What About Suffering?預覽

God cares about our suffering, and He’s working patiently to free the world He made from it. He offers us hope for a world where pain is undone, where injustice is overturned, and where evil is bound and cast away forever.

Jesus told His followers that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed that grows into a huge tree, taking over the garden and providing places for birds to rest.

It’s easy to miss a mustard seed. It’s easy to miss the ways in which God is at work in the world. But one day it won’t be. One day the work God has done will reshape the entire garden. Something that once seemed vulnerable – like a tiny little bird snack – will redefine the lives of every living thing.

It starts small, like a seed planted in the ground. So small, nobody even realised it had happened. When Jesus was crucified and buried, no one knew that the suffering of the nations was ending. But His followers noticed the shoot of life poking up from the ground: Jesus rose from the dead. The beginning of all things being made new.

We’re still waiting for the end, for the world described in Revelation. A world with no sea (the sea was a common symbol for chaos in the ancient world), a world where God and humanity dwell together in intimacy free from death and mourning and pain. We’re still waiting for God to wipe every tear from our eyes.

But He is certainly at work. We can experience His tender care wiping the tears from our eyes as we weep for those we’ve lost. We can experience His power – to restore and save life – ripping into our present reality. We can see a glimpse of Him making all things new every time one of us turns away from a self-directed life to live a life of love for God and others.

We’re going to keep exploring why this work seems so slow. But today, reflect on the ways God is at work in our world. Does His work seem like a mustard seed to you, or like a spreading tree? Examine your heart to see what might help or hinder you as you look to see God at work.