Why Life?

"Why is light given to him who is in misery,

and life to the bitter in soul,

who long for death, but it comes not,

and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,

who rejoice exceedingly

and are glad when they find the grave?

Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,

whom God has hedged in?

For my sighing comes instead of my bread,

and my groanings are poured out like water.

For the thing that I fear comes upon me,

and what I dread befalls me.

I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;

I have no rest, but trouble comes."

Job 3:20-26 ESV

Job was struggling.  He lost everything dear to him, and then the misery extended to his health as sores covered his body, bringing intense physical suffering.  He wondered, What's the point of my life?  Why can't I just die and end this pain?

Why indeed. . .

Purpose.  God is a promise-keeper.  His Word is solid and can be trusted.  He never changes His mind like man often does.  Therefore, when He makes a proclamation of some kind, I can believe without a doubt that He will live up to His Word (Numbers 23:19).

One of God's promises concerns His ability to transform all the ugliness of my life into something beautiful (Isaiah 61:3).  He never allows hard things into my life just for the sake of pain.  No!  As a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ I have the assurance of His purposes being manifested in my life.  Everything, then, that He places His stamp of approval on, will be used to further His plan for my life.  Nothing is random or arbitrary.  On the contrary, it all is deemed as necessary for my development as His child (Romans 8:28).

This means that there is meaning in the suffering.  God could be using it to test my faith to see if it is real.  After all, anyone can profess a confidence in God when everything is going well, but true faith endures through the fire (1 Peter 1:6-7).  The hardships may also be used to grow my faith, strengthening it and driving me closer in relationship with my Father so that I will learn to hang on to Him through any storm (James 1:2-4).  Sometimes, God allows hard times into my life so that He will be glorified through the ugly circumstances (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).  In all, the choice is His to make, not mine (Romans 9:14-16).

God chooses to extend my life through the difficult times because He uses hardships to fulfill His purposes.

Perspective.  Whenever I recover from a cold or the flu, I gain a fresh appreciation for my good health.  Similarly, it's easy for me to get used to the good and fail to appreciate how many ways God has blessed my life.  When I go through trials and tribulation, however, I long for the ordinary which I took for granted.  After the storm, I find myself treasuring every moment as a gift from God.

My perspective is often relative.  For instance, when I compare my life to that of someone I admire, I may feel discontent in contrast.  Or, if I'm used to hot weather and I visit a cooler state, the pleasant summertime temperatures may feel cold in comparison to what I'm used to.  Or, if I usually put hot sauce on my food, it may taste bland without it.

For this reason, I often need a wake-up call of kinds.  I can easily be lulled into a state of apathy, failing to really appreciate all the good I've been given.  Once I make it through hard times, however, my regular life starts to look pretty good.  

God chooses to extend my life through the difficult times because He uses it to give me an appreciation for His goodness woven throughout the ordinary.

Power.  Life hums along according to my plan.  I set a goal then work hard to reach it.  I'm forward-focused, constantly following my strategy for my life.  I feel empowered, like there's nothing I cannot achieve.

Then the unexpected happens.  Out of nowhere, I'm hit with a crisis, then another, until I find myself on my knees in desperation.  Help me, God!  Why is this happening?

It's easy for me to think I've got everything under control, that my life is mine to direct, that there's nothing I can't do if I put my mind to it. I can believe that until I come face-to-face with God and His sovereignty.  I forget that He is the one in control and only He knows the plan he has for my life.  Furthermore, nothing happens apart from His approval.  In other words, I've been lulled into a false sense of power.

There's nothing like a crisis to set things into the proper balance, teaching me how little power I have and how much I need God.  I am helpless without Him.  I can't even take a breathe apart from Him!  I live in the world He created and He is the One who keeps it all humming along.  Therefore, the reality is that I am completely dependent upon Him, whether I realize it or not.

God chooses to extend my life through the difficult times because He uses it to show me my great need for Him.

Life can be hard.  When the difficult times come, it's easy to want to give up, thinking there is no longer a reason to continue living.  God, however, has His reasons for keeping me around a little while longer.  He wants to use the suffering for His purposes, to give me a new appreciation for the life I often take for granted, or to show me how much I need Him.  I have not been placed on this earth to experience a comfortable, pleasant life.  Instead, I've been put here to live in relationship with God, which is where I will experience abundance beyond my wildest imaginations (John 10:10b, Ephesians 3:20)!  

Why am I still here even though I suffer so?  God has His reasons. . . and I can trust Him through it all.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can treasure the life God has given to me, even if it's not turning out the way I want it.

How do I have my own expectations for my life that have nothing to do with God's plan?

When am I failing to depend on God for His power to endure?