HOW THEN SHOULD WE UNDERSTAND?

Following the LORD, at times is not all that “smooth” sailing. Rather, Christian life seems to be peppered with problems. In fact, many times, the road can get rough, and will shake us up severely. Christ promised us His presence, yet, storms seem to hit us all too often. How then should we understand this paradox?

Job is a fine example of how to deal with such a paradox. He endured it. He waited for the LORD to help him. He looked to the LORD with all his questions and doubts. He hoped for help from the LORD, and patiently waited on God Almighty.

The life of John Milton is another example to help us. A gifted poet, who produces unparalleled Christian writings. Yet, history records that Milton, the Puritan poet, in “April 1667… blind, bitter, and poor, sells the copyright for Paradise Lost, for a mere ten pounds – a book that would influence English thought and language nearly as much as the King James Version, and the plays of Shakespeare. The theme of the epic appears in its opening lines: “Of man’s disobedience, and the fruit / Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste / Brought death into the world, and all our woe, / With loss of Eden.” [Christian History Today]

Many questions in a Christian’s life may go unanswered. Life itself can be a drag and a pain. There may be nothing but silence in response to many troubling questions. Instead of getting troubled and worked up, let us take the stance of Job, and follow the LORD in all our integrity and faithfulness. It is worth it.