Troubling news

One of the elders of our church, Dr. Bob Martin (or "Dr. Bob", as he likes to be called), just found out this week that he has advanced prostate cancer. He's looking at surgery next month, and other possible treatments yet to be determined.

It was a shock to Dr. Bob, and a shock to all of us. It is at times like this that the twin truths of God's goodness and sovereignty become especially precious. By faith we know that Dr. Bob's life is in the hands of his faithful Redeemer (John 10:28). This bad news, too, is part of the mysterious but glorious plan of the One who "works all things according to the counsel of his will" (Eph. 1:11).

As I write this, I am reminded of something I heard on the radio the other day. A talk-show host was interviewing a professor who had written a book on chance and the nature of randomness. This talk-show host is Jewish and believes in God. However, he said he had no problem believing that some things happen more or less purely by chance. In fact, he said, if something terrible happens to you, it could have happened outside the will of God.

I wonder, what kind of comfort does that "God" offer to someone who has just been diagnosed with cancer? None that I can think of. Thankfully, God is in control of all things, and while we cannot know why he allows tragedies, we do know - by faith - that he works out all things for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28). This God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, is the God of all comfort who invests our suffering with meaning, and has a redemptive purpose for us even in affliction.