I was clearing a patient for aero-evacuation the other day and witnessed a very touching scene. A soldier who had been hit by an improvised explosive device IED, was lying in bed, his face severely broken and bruised, ear drum ruptured, his eyes barely able to be opened, but tears rolled down his face as the chaplain held his hand and encouraged him. The chaplain held his hand for over 5 minutes as he ministered to this troubled soldier. I am not sure what the discussion was, but the main reason that soldiers cry after they have been injured is because they will not be able to return to their unit and they will leave their buddies behind. The other reason I have seen soldiers cry after injuries, is the question, “Why me?”.

In a trauma hospital where one sees the injured day after day, it is common to hear people ask, “What is the purpose of all of this?”. When people see apparent injustices, a common statement is “When I get to heaven, I have a lot of questions for God.” It is interesting that Jesus specifically addresses that very statement. Jesus encourages us with this, “I assure you: you will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. When a woman is in labor she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world. So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy. In that day you will not ask Me anything.” John 16:20-23 Jesus uses the birth analogy elsewhere when he is describing the earth before the “Great Tribulation” “All of these events are the beginning of the birth pains.” Matthew 24:8. I think the reason people want to ask God questions is that they doubt whether He is truly loving. It is common to hear people say, “If God is such a loving God, then why is there all of this suffering” Jesus’ response is simple. When you finally see Him, you will not have any questions. It will be absolutely clear that He is all knowing, all powerful, and all loving.

The other reason people often do not trust Jesus is because they feel that He has not answered their prayers. You can imagine how many prayers are being said by soldiers when they are in harms way. The feeling is: When they needed Him most, He was not there. Just a few verses later in John 16 you see Jesus explaining why prayers are not always answered the way we want them. He states, “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be complete.” John 16: 24 The condition is that your prayers will be answered by God in order for your joy to be made complete. God is drawing us to Him or refining us once we are already following Him. He is not concerned with answering prayers for our partial joy or fleeting joy. He is concerned with our joy being complete. When those who have believed in Him and see Him after all of our sorrows in this temporal life, our joy will be truly complete, and there will be no questions just worship.

I am very thankful for people who will hold the hands of those who are hurting and comfort those who cry. Until we see Jesus face to face “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Rev 21:4

Solis Deo Gloria

More thoughts to come