Do you ever
wonder why God rarely
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answers the question "why?"
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Stay tuned, we'll be right back.
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As we mentioned a while ago,
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we're gonna be
answering the question,
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why God rarely answers "why?"
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Today, we have as our guest,
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Pastor Troy Fitzgerald, welcome.
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Thank you, good to be here.
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Tell us a little
bit about yourself Troy.
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Well, I'm a pastor
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at the Walla
Walla University Church.
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My responsibilities
mainly working with young people
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and the young adult crowd,
the college students. Amen.
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So I live there
only 12 years now.
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Married. Yes, I am married.
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Julia, my wife and I got
two boys Cameron and Morgan.
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They're the joy of my life.
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Amen, young, old.
Well, I am old, yeah.
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Thank you for noticing
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but no they are
12 years old and 7.
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So Cameron is
12 and Morgan is 7.
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My wife is always
young and I'm getting,
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I'm getting wiser right here.
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That's, that's
another way of saying it.
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You look mighty
good, thank you, yeah.
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You got a nice
tan and I understand
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that you have just
come back from some place.
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Just working with some student
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missionaries in
Hawaii, so that's great, yeah.
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That's been nice. Amen.
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Somebody has to go.
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That's exactly right. I
said here am I, send me.
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Amen, amen, tell me
about your education Troy.
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Well, I went to
college studied Theology
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went into pastoral ministry
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and then I got a
Masters in Education
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because I wanted to learn
about the art of teaching.
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Figured that pastors really
spend a lot of time teaching
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in their work and their field
and I just didn't know much
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about the whole art of learning
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and so I did a Master's degree
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then I finally did
my Ph.D. in Leadership.
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In Leadership. Yeah.
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And as we know today,
Leadership is so important.
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You can have all
the education you want,
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you can know the Bible
but you need to be have
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that leadership
in order to lead.
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A world needs people
to just engage others
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in being an influence
on the world around them
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and I think that just takes
a certain mindset to faster,
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but we all have that
capacity and everyone of us
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we have leadership qualities
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but to study with that
might look like in the life
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of local churches what I
was really passionate about.
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Amen, yeah, and I know that
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you've authored
five or six books.
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Yeah, a few of them.
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Amen, and I know
that the latest one,
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one that I found
quite fascinating
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is 20 Questions
God Wants to Ask You,
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Life-Changing
Encounters with the Divine.
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Yes, that was a struggle for me
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because that's
what I ended up doing.
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I ended up taking
all of my questions,
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the unanswered things
as I looked at my world,
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there was so much I
didn't know and I thought,
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you know, why isn't
God responding to me,
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why doesn't He help
me solve this problem,
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why doesn't He
answer this question?
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And as I went to scripture
I just bounced into people
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who--they might have had
similar questions for God.
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But God would return
with a question for them.
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And the question often
times redirected their life.
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If they answered the question
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it changed their life
in one way or another.
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So as I went through scripture
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I looked at all these encounters
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with God and people.
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For me that just seems to
be the most important moment
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in history is when God
comes face to face with people.
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Either in person
or through His word
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and I believe that today.
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In fact the greatest
symbol of that is Calvary
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where He comes in
more contact with us
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than at any other time.
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He grabs on to us and
He secures us for eternity
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and so there are these moments
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where we have
this contact with God.
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And in scripture He
speaks and that's what I love
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most as He asks a question
and when God asks a question,
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you get a window into his heart
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and perhaps even a doorway
into his will for our lives.
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So I just scan
through his scripture
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and found all the
places and I picked 20 of them
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because of the whole
20 questions idea, yeah.
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And I chose 20 that were
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significantly meaningful for me.
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Well I know that I've
read part of this book
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and I mean, I just
really I'm really enjoying it.
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Praise God, I can't
wait till we get past this
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and I'm going to
finish reading it again.
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Now I do know that
there is one question
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that people tend to
ask more than the others?
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What would that question be?
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Well, people want to know why?
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Why? Why God,
why did this happen?
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Why does this
always happen to me?
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Why me and not them
or why them and not me?
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Talking to a lady the
other day who lost her daughter
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and her grand
daughter to cancer, why them?
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I'm 83 years old,
why them and not me?
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So basically what
people are looking for
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some sort of explanation
to a problem or tragedy
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that they face in the world.
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And that--and that
becomes problematic in itself,
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just the whole idea of
looking for an explanation.
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I guess biblically speaking
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Job was quite an
example, was he not?
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Yeah, I think that Job
and that was one of the people
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that I focused on in this book.
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But Job was clearly
an example of someone
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who I'm sure had
his questions why?
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He even came up
with his own explanations
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but that's the problem.
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We as humans
want an explanation.
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We want somebody to
color in the context
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as to why these things happen
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because in our minds
there are two things going on.
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The first thing that's
going on is that we believe
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that what's
happening to us isn't right?
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It isn't fair, it isn't just.
And it's certainly isn't good.
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So part of us inside just
we know that there should be
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a good, there
should be a justice,
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there should a right way
and this comes headlong into
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and that's where we get
the whole notion of grief
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and sadness and disappointment
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is because what we
thought should be doesn't happen
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and yet we also
live in a sinful world
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and we know that things go wrong
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and things are broken
and bad things do happen.
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And we are a part of that.
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We are not outside of that.
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And that was Job's problem.
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He's sitting there
and just living his life
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on earth and, you know,
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and God draws
attention to him, it says.
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You want that kind
of-- I know you don't want
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that kind of attention
but God initiates this story,
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He is up in heaven
and Satan comes walking to
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and from as the
Chapter 2 says and God says,
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"Have you
considered my servant Job?"
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I'm sure Job, if he
knew what was going on,
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would've been hiding
and shushing God saying,
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no, no, don't
draw attention to me.
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I don't want that.
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And he becomes
the story of sadness
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and disappointment, injustice.
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And yet through it
all he tries to explain
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to his friends that God
has every right to do this.
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That God is able.
That God is working.
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That I must have
done something wrong.
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Let's not point
our finger at God
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and even puts his
flag in the sand and says,
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even though He slay me,
I will trust in Him, amen.
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So Job struggles with it though.
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I think he gets to
the end of his rope
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and he has to shake his fist
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and have in a
little bit and see.
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What is going on,
which is the question
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that I think many of us ask.
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I've asked that,
I mean, I've lost,
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yeah I have lost probably
10, 12 kids in my church
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in my community of faith
in the last 10, 12 years.
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It seems like every
year we have a tragedy
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that hits some
of our young people.
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And I go up to the cemetery
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and there are these
gravestones of kids,
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teenagers, children
who are four years old.
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Twelve-year-old boy
we lost in a house fire.
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Young girl we lost to leukemia,
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you know, accidents,
car accidents, we lost some
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kids in a drowning
accident, heart failure.
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All these things, you know,
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it just makes your soul cry out.
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Why, what is going on God?
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Why, why is this happening?
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And the truth is we don't really
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hear very many answers from God.
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We don't ever hear God explain
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what's wrong or what happened
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or explain his actions or
more importantly his inaction.
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Remember in the ICU units
in one case, 16-year-old girl
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who is being held
together on life support
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and as I was standing
there one of the grand parents
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were struggling
with all of this,
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so it just looked
wrong, 16-year-old girl
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having to be kept
alive by electronic systems.
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And she said to
me, she says boy,
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God has a lot of
explaining to do.
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He's gonna have to answer
some questions about this one.
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And I felt just--yeah,
I resonated with her.
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Oh, my God, I really did want
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God to say something or respond
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even if you're just
gonna paint the picture
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of hope for us
again and again and again,
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that's fine but
sometimes it's just silent.
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And I think that's
what Job had for a while.
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So he had the silence of God.
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And then as he questions God
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and pushes him God--God
comes to him with an answer
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but that answer comes
in the form of questions.
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I looked at these
questions and they're stunning.
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God doesn't
explain anything to Job.
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He levels Job with two,
three four chapters of questions
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and I mean they're profound.
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Where were you when I
laid the earth's foundations?
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Tell me, if you understand.
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Who marked of its
dimensions? Surely you know Job!
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Who stretched a
measuring line across it?
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On what were its footings set?
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It just keeps going over
and over with these questions
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about how it all began.
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Who shut up the
sea behind doors Job
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when it burst forth from
the womb, did you do that?
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Have you ever given
orders to the morning, Job?
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That must have been amazing
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and I'm
paraphrasing a little bit.
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The earth takes shape
like clay under a seal,
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its features stand out
like those of a garment,
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you had something to do
with that I am sure Job, right?
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Have the gates of
death been shown to you?
00:11:31.35\00:11:34.43
Have you seen the
gates of the shadow of death?
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Have you comprehended the
vast expanses of the earth?
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Tell me, he says this
tell me if you know all this.
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Where Job is the abode of light?
00:11:45.23\00:11:48.20
And you can just see Job
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getting pummeled
with these questions.
00:11:49.64\00:11:52.85
His question is, "why is
all of this happening to me?"
00:11:52.86\00:11:56.44
Then God says where you there
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when I started this
whole thing, tell me?
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And all of these questions
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and it literally goes
on chapter after chapter.
00:12:03.61\00:12:07.75
Job stops and he
says, I get it God,
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I get it, you know
everything, you're big.
00:12:09.67\00:12:13.20
God says, brace yourself again
00:12:13.21\00:12:15.19
because evidently I'm
not big enough for you.
00:12:15.20\00:12:18.31
I need to be bigger
and that is the point,
00:12:18.32\00:12:20.19
God is not being mean,
he is not been arbitrary.
00:12:20.20\00:12:23.97
He is trying to get Job
to see how big he really is,
00:12:23.98\00:12:30.73
to the point where
Job will lest it, amen.
00:12:30.74\00:12:34.54
And that's the point
00:12:34.55\00:12:35.52
that he is making
with all these questions.
00:12:35.53\00:12:37.72
So it is not just one question
00:12:37.73\00:12:39.04
that God asked but many.
00:12:39.05\00:12:40.39
But the question is, "Job,
00:12:40.40\00:12:43.49
have you
considered how big I am?"
00:12:43.50\00:12:48.52
That question is hard
to answer in the ICU unit,
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it is hard to answer by the
graveside, but it's possible.
00:12:54.86\00:12:58.72
And that is the
message we have from God's word
00:12:58.73\00:13:01.93
and that's the
question we have from God
00:13:01.94\00:13:03.91
and it just pulls us
towards him asking us,
00:13:03.92\00:13:08.24
do you really know who I am?
00:13:08.25\00:13:10.29
So the why
question get switched--
00:13:10.30\00:13:14.85
Yeah, I can see that.
00:13:14.86\00:13:15.83
No longer a
question of why, but who?
00:13:15.84\00:13:20.21
Who is this
God? Who am I to you?
00:13:20.22\00:13:25.12
Because may be if we can answer
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that question it will
make all the difference.
00:13:26.52\00:13:28.94
Well, I don't
know if you've ever had
00:13:28.95\00:13:30.26
to try and explain things--
00:13:30.27\00:13:31.63
Oh, most certainly.
00:13:31.64\00:13:33.67
We deal with it daily or we
attempt to deal with it daily.
00:13:33.68\00:13:37.29
And they're so
many times whenever
00:13:37.30\00:13:38.80
we don't have the words
00:13:38.81\00:13:39.80
that we just stop in
the middle of a sentence
00:13:39.81\00:13:41.90
and just say, let's invite
the Holy Spirit and may be,
00:13:41.91\00:13:45.73
you know, we can claim
00:13:45.74\00:13:48.11
that information is
coming from the most high.
00:13:48.12\00:13:51.02
And I don't know what
is about the human mind,
00:13:51.03\00:13:53.19
but God made us this
way, so I'm not gonna
00:13:53.20\00:13:55.19
apologize for it
but we want to know.
00:13:55.20\00:13:58.06
We want explanations
and the problem is that
00:13:58.07\00:14:01.99
we see so--we see with
such a small perspective,
00:14:02.00\00:14:07.66
we see through a
peephole this great grand thing
00:14:07.67\00:14:11.40
called life on earth
00:14:11.41\00:14:12.75
and it's not
enough to know everything.
00:14:12.76\00:14:16.16
In fact, if God
tried to explain to me
00:14:16.17\00:14:18.51
all the things
that are going on,
00:14:18.52\00:14:19.77
I wouldn't have the
tools to understand them,
00:14:19.78\00:14:22.73
but what is it in the heart
of a human that just cries out
00:14:22.74\00:14:26.18
with loss that's,
what we go through.
00:14:26.19\00:14:30.11
We want someone to say
00:14:30.12\00:14:31.91
something about
what is happening.
00:14:31.92\00:14:34.44
And that's why
we look to God for
00:14:34.45\00:14:36.85
but in this case he turns
it back on us and says, okay
00:14:36.86\00:14:40.14
Oh, we certainly do know
00:14:40.15\00:14:41.12
that his ways are
harder than our ways
00:14:41.13\00:14:43.33
and, you know, so about faith
00:14:43.34\00:14:45.66
we have to just
have an understanding
00:14:45.67\00:14:47.85
of his mercy and his grief.
00:14:47.86\00:14:50.52
And having that
understanding just as you said,
00:14:50.53\00:14:53.30
having an understanding
with that also means
00:14:53.31\00:14:56.67
having an experience with it.
00:14:56.68\00:14:58.07
I have to learn
that I can trust.
00:14:58.08\00:15:01.67
I mean, I learned
a lot about hanging
00:15:01.68\00:15:05.20
on during these
moments because I think
00:15:05.21\00:15:07.03
that is probably
what we need to do
00:15:07.04\00:15:09.90
the most is learn
to hang on to God.
00:15:09.91\00:15:13.11
Asaph in the 73rd
song describes a crisis
00:15:13.12\00:15:18.02
that we went
through a faith crisis
00:15:18.03\00:15:20.76
where he said
all the right things.
00:15:20.77\00:15:22.60
He said surely God
is good to the upright,
00:15:22.61\00:15:24.93
and he is right by their side.
00:15:24.94\00:15:27.40
He says I used to think
that but now I don't anymore
00:15:27.41\00:15:31.68
because look at the
wealthy, the corrupt,
00:15:31.69\00:15:34.60
and all the
people out there that use
00:15:34.61\00:15:37.11
there greatness
for their own gain.
00:15:37.12\00:15:39.30
They're
stepping on God's people.
00:15:39.31\00:15:42.19
And he goes and he just
describes the horror that,
00:15:42.20\00:15:47.01
they're evil people
out there that are--
00:15:47.02\00:15:50.68
that are just
growing and they're wealthy.
00:15:50.69\00:15:55.05
And I have got a lot of friends
00:15:55.06\00:15:56.75
who are graced,
oriented, blessed people,
00:15:56.76\00:16:00.15
God trust them
with the resources,
00:16:00.16\00:16:01.61
that is not who, that is
not who Asaph is talking about.
00:16:01.62\00:16:05.03
He is talking about people
00:16:05.04\00:16:06.69
who use their
wealth for corruption.
00:16:06.70\00:16:10.05
He says and they just
get wealthier and wealthier,
00:16:10.06\00:16:11.97
while we just get
poorer and poorer,
00:16:11.98\00:16:13.79
so there's
something wrong with that
00:16:13.80\00:16:16.06
and then the
beautiful message in the middle
00:16:16.07\00:16:18.23
of all that is somehow
he steps into the sanctuary
00:16:18.24\00:16:22.42
and he goes in and
he gets a glimpse of God
00:16:22.43\00:16:24.98
and he gets an experience
and he says I learned,
00:16:24.99\00:16:29.74
I learned that I can trust you.
00:16:29.75\00:16:31.69
I learned that
your ways are high,
00:16:31.70\00:16:32.99
I learned that this can work.
00:16:33.00\00:16:35.56
And God turns it
all around for him
00:16:35.57\00:16:37.19
but there is this moment
where he goes through crisis.
00:16:37.20\00:16:40.86
I believe there are a
lot of people out there
00:16:40.87\00:16:42.61
that endure that and they
struggle but it is a journey.
00:16:42.62\00:16:47.17
It's a journey that,
you know, many of us,
00:16:47.18\00:16:49.80
as we walk this road home,
00:16:49.81\00:16:51.86
we're gonna to have to learn
00:16:51.87\00:16:53.45
to understand
who God is in that.
00:16:53.46\00:16:56.31
One thing gives me
comfort is that I understand
00:16:56.32\00:16:58.72
that he has my eternal
benefit in mind at all times
00:16:58.73\00:17:02.14
and because his ways are
hard there're so many things
00:17:02.15\00:17:05.46
I don't understand
but if I can just hold on
00:17:05.47\00:17:07.71
to that fact, you know,
that I know that you love me
00:17:07.72\00:17:12.39
so much that you want me
to spend eternity with you.
00:17:12.40\00:17:15.65
You want me to fulfill
my destiny, my true destiny
00:17:15.66\00:17:20.94
and that is just--that
is to be with you forever.
00:17:20.95\00:17:22.45
That's right and that question,
00:17:22.46\00:17:25.81
is there enough to stand
on? That's the crucial one.
00:17:25.82\00:17:29.51
You bet, Nathan, he was
a young person in my church
00:17:29.52\00:17:33.04
who is in my
Youth Sabbath School.
00:17:33.05\00:17:34.39
I remember it was
about two to three months
00:17:34.40\00:17:37.75
before he died
in a car accident,
00:17:37.76\00:17:41.99
we were talking about sadness
00:17:42.00\00:17:43.60
and how do we hang on to
God during the tough times.
00:17:43.61\00:17:46.59
I was going through it
kind of in a superficial way.
00:17:46.60\00:17:49.00
I had no clue what the
future events would be.
00:17:49.01\00:17:51.91
But Nathan came up
probably with one of the best
00:17:51.92\00:17:54.64
illustrations that
I've ever heard about people
00:17:54.65\00:17:58.71
who are struggling to hang on.
00:17:58.72\00:18:00.12
He says do you know--he
said you ever--you ever go
00:18:00.13\00:18:03.69
to the rock climbing
wall where these young people
00:18:03.70\00:18:06.61
strap on the
belts and they learn
00:18:06.62\00:18:08.25
to climb on a flat wall.
00:18:08.26\00:18:09.86
They have these rock ledges,
00:18:09.87\00:18:12.42
these little bumps on
the wall that they climb up
00:18:12.43\00:18:15.51
and scurry up and come down,
00:18:15.52\00:18:17.68
and some of the holes
are very large, they're big,
00:18:17.69\00:18:21.89
stick both feet on, on
those and it is very comfortable
00:18:21.90\00:18:25.31
on the side of
that wall as comfortable
00:18:25.32\00:18:26.76
as you can be I suppose.
00:18:26.77\00:18:28.61
He says and
then there are these,
00:18:28.62\00:18:29.97
just these little bumps
these nub that stick out
00:18:29.98\00:18:33.41
just barely
enough for you to get
00:18:33.42\00:18:36.36
the edge of your foot on
it and I'm waiting for the--
00:18:36.37\00:18:41.45
waiting for the application
and he says sometimes in life
00:18:41.46\00:18:44.85
we have this big large
blocks that we can stand on
00:18:44.86\00:18:47.55
and we know that God is there.
00:18:47.56\00:18:49.92
And God will bring us truly
00:18:49.93\00:18:51.09
and we know the
hope that we have.
00:18:51.10\00:18:53.20
And then Nathan
said but sometimes
00:18:53.21\00:18:55.04
all we have is a
nub where all the things
00:18:55.05\00:18:57.64
that we have learned in our
grief just kind of fall away,
00:18:57.65\00:19:01.11
but we have
enough. We know Christ,
00:19:01.12\00:19:02.80
we know what he said is
true and that he is coming home
00:19:02.81\00:19:06.23
and sometimes just that
little nub of hope is enough
00:19:06.24\00:19:10.91
to put the full force of
your weight on. And he said--
00:19:10.92\00:19:15.37
It is fantastic.
Certain that is how--
00:19:15.38\00:19:17.96
and you know what I
just think of that lesson
00:19:17.97\00:19:22.54
that he shared with
me and then it's true
00:19:22.55\00:19:25.14
sometimes that's what we have.
00:19:25.15\00:19:26.92
We hang on to that
one verse or that one song
00:19:26.93\00:19:31.03
and its that one
story from scripture--
00:19:31.04\00:19:33.89
I was talking to a
woman the other day
00:19:33.90\00:19:35.45
and she says there is
just one passage I hang on to
00:19:35.46\00:19:39.64
and it just happens to be
another one of the questions
00:19:39.65\00:19:41.58
that God asked, it
is that that passage
00:19:41.59\00:19:43.21
about being the
resurrection and the life,
00:19:43.22\00:19:44.96
Mary and Martha since
I always read that story
00:19:44.97\00:19:47.60
when I think about the
husband that I've lost,
00:19:47.61\00:19:49.95
I loved him. We were
married for 60 years.
00:19:49.96\00:19:54.11
My heart is going
out to her, she says,
00:19:54.12\00:19:56.07
and I don't know
if I'm Mary or Martha
00:19:56.08\00:19:58.05
but I knew I was mad.
00:19:58.06\00:19:59.91
And I knew I had questions
for God but then he comes
00:19:59.92\00:20:02.67
and he asked that question,
00:20:02.68\00:20:03.86
I'm the
resurrection in your life.
00:20:03.87\00:20:06.45
You will live again
if you believe in me
00:20:06.46\00:20:08.43
and Jesus says,
"Do you believe this?"
00:20:08.44\00:20:13.99
And she says, "Everyday,
00:20:14.00\00:20:15.81
I answer that question,
yes Lord, I believe."Amen.
00:20:15.82\00:20:21.67
So all she has
is that little nub
00:20:21.68\00:20:23.15
but she's putting the
full force of her weight on it.
00:20:23.16\00:20:26.47
So how would you
explain the issue of sin
00:20:26.48\00:20:28.75
and tragedy versus God is good.
00:20:28.76\00:20:32.88
You know, well
that's the problem is that,
00:20:32.89\00:20:34.10
I think sometimes
our quick reactions,
00:20:34.11\00:20:37.39
we try to explain a way
because we think somehow
00:20:37.40\00:20:39.98
if we cognitively
answer this question
00:20:39.99\00:20:43.43
that somehow people who
are grieving will feel better.
00:20:43.44\00:20:46.60
And that's just not the case,
but some of the answers like,
00:20:46.61\00:20:51.23
well, we live in a sinful world
00:20:51.24\00:20:52.90
or that's not God
doing that, that's Satan or--
00:20:52.91\00:20:56.88
you know, even
worse that's God's will.
00:20:56.89\00:21:00.00
All of these answers
just they don't help.
00:21:00.01\00:21:04.33
I was trying to
describe this to,
00:21:04.34\00:21:06.75
to somebody the other day
who was trying to blame Satan
00:21:06.76\00:21:11.33
for everything that's
gone wrong in this world.
00:21:11.34\00:21:15.29
And it is true, Satan
is the one who brought sin,
00:21:15.30\00:21:19.71
but the problem is
that God let Satan do it
00:21:19.72\00:21:23.35
and we can't let
God off the hook.
00:21:23.36\00:21:25.99
Let me give you an example,
00:21:26.00\00:21:27.00
if you have a--if you have
a playground in a schoolyard
00:21:27.01\00:21:32.15
and there is a
13-year-old boy just beating up
00:21:32.16\00:21:35.85
on a kindergartener,
you know, 5-year-old,
00:21:35.86\00:21:38.90
whose fault is
that? Well, of course,
00:21:38.91\00:21:42.78
it's, it's the
13-year-old's fault.
00:21:42.79\00:21:44.62
He is
inflicting the pain, right?
00:21:44.63\00:21:46.96
But what changes if
you put the principal
00:21:46.97\00:21:48.95
in the yard
standing right next to them?
00:21:48.96\00:21:52.30
Who's responsible now?
00:21:52.31\00:21:56.15
Well, it's still the 13-year-old
00:21:56.16\00:21:58.48
inflicting the
pain but the principal
00:21:58.49\00:22:02.30
is allowing it to
happen when he could stop it.
00:22:02.31\00:22:05.77
And see that's where
this part gets difficult
00:22:05.78\00:22:08.36
for humanity is if
we believe everything
00:22:08.37\00:22:11.04
we believe is true
about God, that He's powerful
00:22:11.05\00:22:13.95
and He's loving that He is good
00:22:13.96\00:22:17.06
and He has done
things in the past.
00:22:17.07\00:22:20.43
And He's
choosing not to right now.
00:22:20.44\00:22:23.46
What gives? What's going on?
00:22:23.47\00:22:26.45
Somebody needs to
explain that to me.
00:22:26.46\00:22:29.58
But my response
to that is--is that,
00:22:29.59\00:22:32.90
it's the beauty of
that analogy is that God
00:22:32.91\00:22:36.74
is big enough to take
responsibility for everything
00:22:36.75\00:22:41.19
that has happened on earth.
00:22:41.20\00:22:42.39
Is He, is He the one
that started sin, no way.
00:22:42.40\00:22:46.49
It's not in His character. Amen.
00:22:46.50\00:22:49.17
But it is in his
character to let us chose.
00:22:49.18\00:22:52.02
And the bottom line is
this even though we chose it,
00:22:52.03\00:22:56.15
Adam and Eve, even
though Lucifer brought it,
00:22:56.16\00:22:58.34
God wraps his arms,
his big, wide graceful arms
00:22:58.35\00:23:03.98
around the whole problem
and says, "I will solve it.
00:23:03.99\00:23:09.23
You're not gonna
like everything that I do.
00:23:09.24\00:23:11.84
You're not gonna understand
every angle I come from.
00:23:11.85\00:23:15.31
You're not gonna appreciate
my timing all the time
00:23:15.32\00:23:19.37
but I will solve
it. I will answer.
00:23:19.38\00:23:22.43
And I will bring you
home and when you get there,
00:23:22.44\00:23:25.78
you'll look back
and you'll smile,
00:23:25.79\00:23:27.30
knowing I did
this thing perfectly.
00:23:27.31\00:23:29.53
" I think that's
what's going on in our minds
00:23:29.54\00:23:32.97
and I hope that, that
might help some people,
00:23:32.98\00:23:37.28
respond to this
God, we don't want
00:23:37.29\00:23:38.97
to set him
outside of the problem.
00:23:38.98\00:23:42.13
We want to
enable God in our minds
00:23:42.14\00:23:44.87
to be the solution to it.
00:23:44.88\00:23:47.21
That's why He did a
Calvary, He solved it for us.
00:23:47.22\00:23:49.20
Amen. You know,
and I bring this up,
00:23:49.21\00:23:51.91
why in the world do we
want to concentrate on problems,
00:23:51.92\00:23:54.19
when we can concentrate
on the problem solver.
00:23:54.20\00:23:56.86
Beautiful. That's exactly it.
00:23:56.87\00:23:59.33
And that's why we switch
00:23:59.34\00:24:01.18
from the explanation,
to the personification.
00:24:01.19\00:24:05.47
That's why we go
from wanting an answer
00:24:05.48\00:24:07.99
to the one who is the answer.
00:24:08.00\00:24:10.20
He is--I am the
resurrection and the life.
00:24:10.21\00:24:15.79
And it's like that little story,
00:24:15.80\00:24:17.37
that quick story
that comes about,
00:24:17.38\00:24:18.90
where the father's traveling
with the son in the car
00:24:18.91\00:24:22.18
and a bee comes in the
window and it's buzzing around
00:24:22.19\00:24:24.98
the little child, the
child is deathly allergic
00:24:24.99\00:24:27.60
to the bee sting
and so he cries out
00:24:27.61\00:24:29.17
to his father, help me, help me.
00:24:29.18\00:24:30.70
Father grabs the bee in his hand
00:24:30.71\00:24:32.77
but only
seconds later lets it go
00:24:32.78\00:24:34.54
and the bee starts
buzzing around again
00:24:34.55\00:24:36.44
and child cries out,
why, why did you let it go?
00:24:36.45\00:24:38.76
It's gonna sting me and he
holds out the palm of his hand
00:24:38.77\00:24:41.48
and there's a, a swelling
in the middle of his palm,
00:24:41.49\00:24:43.85
he says that, "Bee
can't hurt you anymore."
00:24:43.86\00:24:46.24
And that's the truth for us.
00:24:46.25\00:24:47.90
It's that there's nothing
00:24:47.91\00:24:48.92
that can
separate us from God now.
00:24:48.93\00:24:51.13
His plan is perfect.
He will bring us home
00:24:51.14\00:24:54.17
and in the
meantime we have to let him
00:24:54.18\00:24:56.56
like Job be big
enough, large enough,
00:24:56.57\00:25:00.71
responsible enough
to seal this up for us
00:25:00.72\00:25:05.67
and, you know, as I
look at those questions
00:25:05.68\00:25:08.41
and I'll continue to ask
them because I think God is okay
00:25:08.42\00:25:12.27
with me coming to Him
00:25:12.28\00:25:13.25
and saying look I
don't understand this.
00:25:13.26\00:25:15.69
Amen. I don't understand why
00:25:15.70\00:25:18.61
the Lord helped me
put the pieces together.
00:25:18.62\00:25:20.85
His answer to that is, is not
well, here's what I did then,
00:25:20.86\00:25:25.05
and here's what I did then,
00:25:25.06\00:25:26.03
and this is what's
going on, you can't see that.
00:25:26.04\00:25:27.99
His answer is
no, get to know me.
00:25:28.00\00:25:30.35
Look at me, I'm the answer.
00:25:30.36\00:25:32.56
Focus on my character.
00:25:32.57\00:25:34.46
What I've said
to you in the past.
00:25:34.47\00:25:36.80
Don't let what you
don't know confuse you about
00:25:36.81\00:25:39.09
what you do know
about me, We are going home.
00:25:39.10\00:25:42.23
Amen. And this
will be just a glimpse.
00:25:42.24\00:25:46.11
And that's why, you know,
00:25:46.12\00:25:47.41
why knowing why is so important.
00:25:47.42\00:25:50.42
And we gain that
through the relationship
00:25:50.43\00:25:53.44
through asking Him questions
00:25:53.45\00:25:56.17
and I, I totally agree with you.
00:25:56.18\00:25:57.58
There's nothing wrong
with asking questions.
00:25:57.59\00:25:59.97
Father I'm in a
crossroads here--. Yeah.
00:25:59.98\00:26:01.79
What do I need to do?
00:26:01.80\00:26:03.78
And then as you
have so wonderfully done
00:26:03.79\00:26:07.30
we go from the why to the rock.
00:26:07.31\00:26:11.66
Yeah. To who?
00:26:11.67\00:26:13.32
And that's how Job finishes.
00:26:13.33\00:26:15.52
If you read that last
Chapter Job comes to the place
00:26:15.53\00:26:18.85
where he says, "I shook
my fist at you since I asked
00:26:18.86\00:26:26.44
and You answered, I asked again,
00:26:26.45\00:26:29.08
and you asked me a
bunch of questions,
00:26:29.09\00:26:31.74
and I really don't have
an answer for all of them.q
00:26:31.75\00:26:36.03
" He says, "I used
to know who you are
00:26:36.04\00:26:38.20
because I heard
about you, heard about you
00:26:38.21\00:26:44.03
but now, I've seen
you, I've seen you,
00:26:44.04\00:26:49.25
I've experienced
you, and everything."
00:26:49.26\00:26:53.23
Has his family
been restored yet? No.
00:26:53.24\00:26:56.45
Has he been given
the gift of a new life?
00:26:56.46\00:26:59.81
Has he been healed? No.
00:26:59.82\00:27:01.63
there in the
depth of his tragedy,
00:27:01.64\00:27:04.76
it says, "I see you."
00:27:04.77\00:27:08.18
And it's more than enough.
00:27:08.19\00:27:10.32
It's more than
enough that you are my God.
00:27:10.33\00:27:13.57
Again going back to
what you initially said.
00:27:13.58\00:27:15.39
"Even though you slay
me, I will trust you."
00:27:15.40\00:27:18.88
Is God big enough?
Is God good enough?
00:27:18.89\00:27:21.58
Is God that responsible
for us that we can answer
00:27:21.59\00:27:25.55
and say, Lord, you're God. Amen
00:27:25.56\00:27:29.56
I'd like to say
that is the challenge
00:27:29.57\00:27:31.17
for everyone of us, you know.
00:27:31.18\00:27:36.91
This has been a--
this is a wonderful topic,
00:27:36.92\00:27:39.58
you know, why? And
I do agree with you
00:27:39.59\00:27:43.13
that He just wants us to ask why
00:27:43.14\00:27:45.11
and He respects us
we're His children.
00:27:45.12\00:27:47.47
Anyway we are
running out of time. Yeah.
00:27:47.48\00:27:50.69
Just once again, I
just wanna thank you
00:27:50.70\00:27:53.90
for being here, you
know, you're just--I can
00:27:53.91\00:27:56.62
just see Christ
written all over you, so--
00:27:56.63\00:27:59.04
Praise God, praise God.
00:27:59.05\00:28:00.07
you're a
wonderful servants of His.
00:28:00.08\00:28:01.82
Just want to thank
you each one of you
00:28:01.83\00:28:02.95
for being with us
today at Issues and Answers.
00:28:02.96\00:28:05.04
Being with us at
3ABN. We love you.
00:28:05.05\00:28:08.10
May God richly bless you.
00:28:08.11\00:28:10.52