I'm sure
all of you love the words of Psalm 91.
The
words assure us that we are loved by the Creator of all, precious in His eyes, and
that He will make sure no Evil will befall us.
Yet on
the other end we find Job whose Life was ruined for a time, a man who put his
trust and faith in YHWH.
We find
Yahshua, the purest Man who ever lived, and He met nothing but adversity,
misery and suffering, even unto Death.
So, is
He a liar?
Does He
give us false promises and false assurances which only serve to set us up for
disappointment because what we hoped for and believed in did not come to pass?
If He is
almighty, then when He stands back and allows the Adversary to vex His children,
surely He is to blame for that?
I am not
going to be the apologist inventing excuses for the sake of upholding a religious
ideal.
I will,
however, speak to you truthfully from my own experience and give you a
different and realistic perspective so that the reason for the existence of suffering
becomes clearer.
Suffering
has a strange side-effect: it can bring out the Good.
Or it brings
out the Bad, Evil, depending on the heart of the individual.
We take
it personal because it is impossible not to, but if we try to see it as a
carving tool, then surely the fruit it brings forth also must be taken into
consideration and as such be seen from a more objective perspective?
If then
the process is uncomfortable and painful, like the filling a cavity in a tooth,
but it brings forth something which is Good, like a restored tooth, then surely
for the sake of justice the entire process must be judged by the fruit it
bears?
This is
a very strange phenomenon, but the things which should have destroyed YHWH's
children become instruments in drawing out YHWH's character in their Souls.
We are
children of the Most High, and we bear the resemblance to our Father in our
Soul and Spirit.
When we
suffer and we constantly look within to find answers and help from our Father,
this process of introspection draws us closer to Him, so that His character
manifests in us to a greater degree than before.
This was
also the outcome of Job's suffering: a greater intimacy with YHWH.
And I
know it still remains hard to accept it, because if YHWH is all powerful, isn't
He able to create a different way to draw forth His character in us?
I am
just a man, and should I be capable of finding a better way than the way YHWH
has created?
Do I
have the insight into what is possible and what not, can I bring forth
realities and shape them after my own insight?
I
cannot, and therefore I trust Him Who created me, even though I may complain to
Him.
My
complaint comes from my pain, and He knows this as well as my great love for
Him.
More
powerful than my complaints and my disputes is my love for Him and my trust in
the Rock of my Salvation, and I learned to let go and turn my heart over to
Him, asking to remember His mercy and kindness.
Through
the many why's He makes us wise.
I do not
like suffering, who does?
But I do
not know all the different parameters of my own reality and how they influence
and shape me.
So, am I
in my ignorant state to blame and hate YHWH?
I have
chosen not to, because I love Him.
Even
though I do not understand all, I persist in faith and trust, because He has
shown me His heart, and what I saw was Good and kind, and I loved Him with all
my heart and Soul.
I
believe in the heart of my beloved Father in Heaven, and when I suffer I
persist to the best of my abilities and ask Him to help me.
What
else am I to do?
Blame
YHWH for the suffering Evil Shadows bring into my Life?
Reject
my love for YHWH and thus surrender my Soul and my heart to the ones who hurt
me endlessly?
NEVER;
let the Shadows carry the blame for the hurt, let them be judged who brought Evil into my Life.
So I
persist and I hang on, trusting and believing, hoping for my Salvation.
Because
that is the way how I can strike back at Evil, and that is what frustrates the
Evil Shadows the most: that they cannot succeed in turning me into their
slave, because I reject their suggestions and hold on in faith.
Yes, I
reject the lies of the Satan and I hate everything that Liar stands for.
Because
I turn my heart to YHWH in my pain, the answer the Adversary finds in me is the
strength of YHWH Himself.
I am
just a man and the Adversary can easily overcome me, but when I turn my heart
to YHWH and the Satan encounters His strength in me, then He faces the unshakable
Almighty Creator.
Let him
deal with that.
And
believe me, our Heavenly Father sees, and not a single blow the Adversary has
dealt you has eluded Him.
He IS
judge, and He DOES watch over you, never doubt that.
Still,
how come Evil is able to influence our lives to such a great degree?
It is
because Evil is able to make itself felt in our lives by means of the pawns it
has enlisted in its service, and the structures it uses to captivate us and
make us dependent on them.
'Seek the welfare of the nation, because the
welfare of the nation is your welfare'.
This is
something the prophet Jeremiah wrote (chapter 29), meaning that the lack of peace
and welfare also becomes the lack of the peace and welfare of YHWH's people.
The
nations where we live, our employers, our families, our cities, our homes, all
these are structures we are positioned in, and if a structure manifests a
greater degree of Evil than before, then we who are part of the structures
and dependent on it are exposed to the increased presence of the forces of
Evil within that structure.
We tend
to forget we are placed in a world where Evil has a dominant position.
The
Satan owns the world's kingdoms, and that is why he is able to offer positions
of prominence as rulers over all the
kingdoms of this world.
You
cannot offer something you do not have, and as the example of Yahshua's
temptation shows us where the Adversary offers Him ALL the empires of this
world, the Satan REALLY has our world in his back pocket.
The only
thing which restrains him is the presence of YHWH in His Spirit and His
messengers.
This dominant presence of Evil in this world is why every single one of YHWH's children have Heavenly guardians watching over them: without protection we would not have a prayer of a chance.
When
Evil grows more prominent in our nations due to the fact that the people living
in the nations hate YHWH and His Son in their hearts, when they thus open their
hearts to Evil, then Evil manifests to a greater degree within that nation,
having greater power to inflict harm upon those who love YHWH.
And when a
nation manifests more Evil, YHWH withdraws His Spirit and His messengers, and
Darkness replaces the Light.
If you
love YHWH and you are surrounded by people who hate YHWH, then YOU WILL suffer.
Not
because you are unjust, or because YHWH hates you, but because you -being the outsider, the misfit-, are in a
position where Evil can hurt you.
And
believe me, if you are in such a position, you WILL be hurt.
Did
Yahshua not say, 'if they hated Me, they will hate you also, and if they loved
Me, they will love you also'?
If then
you are find yourself in the company of people who hate Yahshua, that hatred is
something you will experience, because Yahshua lives in you.
You will
be targeted for persecution in a multitude of different forms, and that is when
the words of Psalm 91 will seem like a distant Utopian fantasy having no roots in 'reality'.
But you
must not forget that due to the fact that you are in a position where Evil has
the power to shape your world and turn it against you, Evil has the power to
create a false image of YHWH as the great Liar.
The
minions of Evil will hurt you and make you suffer, and then ask you the
question, 'if you have such a loving and kind Heavenly Father, why does He
allow you to suffer, why does He not answer you when you cry out of pain to
Him?'
Of
course it's just a tactic they use in an attempt to steal your Soul away from
you, because they KNOW that they have no power over your Soul as long as you
hold on to your choice for YHWH.
And if
you persist in that choice, they will do their best to make you suffer under
their wrath.
Their only hope to gain control over you is by manipulating you so that you make the choice to turn against YHWH.
BUT,
always remember that even during the time of Job's suffering, YHWH made sure
that the Adversary could not venture beyond the restrictions YHWH imposed.
He
restrains Evil.
So do
not fear what others might do to you, for they too cannot venture beyond YHWH's
restrictions.
YHWH
watches over you, and you are part of His heart.
YHWH
allowed the suffering to happen so that He might be able to bless Job and have
a greater degree of intimacy with him than before.
The
suffering made Job question what He knew YHWH to be, yet in spite of his
questions he held on to his love for YHWH, confused as he was about the
contradiction he saw.
The
suffering caused Job to aim his heart to YHWH more than ever before, and as a result
he drew near to YHWH just as YHWH drew near to Job, so that YHWH's presence
manifested to a greater degree in Job than ever before.
In the
end Job was victorious and understood, there was a reason, and it had not been
in vain.
And the
treasure he inherited was one of eternal value, one which could never be taken
away from him.
We all
live in nations and structures in societies where Evil rules, and the degree to
which Evil is able to manifest itself also is growing on a daily basis.
Unless
we move to a deserted place we cannot isolate ourselves from the nations where
we live.
The
greater our dependency on the facilities our nations offer us, the greater the
means Evil has at its disposal to make us miserable.
But Life
is more than just the Life we live here at this moment.
This is
just one phase of preparation, and the REAL Life is the extension into
eternity.
YHWH
WILL satisfy us with Life in abundance and untold joy, and in this Life He DOES
show us His Salvation.
But you
must never forget the hidden presence of Evil in all facets of Life around us.
If you
were a Jew in Germany in 1940, and if you were to set foot in a building where
the Nazi party held a meeting, what do you think your chances would have been
to encounter any Good in such a situation?
You would have encountered nothing but Evil.
Because you
were at the wrong place at the wrong time, venturing into the domain where Evil
was able to show it's true vile face without restraint, and you would have
suffered as a result.
Our
Creator YHWH is Good, and there is not a cell in my Body which doubts that.
I often
am at a loss understanding His silence when I expect an answer, but when I look
back at my Life I can see that He always answers.
It's
just that the answer did not always come at the time and place where I hoped and expected it to come, but it came at a time and in a form I did not expect.
I often
do not understand why suffering comes my way, even though I did nothing to
deserve it.
Yet
later when I look back and see how the suffering brought out qualities of
YHWH's character in me, then even though I do not understand the why or how, I
DO acknowledge the end result which is Good.
I have
to say that even during difficult times YHWH always provided a way out.
It did
not come immediately, -yes, my faith is put to the test just as much as anyone
else's, perhaps even more so.
It is
through trial and setbacks that you learn to reach within to find the strength
to overcome, and your faith grows thanks to the stresses it encounters.
He
always creates a way out for His own at His appointed time, and you have to learn
to trust His judgment in this matter, for if you find yourself in difficult
situations and YHWH allows this, He has an agenda which aims to bring you
closer to Him and cause you to flourish in faith.
I have
seen glimpses of what lies ahead, the bright and glorious future YHWH has in
store for those who love Him, and I can assure you your current problems will seem
irrelevant and not worth mentioning in the light of that future.
No, this
is not a conman's ploy to trick you into accepting that which is unacceptable,
holding out a bright promise in order to exploit you in the present, but it is
the honest Truth.
I cannot
stress enough how important it is that you TRUST YHWH, even if He may seem deaf
to your pleas, even if your situation is not what you want it to be.
TRUST
Him, knowing that He will take care of you, because that is the Truth.
All of
us are being tested in order that YHWH can shape our Soul and manifest Himself
in us.
I have
difficulty with preachers proclaiming that if a nation goes through the seven lean
years, you will not suffer but instead prosper abundantly if you love YHWH.
Their
brand of faith promises instant gratification to those who are spoiled by the
doctrine, and this gratification usually is of a material nature.
It is nothing but a Lie serving an Evil purpose.
If those
lean years concern the nation which you are part of, then do not be surprised
you have to learn to do with less like everybody else.
If you
expect that you will prosper during times of economic depression because you
believed the lies a preacher told you, and you find to your surprise that you
lose your job and have to earn a living with whatever you are able to find and
make the ends meet with a lot less money, guess who tends to get blamed?
Yes,
YHWH usually is held accountable and blamed for the misfortune.
And when
you blame YHWH, the force of Evil acting through that preacher has succeeded,
at your expense.
Be
thankful, even for the little you receive, and if you need more, ask YHWH,
believing Him.
When
your circumstances are turned against you and you are deprived of a steady
income, forcing you to meet ends with whatever you can find, STILL be thankful
and ask YHWH to provide you with opportunities to earn your money.
You may
not have as much as ten years ago, you may find yourself wishing you had more,
but if you become angry at YHWH and put the blame on Him, your faith suffers
and the Demons which made your Life difficult rejoice because they are
succeeding.
Your
Father watches over you ALL the time, and He will provide for you, trust Him in
that, and do whatever you can.
The rest
is up to Him Who loves you.
So, hold
on and do not let the vexations of the Adversary take away the breath of your
Soul.
Our
Heavenly Father may not always give you an answer or solve your problems at the
exact time when you expect it, but He is faithful and He has ALWAYS helped me
in ways I did not expect.
He IS
your Father, and what Father has a cold callous heart towards His children?
Know
that you are loved, and although your Father may allow suffering in your Life,
He does so in order that Good may manifest itself to a greater degree because YHWH can manifest Himself to a greater degree in your heart.
He
ALWAYS will guard you and watch over you, no matter what.
The
strange thing is that when YHWH's Ruach, His Spirit, comes to me, such as at
the time I write this blog post, all memory of suffering becomes irrelevant and
distant, as if it happened to someone else than me.
So when
YHWH tells us He will wipe every tear from our eye, I can tell you from my own
personal experience that this is not just future tense, but it is already a
reality which I have experienced.
All
trauma becomes distant and forgotten in the presence of YHWH's Ruach, and even
though clouds may gather and make you feel sad and disheartened, remember this
one thing: what the Bible refers to as the 'glory yet to be revealed', which is
the reality of being one with YHWH without Evil standing in the way, will make
all your traumas and pains seem irrelevant and of no importance whatsoever.
As a
matter of fact, the painful memories and the traumas which handicap you now will
be completely forgotten.
And this
is not a lie or a pacifier to help you deal with pain and setbacks, it is a
reality and these words I write are true.
Your
greatest challenge lies perhaps in facing Evil in those you trusted most, your
friend, your family.
They
have the power to inflict the greatest wounds, and the Adversary knows that all
too well.
But know
this, by learning to let go and forgive the world lies at your feet, because
if you can forgive those you loved and trusted most, yet who abused your love
and trust, then you have overcome the world in its most vile and pernicious form.
Even
when Life is difficult, and all has been taken away from you, do not let the
thieves in the temple take away your love for YHWH.
Because
THAT is what they are after: to cut you off from YHWH so that they, after they
made you suffer and caused it to appear as if YHWH inflicted the suffering, can
rob you of your precious Soul and make it theirs.
They are
thieves, unholy murderers, Shadows without substance who seek to gain substance
by taking it from you, parasites from the Dark feeding themselves with your
Life and Energy.
Our battle
is with them, not YHWH, so let your
Soul be encouraged NOT to put the blame on YHWH, but to put the blame on the
Shadows reaching out into your Life.
Love
YHWH and put your trust in Him, and I guarantee that you will not be put to
shame.
Please
bear in mind that to this world alternating hours of Darkness and Light have
been allotted, and during the hours of Darkness Evil can make itself felt in
our lives.
Do not
put the blame on YHWH, do not hate Him for what the workers of iniquity do to
you.
Let the
ones who do you Evil be held responsible, and keep YHWH always first and
foremost in your heart as your first and greatest love.
Remember
Joseph, how he was betrayed by his own brothers and sold into slavery in a
strange land which was not his own, and in this dark hour, hoping his Heavenly
Father would help him, his Life took another bad turn when Potiphar's wife lied
about Joseph so that he was chained in prison for a crime he did not commit.
Did he
renounce YHWH and spit on His name for all the misery heaped upon his shoulders
while he believed in YHWH?
No, he
kept trusting YHWH, believing that one day He would liberate Joseph.
Even
when Joseph was imprisoned he faced yet another setback when he asked the Pharaoh's
butler whose dream he interpreted that he would remember Joseph and mention his
case before the Pharaoh.
The butler however kept his mouth shut until finally after two whole years the Pharaoh had a dream and the butler mentioned Joseph's name as a skillful interpreter of dreams.
Still,
Joseph kept his faith in YHWH, believing that YHWH would deliver him and
restore him, even though he must have carried a lot of pain in his heart.
And that
day of his liberation and his restoration cam.
Joseph was honored with the
highest position in the land of Egypt where he could make
preparations for the bad times to come and thus save his family in Israel who
also suffered under the seven lean years.
Joseph
had to endure Evil in order that his faith might be tested and he might grow strong.
The
hardship brought out Josephs faith and character so that the Evil which was
done unto him contributed to Good.
Not only
Joseph's Good, but also Israel's Good.
YHWH had
allowed Joseph's tribulation because He also wanted to help Jacob during the
seven lean years.
He allowed Joseph to be sold into slavery and become the victim of false
accusations so that he could be brought to the Pharaoh's attention and become a
king in Egypt.
It was a
rough ride for Joseph, but one which strengthened him and which brought him
many blessings.
Furthermore, the rough ride also brought blessings to Israel as well as destroying the lies his 'brothers' had told Jacob.
If
anything, let that story inspire you to persist in faith and never allow your
circumstances to turn you against YHWH.
Your
trial means your faith is tested, and in order for faith to grow and manifest
itself to a greater degree it MUST be tested, none of us can escape it.
We need
to learn to draw closer to YHWH and live in complete dependency on Him, and our time of testing serves that purpose.
None of
us LIKES to be tested, but we all enjoy the Good which the testing brings
about, so ALWAYS trust YHWH, even when you are in pain and you are suffering.
Your Father
knows, and nothing happens without serving a greater purpose.
Your
Father cares and He is with you in your suffering all the way.