This post is in response to a comment from a guy named Jon from my “Art of Knowing” post…
I have often heard the question of, “Why is it that life seems to go fine for those who are not Christians but for those of us who live out our faith life seems so hard?” And the answer often given is this, “Satan does not need to attack those who are not Christians, they are right where he wants them, in a state of complacency, while to those of us who are Xian’s he unleashes his full force because he is not going to give us up without a fight.”
“Maybe the people who ask this question just don’t know many non-Christians, but please don’t fool yourself that things are going fine across the board for any group of people. I have been both and can tell you that atheists have the same problems that Christians do.”
– Jon
“…we can ignore even pleasures. But pain insists on being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
I realize that non-Christians suffer, I live with a very non-Christian and I see how she suffers and it makes my incredibly sad. But all I can do is live out the truth for her and pray that God will choose to use this to make her discontent with the life that she is living and look for something more. On my college campus I hear and see every day that these students are suffering but I also see the movement of God on our campus and it gives me incredible joy and hope. When I quoted that question I was referring to only one small part of suffering, suffering from a specific point of view. I was referring to when Satan attacks us in order to stop us from doing what God has called us to do. Human suffering is, on every level, the result of living in a fallen world. How we view and respond to those sufferings is the great divider. With reference to the struggles of Christians vs. non-Christians, I am talking about those times when things go wrong while we are living for Him, when God has our attention. Each “side” has their uses for suffering and struggles, one to divide and conquer, the other to reconcile. Struggles, due to sin and other factors, are present on either side. Those who are not Christians suffer because God is trying to get them to turn to Him and Satan is using those trials to turn them away and make them angry with God. We either sink deeper into sin, and things get better because Satan likes it that way or things get worse because God is not willing to give in and let us give up. The same is true when, as Christians, we go through trials because Satan is trying to pull us away from dependence on God or God is trying to make us stronger in our faith and fully dependent on Him.
Romans 5:3-4
Faith Brings Joy
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials,
for we know that they are food for us –
they help us learn to endure .
And endurance develops strength of character in us,
and character strengthens our confident
expectation of salvation.
This question primarily arises, I think, because when we are living fully for God and being His ambassadors, we feel a sense of entitlement, that it is some sort of two way street. We make a bargain with God that if we work for Him then, He will clear the way for us and make every thing work out perfectly. This does not happen though, and for two reasons I think: 1. Satan does not want us to work for God so he puts up roadblocks and 2. God allows and uses those roadblocks to fulfill Romans 5:3-4. Without trials and difficulty, we would not learn to walk by faith and to endure. Essentially, it would be too easy and we would gain nothing from this work, it would take no step (or leap) of faith.
So, whether this question is valid or not, we still ask it and I don’t think we will very easily give up on or feeling of entitlement.
