Hey Folks,
You might have heard on the news a couple weeks ago about the mudslide in Guatemala on October 1st. If you were worried about me, I appreciate that, however I’m obviously still breathing. The mudslide actually hit a village about 45 minutes from me called Santa Catarina Pinula. When the news reached our team, we set up a day to go to the site and help in any way we could. The following Friday we loaded up the bus and headed over to the slide site. Upon arrival we were thrown into random assembly lines moving food, clothes and water with the disaster relief crews. Most of the day was chaotic, as is the Guatemalan way, but towards the end of our visit we were given the opportunity to disperse water to the victims’ family members staying at the morgue. Many of the families there had been camped out for days, waiting to hear whether their loved ones were in fact dead, or still missing somewhere in the pile of rubble below. I wasn’t completely aware of the severity of the situation until a couple of us boys made our way inside the morgue. If staring down at 250 bodies doesn’t make something click in your melon I’m not sure what will. I’m not going to be over-dramatic, but I certainly left with a sober outlook on life. For these families, October 1st was just another day of work, or school. Many people left for work in the morning, and came home to nothing.
The search ended October 13th, and 70 people remain missing in addition to the 280 dead. If you’re waiting for an explanation on why these things happen in light of a loving, all-powerful God, you’re asking the wrong guy. However, a short study on the book of Job brought a different perspective on suffering and God’s ultimate purpose. For those who haven’t read the story, the cliff-notes version is God’s allowance for Satan to have control of Job’s possessions, and eventually his physical well-being, in order to prove that Job was in fact faithful to God. This process was one of unexplainable suffering for Job; losing his family, his fortune, and being inflicted with sores and sickness at the Devil’s hand. Through the entire story, Job remains faithful to the Lord. As a result, we would expect that when God finally communicates with Job, he would carry a tone of congratulations and sympathy; the reality however, is probably not something we like to hear. Job, who has always been faithful to God, even through unspeakable suffering, reaches out to God for an answer as to why he allowed this pain, as we all do in times of trial. Job 38-41 has God’s whole rant to Job, but He basically tears Job a new one. “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know!” Yeesh, some apology. For me this was a healthy snap back into the reality of the greater picture beyond our physical lives here. God is doing so much work through our suffering that we cannot even perceive, both in our lives, and in the lives of those around us. Ultimately, we as people are only vessels of His glory, and praise God that he uses love as His instrument. Here me out, God loves us more than we can even comprehend, but that is not something to take advantage of; it is truly a gift. Sometimes we need a reminder of the Lord’s power to have a proper perspective of His great love. While God’s reaction to Job seems harsh, it is necessary to understand. He is basically saying “Give your head a shake son, I’m up here and you’re down there. I got this.” We later see God restore Job to have twice as much as he had before, which is a picture of how the Lord uses trials to see what our faith is really made of, and to bring us into even greater things than we had before.
Now that you’ve read my sermon, you should know that the team is loving construction ministry. The house is ready for it’s roof, and we’re working on lining up a new project that you may hear about soon! The Lord is still working, obviously, and I myself am still healthy as ever; although my daily consumption of coffee and grape Fanta has almost doubled. Continue to pray that we all have wisdom to understand the Lord’s purposes in pain, and thank Him that we have hope through Him. God bless you all, see you soon.
