was already winded and exhausted. It wasn’t until later that I learned why I was being disciplined. All that physical exertion on my upper leg muscles trained me to endure a full four quarters of football. The strength I gained from endlessly running up and down stairways allowed me to give 100% to every football play.
Job asked God why many times.
Job must have asked God dozens of times why he suffered. In the book named after him, the why question is implied or mentioned twenty-six times; most of them are Job asking God why such terrible things happened to him (Job 3:11-12;13:24). Asking why is an inquiry into the reason a thing has to happen. Job cried to God in anguish. He was requesting relief. There’s nothing wrong with that. Job wasn’t challenging God’s choice of action but desperately desired to know that God was still with him and cared about him. Even Jesus, while dying on the cross, asked God why he had forsaken him (Mt 27:46).
In our why questions we aren’t always like Job. We often challenge God’s justice when we ask “why?” Our why questions frequently imply that God is punishing us unjustly. “Why are you allowing this to happen to me? I don’t deserve this.” Such responses question God’s wisdom and affections for us. This type of why question shows a lack of faith, which is an important aspect of our relationship with God that he frequently develops in us as we suffer.
Regardless of the purpose behind difficulties, we can rest assured that God is testing and growing our faith into believing in his goodness (Heb 12:11). It’s okay to ask God why as long as we aren’t expecting God to defend himself before us. We ask “why?” with a humble and learning spirit. This is the difference between challenging God’s justice and crying out in faith for help.
Your adversity may benefit another.
Job struggled without fully understanding why God allowed tragedy to sweep over him. He never received the insight that God was proving his faith or that he was showing Satan that Job loved God for who God was and not for what God had blessed him with (Job 1:9-11; 2:4-5). Even when the suffering was over, Job only learned that the LORD was deepening his faith in God’s sovereignty over all things (Job 42:1).
In contrast, we are privileged to know why Job suffered. This implies that Job’s tragedy was also for our benefit. Thousands of years after his great suffering and loss we learn that through adversity God remained in control. God’s dealings with Job were for another’s benefit—ours.
You may also be suffering for the sake of another. The LORD requires undiluted faith in his purposes and your travesty may not simply be about you. Jesus followed the redemptive plan of the cross at a great loss to himself, but mainly to be a great benefit to us (Heb 12:1-2). When we face trails, he wants us to develop that same steadfast character of constant faith in him as he had in his Father and to daily bear our crosses for the sake of others (Lk 9:23).
This study on the wisdom of God has been partly inspired by chapter eight in Jerry Bridges book Trusting God. Click on the book cover to order it. Click on the book title to read a review of it.
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