I recently heard an idea which haunted me for days. It was one of those terrible truths of which I was already aware, but had never expressed, and had thus only seen peripherally. “God does not deliver his people for their temporal happiness.” Those were the offending words that appeared in the middle of a sermon. It was not meant to be a spectacular point, merely an observation, but it is shattering when one is accustomed to musing only on God’s provision and material blessing. It is an offensive thought, but one whose truth is impossible to deny. More Christians are being imprisoned and killed now than ever before.
Our culture is increasingly hostile to Christianity, and I like to be reassured that any future persecutions will be light; I can handle glares and minor inconveniences. I do not mind being purposefully offended for Jesus’ sake. Heck, if offending me was a crime, I could already file ten lawsuits every day. What makes me uncomfortable is any threat of imprisonment, torture, or death. If God is going to deliver me from anything, those are the situations I would like to be delivered from. My happiness and comfort depend much on being free, not-tortured, and alive. It scares me to think that God might not deliver me from oppression, but he often seems to not deliver his people. God even gave his Son over to be killed.
After a few days, I realized what the problem was. I am the problem. All of my concern revolves around my own comfort and what I think is right and best. God too, is concerned about my wellbeing, but I often define “wellbeing” differently than God does. I am not forgetting that the church is commanded to care for persons’ temporal needs, and I am not diminishing the reality and gravity of those needs. Rather, I mean to highlight the two realities: the spiritual and the physical. Both are equally real, but the spiritual reality is greater than the physical reality because bodies die; souls do not. Even if I never know starvation, I will one day be unable to eat. Even if God delivers me from imprisonment or a fatal beating, I am eventually going to die. The question is not if I will suffer and die, but rather, when will I die and to what degree will I suffer?
Furthermore, in requiring God to deliver me from an untimely death, I am guilty of a monstrous arrogance. God’s purposes are greater than my own. As the answer to the first catechism question states, man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. I exist to bring glory to God and I can never place my safety or comfort above that purpose. If God is most glorified in not delivering me from those who have declared themselves my enemies, so be it. I must seek the Kingdom of God more than I seek life.
God’s grace is sufficient (2 Cor 4, 5:1-10, 2 Cor 12:9-10).
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