Christian Comment with Jane Court

“Why doesn’t God do something?”

I WONDER how many readers can identify with the frustration of living with a life limiting chronic illness?

In my case it is nearly 30 years.

I believe that the God who created the universe from nothing, can heal me, but so far he hasn’t.

Why not?

Daily our media platforms highlight a world in trauma – wide scale suffering as a consequence of disease, war and selfish human behaviours.

Why doesn’t God do something?

Well, the answer is that he did!

As a Christian I believe that somehow, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God did indeed “put the world to rights”.

But my faith is often challenged when I witness, and experience, ongoing suffering.

As always, when I stop railing against God about the unfairness of it all and sit down with my Bible, I find the answers.

Through his parables Jesus taught that the kingdom of God (where all things come under the reign and rule of God), will come slowly, just as a tiny mustard seed grows into a giant bush or yeast gently brings the whole dough to rise.

The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us that faith is being certain of what you hope for.

My hope is that one day all will be well.

Until then I must find a way to live with the tension of the “now and not yet“.

As one of my favourite Christian authors, Tom Wright, puts it “We are like people in the early morning, who know that the sun has risen but are waiting for the full brightness of midday”.