This past Sunday we delved further into our "Making Sense of Christianity" series. 

Sometimes when faced with suffering, we ask ourselves, "What's the point?"... and we aren't the only ones who have thought that! In Job 7:16, Job says "I despise my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone; my days have no meaning." Psalm 10:1 asks "Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?" It's important to remember that being a Christian doesn’t mean that we will be happy all the time-- the Bible gives us space to grieve, and models ways that we can use our words to tell God how we feel in difficult times.

But the Bible doesn’t stop at lament. The Bible points to the natural world as a source of hope and a reminder that the final word isn't that there is no purpose or order in life: "But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?" (Job 12:7-9)

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun." (Psalm 19:1-4)

So many specific details had to be perfectly in place for the universe to exist. If we look up, we can see that there is an ultimate and careful purpose to the universe which might help us to reconnect with God. All of this reminds us that although the answer to the question of why we suffer is sometimes "I don't know," it is never "because God doesn't care."

Discussion Questions for Small Groups
  1. Is there a time in your life when you felt God was distant? Or when life seemed purposeless?
  2. How did you get through this time?
  3. What is meant by the 'fine-tuning' of the universe? And what do you make of the example given on Sunday of the fine-tuning of the strong nuclear force? Do you think fine-tuning points to an intelligent Creator?
  4. How would you describe the purpose of your life? Or that of Runnymede Community Church?

 

Missed this Sunday's sermon? Watch it here!

 

Ministries
Worship