When God Weeps

by Joni Eareckson Tada

  2. John 12:39–40: For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: “He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.”

  3. 2 Samuel 17:14: [Ahithophel, universally admired for his wisdom, gives some sound military advice to wicked throne-usurper Absalom. Hushai, a less-respected but more godly advisor, gives deliberately bad advice that will hamper Absalom’s plans] Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.

  4. Jeremiah 4:10: [God has allowed false prophets to predict peace when war is imminent] Then I said, “Ah, Sovereign LORD, how completely you have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when the sword is at our throats.”

  II. GOD’S HAND OVER SATAN AND DEMONS

  1. Luke 22:31: [Satan needs permission to act] Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.

  2. Job 2:6 (NASV): [God grants Satan permission to harm Job, but imposes definite limits] “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”

  3. Matthew 8:31-32: [Demons need Jesus’ permission] The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.

  4. 1 Kings 22:22: [A demon’s conversation with Jehovah] “I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of [Ahab’s] prophets,” he said. “You will succeed in enticing him,” said the LORD. “Go and do it.” Compare 1 Kings 22:23: [The godly prophet Micaiah to wicked king Ahab] So now the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The LORD has decreed disaster for you.

  5. 1 Samuel 16:14: Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.

  6. Matthew 4:10–11: Jesus said to [Lucifer], “Away from me, Satan!…”Then the devil left him.

  7. Mark 1:23-27: Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.”

  Sometimes by looking at distant verses side-by-side we can see how Satan is unwittingly forced to serve God’s decrees:

  8. 1 Chronicles 21:1: Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. Compare 2 Samuel 24:1: Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.” [God accomplished his purpose of punishing Israel by letting Satan plant a wicked thought in David’s mind]

  9. 2 Corinthians 4:4: The god of this age [i.e., Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. Compare John 12:39-40: For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: “He [i.e., God] has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.”

  III. GOD’S HAND OVER ANIMALS AND PLANTS

  1. Matthew 10:29: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

  2. Numbers 22:28: Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

  3. 2 Kings 17:25: When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people.

  4. 1 Kings 17:2-4: Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine…I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.”

  5. Jonah 1:17; 2:10: But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah…And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

  6. Jonah 4:6: Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort.

  7. Jonah 4:7: But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered.

  8. Leviticus 14:34–35: [God addressing Israel] When you enter the land of Canaan…and I put a spreading mildew in a house in that land, the owner of the house must go and tell the priest.

  9. 2 Samuel 24:15: So the LORD sent a plague on Israel…and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.

  10. Exodus 8:1-2: [God speaking to Pharaoh via Moses] This is what the LORD says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs.”

  11. Exodus 8:21, 24: [God to Pharaoh] “If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you…”And the LORD did this.

  12. Exodus 10:13: The LORD made an east wind blow across the land…By morning the wind had brought the locusts.

  IV. GOD’S HAND OVER NATURE’S (SMALL “N”!) INANIMATE FORCES

  1. Psalm 147:15-18: He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast? He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.

  2. Psalms 148:8:…lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding.

  3. Amos 4:7-10: [God addressing Israel] “I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another…Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, I struck them with blight and mildew…yet you have not returned to me,” declares the LORD.

  4. Jonah 1:4: Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.

  5. Genesis 6:17: I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.

  6. Genesis 19:24: Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah.

  7. Mark 4:37–41: A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped…He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm…[His disciples] were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

  8. Exodus 9:23: When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt…The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.

  9. Exodus 14:21, 27: All that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided…At daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the LORD swept them into the sea.

  10. Numbers 16:28-33: Then Moses said, “…If the LORD brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt.” As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them.

  V. GOD’S HAND OVER MAN-MADE MACHINERY, TOOLS, AND TECHNOLOGY

  1. Exodus 14:25: He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt.”

  2. 2 Kings 6:5–6: As one
of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. “Oh, my lord,” he cried out, “it was borrowed!” The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float.

  3. Proverbs 16:33: The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

  4. Daniel 3:27-28: [Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are thrown into a blazing furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar for refusing to bow down to an idol] The satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants!”

  VI. GOD’S HAND OVER OUR BODILY AFFLICTIONS

  1. Psalm 103:2-3: Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.

  2. Mark 1:32–34: That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick…The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases…

  3. Exodus 4:11: The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD?”

  4. 2 Kings 15:5: The LORD afflicted the king with leprosy until the day he died.

  5. Psalms 38:3: [David speaking to God] Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin.

  6. Deuteronomy 28:27, 35: [God promising sickness if Israel disobeys] The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured…The LORD will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.

  7. Deuteronomy 28:58-59: [More warnings] If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name—the LORD your God—the LORD will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses.

  8. Exodus 15:26: [On the other hand, if Israel obeys…] If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.

  Of course Satan sometimes causes illness (Job 2:7; Luke 13:16)—but there, as everywhere, Satan unwittingly serves God’s ends (section II above). Note also the following verses showing that mature Christians can become sick even while living close to God. The passages show that sickness stems not merely from specific sin or from “lack of faith.”

  9. 1 Timothy 5:23: [Paul to Timothy] Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

  10. 2 Timothy 4:20: [Paul to Timothy] I left Trophimus sick in Miletus.

  11. Philippians 2:27: [Concerning Epaphroditus, who hand-delivered Paul’s Philippian epistle] Indeed he was ill, and almost died.

  12. Galatians 4:13: [After Paul’s apparent detour into Galatia to recuperate] As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you.

  VII. GOD’S HAND OVER OUR PSYCHOLOGICAL/SPIRITUAL AFFLICTIONS

  1. Galatians 5:22–23: But the fruit of the Spirit is…joy, peace.

  2. Psalm 30:11–12: [David praying] You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.

  3. Psalms 4:7–8: [David praying] You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

  4. Lamentations 3:32:…he [the Lord] brings grief.

  5. Psalms 6:3–4: [David praying] My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long? Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.

  6. Psalms 13:1-3: How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?…Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes.

  7. Deuteronomy 28:28, 34: [God threatens Israel if they disobey] The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind…The sights you see will drive you mad.

  8. Deuteronomy 28:65-67: [Israel again warned] The LORD will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense,filled with dread both night and day…In the morning you will say, “If only it were evening!” and in the evening, “If only it were morning!”—because of the terror that will fill your hearts…

  9. Leviticus 26:36: I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them.

  10. 1 Samuel 16:14: Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.

  11. Proverbs 21:1: The king’s heart [includes thoughts, emotions, will] is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.

  12. Daniel 4:31, 16, 33–34: A voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: ‘Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal…’”…Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored.”

  13. 2 Corinthians 12:7: [Paul speaking] To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” [It’s not clear whether Paul’s torment, sent by God but brought by Satan, was physical or psychological]

  VIII. IN SUMMARY, NO TRIAL REACHES US APART FROM GOD’S EXPLICIT DECREE AND SPECIFIC PERMISSION

  1. Amos 3:6: When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?

  2. Lamentations 3:38: Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?

  3. Isaiah 45:7: I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.

  4. 1 Samuel 2:6–7: The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.

  5. 1 Thessalonians 3:3: You know quite well that we were destined for [trials].

  6. Ephesians 1:11: [God] works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.

  In conclusion, God may not initiate all our trials—but by the time they reach us, they are his will for us. When Satan, other people, or just plain “accidents” bring us sorrow, we can answer like Joseph to his brothers who sold him into slavery, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20, NASV).

  Appendix B:

  SCRIPTURE ON GOD’S PURPOSE IN OUR SUFFERINGS

  Discovering God’s hand in hardship is really a discovery of God’s Word. The following verses underscore a few of the benefits derived from our pain and problems. These power-packed verses serve as a lens through which we gain a clearer perspective on our afflictions.

  Suffering is used to increase our awareness of the sustaining power of God to whom we owe our sustenance

  1. Psalm 68:19: Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

  God uses suffering to refine, perfect, strengthen, and keep us from falling

  1. Psalm 66:8–9: Praise our God, O peoples, let the soun
d of his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.

  2. Hebrews 2:10: In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.

  Suffering allows the life of Christ to be manifested in our mortal flesh

  1. 2 Corinthians 4:7-11: But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.

  Suffering bankrupts us, making us dependent on God

  1. 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

  Suffering teaches us humility

  1. 2 Corinthians 12:7: To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

  Suffering imparts the mind of Christ

  1. Philippians 2:1—11: If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.