Tragedy, Suffering, Chaos, & God’s Sovereignty.
“If God is all-powerful and all-loving, why is anyone suffering? He must not be one of the two.” The study of this question is called Theodicy.
This is an important question and one that has a lot of attempts at explanation. We will never fully be able to understand the answer in this lifetime. Your Rooted book goes through some very important perspectives and partial answers about this and we won’t revisit all of them here. The most important of them all, of course, is that God doesn’t trivialize our pain or remove himself from the situation, but instead he experiences it completely for himself so that we can have a way out.
Suffering, of course, can lead us in one of two directions. It can make us very bitter and close us down, or it can make us wise, compassionate, and utterly open. Our hearts open either because they have been softened, or perhaps because suffering makes us feel like we have nothing more to lose. It often takes us to the edge of our inner resources where we “fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). Such a profound ability to change is often the result of suffering and various forms of difficulty.
So, there are two key ideas for the posture of your group as you start this conversation:
1. Don’t Try to Solve It.
Theodicy is a mystery. Though there are important clues, our limited perspective will never be able to truly explain for sure why everything happens.
That means that you should do your best to avoid and redirect cliches. Though people oftentimes try to be comforting, some of those trite, simplistic phrases can cause more damage than good. However, this needs to be a safe place for even the people saying these cliches. So, try to ask clarifying questions to help them think through what they mean. Here are some examples:
You can probably think of some more, but be ok with the mystery of causation while helping people embrace hope in God’s faithfulness.
2. Be Sensitive.
Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to be pretty vulnerable with each other so far. It’s likely, though, that there are several painful scars or even ongoing issues among those in your group, that have not come out in your group yet. Recognize that there may be someone in your group who’s seriously asking this question in the middle of their present or lingering suffering. Have the demeanor of a counselor and be in tune with your instincts about what might be under the surface of the conversation. Stay in prayer personally as you listen and ask questions of your group.
Preparing for Next Session | Week 5
Serve Experience | Plan ahead for Week 6-7
Week 4 Resources:
Week 4 Email Template
“If God is all-powerful and all-loving, why is anyone suffering? He must not be one of the two.” The study of this question is called Theodicy.
This is an important question and one that has a lot of attempts at explanation. We will never fully be able to understand the answer in this lifetime. Your Rooted book goes through some very important perspectives and partial answers about this and we won’t revisit all of them here. The most important of them all, of course, is that God doesn’t trivialize our pain or remove himself from the situation, but instead he experiences it completely for himself so that we can have a way out.
Suffering, of course, can lead us in one of two directions. It can make us very bitter and close us down, or it can make us wise, compassionate, and utterly open. Our hearts open either because they have been softened, or perhaps because suffering makes us feel like we have nothing more to lose. It often takes us to the edge of our inner resources where we “fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). Such a profound ability to change is often the result of suffering and various forms of difficulty.
So, there are two key ideas for the posture of your group as you start this conversation:
1. Don’t Try to Solve It.
Theodicy is a mystery. Though there are important clues, our limited perspective will never be able to truly explain for sure why everything happens.
That means that you should do your best to avoid and redirect cliches. Though people oftentimes try to be comforting, some of those trite, simplistic phrases can cause more damage than good. However, this needs to be a safe place for even the people saying these cliches. So, try to ask clarifying questions to help them think through what they mean. Here are some examples:
- “Everything happens for a reason.” This is a well-intentioned mantra of faith. However, “everything” includes a lot of heinous things that are certainly not the “will of God.” It won’t take long for you to imagine some examples. The “reason” might simply be that we have a sin-infected world full of sin-infected people with free will. Still, it’s hard to understand why most forms of disease exist or natural disasters happen. God is pretty clear about how he feels about injustice, suffering, and evil (Psalm 12:5, Isaiah 10:1-3). I think this inadequate phrase reflects an even more beautiful truth: He’s so good at redeeming messed up situations that he makes them look purposeful. Things don’t happen for a reason, but God can bring reason or meaning to those situations.
- “What is God trying to teach you through this?” God may teach you something through a situation, but that doesn’t mean he caused that situation for the purpose of teaching you a lesson. Yes, the Bible tells us he “disciplines” those he loves (e.g. Hebrews 12:6), but that doesn’t mean their painful situation is God’s discipline. Remember the harsh criticism reserved for Job’s friends who, though well-intentioned, misappropriated his suffering to God and misspoke to Job in a time of needed support.
- “You just need to have more faith.” Jesus certainly uses measurement metaphors when talking about faith. However, he also says that a tiny amount of faith (e.g. a mustard seed size) is enough to do impossible things (e.g. move mountains, Matthew 17:20). He also helps those who admits their struggle to have faith. (“I believe, help me with my unbelief,” Mark 9:24)
You can probably think of some more, but be ok with the mystery of causation while helping people embrace hope in God’s faithfulness.
2. Be Sensitive.
Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to be pretty vulnerable with each other so far. It’s likely, though, that there are several painful scars or even ongoing issues among those in your group, that have not come out in your group yet. Recognize that there may be someone in your group who’s seriously asking this question in the middle of their present or lingering suffering. Have the demeanor of a counselor and be in tune with your instincts about what might be under the surface of the conversation. Stay in prayer personally as you listen and ask questions of your group.
Preparing for Next Session | Week 5
- Next week is the “Repentance” (Strongholds) Week. Be sure to consider how you will break up your group (separate males and females) and who will lead each. If you don’t have a co-leader that’s the opposite sex, be sure to pay attention this week to someone with leadership-capacity and prepare them to help in the following weeks.
- Your facilitator’s guide offers substantial help when it comes to that week on pages 98-105. Some of this might feel strange, but I’d encourage you to do your best to let this rhythm stretch you.
Serve Experience | Plan ahead for Week 6-7
- Make sure to get something on the books for your experience between or around weeks 6 and 7.
- Try to prioritize something that’s relational with those you’re serving. It’s not a must, but it’s highly preferred.
- Start with ideas from within your group and then also check with staff or ideas with our BE Rich Partners in the community. Don’t let this one slip, but be proactive to do something rather than nothing.
Week 4 Resources:
Week 4 Email Template