Part Three: Walking with God in
the Furnace
In Part One,
Dr. Keller explored the philosophical aspects of suffering. In Part Two, he took us through what the
Bible teaches about it. In Part Three, he is going to take us through the most
practical material. Going through the “furnace of affliction” is not a matter
of technique, but one of walking with God, or orienting ourselves towards him
so that the changes that occur help make us better rather than worse.
Chapter Eleven: Walking
On page 225, Dr. Keller states, “How
can we actually, practical, face and get through the suffering that has come
upon us? Most books and resources for
sufferers today no longer talk about enduring affliction but instead use a
vocabulary drawn from business and psychology to enable people to manage,
reduce, and cope with stress, strain, or trauma. Sufferers are counseled to avoid negative
thoughts; to buffer themselves with time off, exercise, and supportive
relationships; to problem solve; and to “learn to accept things we can’t
change.” But all the focus is on controlling your immediate emotional responses
and environment.”
One of the main metaphors given in
the Bible for facing affliction is walking.
In many ancient societies, as in our modern western culture, suffering
is seen as something to avoid or insulate ourselves from, something that must
be endured without flinching or feeling until it passes. But we are not supposed to just stand our
ground against it, but to meet it and move through it without shock, surprise,
denial, resentment, fear, surrender or despair.
In Isaiah chapter 43 God says to
Israel, “When you pass through the waters…when you pass through the rivers…when
you walk through the fire…” He doesn’t
say “if”, but “when”. And he encourages
them by reminding them “do not be afraid, for I am with you.” This is our promise that God is with us,
walking beside us.
In the New Testament, Peter takes
the metaphor and drives it further. In 1
Peter 1:7, he states, “Trials…have come so that the proven genuineness of your
faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire
– may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Gold, when put through fire, is not
destroyed, but melts and the impurities within it are burned off or removed.
Our faith is mixed with all sorts of
impurities – commitments to comfort, power, pride, pleasure and self. Our faith may be abstract and intellectual,
thinking we are sinners saved by grace, yet actually thinking we are doing well
because we are more decent, open-minded, hardworking or loving than
others. We may have many blemishes on
our character. We may be too harsh,
ungenerous, impulsive, controlling, unreliable, fragile, timid or
cowardly. Going through the furnace, we
can see who we really are. Or not.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
found themselves required to conform their religious faith and practice to the
dictates of the state. When confronted
with their refusal, they declared that God was able to deliver them, yet could
confidently state, “But if not…” They
declared that their confidence was in God, not because they somehow knew he
would deliver them, which they did not, but simply because their God is God.
When we trust God for an answer to prayer and it seems that he lets us
down when we don’t what we sought, it is because we treat God as a means to an
end and our faith and trust is in our own agenda. Our greatest joy comes from honoring God, not
from him giving us what we want in life.
And while Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego found another in the furnace
to walk beside them, Jesus went through the furnace of the cross alone. Why?
Because on the cross he not only suffered with us but for us.
So what can we learn? We can learn who we are – our strengths and
weaknesses. We can learn to
compassionately help others who are hurting.
We can learn to trust in God in a way that will fortify us against life’s
impending disappointments. And we can learn
to be wise about life. God walks with
us, but the real question is will we walk with him? In Dr. Keller’s words, “If we have created a
false God-of-my-program, then when life falls apart we will simply assume he
has abandoned us and we won’t seek him…So what do you have to do in order to
grow instead of being destroyed by your suffering? The answer is that you must walk with
God. And what is that? It means we must treat God as God and as there…it means to see with the eyes of your heart how Jesus
plunged into the fire for you when he went to the cross… This means remembering
the gospel.”
Then you can say to yourself in the
furnace, “This is my furnace. I am not
being punished for my sins, because Jesus was thrown into that ultimate fire
for me. And so if he went through that
greatest fire steadfastly for me, I can go through this smaller furnace
steadfastly for him. And I also know it
means that if I trust in him, this furnace will only make me better.”
On page 236 Dr. Keller says, “There
are many people who think of spiritual growth as something like high
diving. They say, ‘I am going to give my
life to the Lord…I am really going to transform!’…[but that] is not what a walk
is. A walk is day in and day out praying;
day in and day out Bible and Psalms reading; day in and day out obeying,
talking to Christian friends, and going to corporate worship, committing
yourself to and fully participating in the life of a church. It is rhythmic, on and on and on…So walking
with God through suffering means that, in general, you will not experience some
kind of instant deliverance from your questions, your sorrow, your fears…in
general it will be slow and steady progress that comes only if you stick to the
regular, daily activities of the walking itself...We are called to walk, to
grieve and weep, to trust and pray, to think, thank, and love, and to hope.”
Next week Chapter Twelve: Weeping
Until then, don’t take my word for
it, read the book – don’t wait for the movie,
and have a little hope on me,
Roger
To learn more about Timothy Keller and his work at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, you can check out his personal website, his Facebook page or the church homepage.
Keller, Timothy (2013), Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering. Penguin Group. ISBN 978-0-525-95245-9
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