God's Goodness--True Amidst Suffering?

There are so many things that could be discussed concerning God's goodness and suffering. Yet in this note, I will only touch on a little bit of what I have been learning/thinking about.
I plan to (crossing my fingers, of course) do a three part "mini-series" concerning God's goodness:
Part I: God's Goodness--True Amidst Suffering?
Part II: God's Goodness--Its Role in Repentance
Part III: God's Goodness--Our Response

Ewww... that sounds so formal... but anyway.

I pray that as I jot down my rather scattered thoughts, you will join me in basking in the goodness of our Lord. My friends, God is good!

-Vange


Part I: God's Goodness--True Amidst Suffering?

Suffering has etched its wretched mark upon all of us, one way or another. Trials and tribulations, no matter the size, have plagued us at least once, no doubt. The world continues to reel in pain as natural disasters mar the face of this earth, as well as the lives of those who lost their loved ones. Everyday, approximately 115,000 abortions are being conducted—115,000 innocent lives are being ended.

The psalmist writes, in Psalm 107:1, “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever.”

Can I really proclaim that God... is good? The same God who, last semester, allowed two of my loved ones to pass away within a week? The same God who has allowed me to deal with a mysterious sickness for over six years… and counting? Throughout the times of pain, sadness, and sickness, is God truly good? Or do I, being the good Christian that I am, merely plaster a smile on my face and try to convince myself of God’s goodness?

Our circumstances are not an accurate reflection of God's goodness. Whether life is good or bad, God's goodness, rooted in His character, is the same.
--Helen Grace Lescheid

Friends, God is good. Let me repeat that: God is good! His goodness is not born from our good circumstances, nor is it washed out by our tears. Through pain, sadness, and sickness—through trials and tribulations of every kind, I can truthfully say, though my flesh battle within, that God is good.

God’s goodness is constant. It does not change with the seasons, nor with our circumstances. No, rather, God’s goodness stretches beyond what tragic situations can fathom. His goodness is an innate part of who He is: El Olam, the everlasting, unchanging God. When I respond to the psalmist’s call, giving thanks to “the Lord, for He is good,” I do not lie or evade reality. By proclaiming the goodness of God, I proclaim a reality. God IS good. The goodness of God is independent of who I make Him to be--how foolish to think that my circumstances can dictate who God is!

God's goodness is true--even amidst suffering. Praise God, my fellow sojourners! He is good! And again I'll say it: God is good!

When I think about God's goodness to me, I am amazed by His mercy which "endureth forever." It is not that God has given me a suffering-free coupon, no. Rather, I have the assurance that His abundant goodness prevails—even over suffering. And not only does it prevail, it also stands solidly upon the character of El Olam. Let us proclaim with conviction that God, indeed, is good! Yes, God is good!

Seeking God's Pleasure

“And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”

I don’t know if Eric Liddell truly said those words, but when I heard them, while watching “Chariots of Fire”, I felt a chill run down my spine. The question has been running through my mind ever since. Do I seek to feel His pleasure?

Day in, day out... I strive to live purposefully, work steadfastly, and achieve excellence. Yet for what? For man’s passing applause? For my own, unsatisfied heart? What do I seek?

Why do I lie to the longings of my restless soul by weighing myself down with the imitations found in this world? Why do I allow passion to guide me—why do I seek it as my strength? Why have I allowed the beauty of His creation to hold a fast grip upon me—a grip that has caused me to stumble? A passage in Augustine’s “Confessions” is brought to mind: “My sin consisted in this, that I sought pleasure, sublimity, and truth not in God but in His creatures, in myself and other created beings.”

Lord, help me. I am poor and needy. I chase after the wind—I seek the imitation. Yet You are the Truth... and I am Yours. Father, I beg You: Give me a desire to hunger after You. “Bring to me a sweetness surpassing all the seductive delights which I pursued. Enable me to love You with all my strength that I may clasp Your hand with all my heart. The house of my soul is too small for You to come in it. May it be enlarged by You. It is in ruins: restore it. In Your eyes it has offensive features. I admit it, I know it; but who will clean it up? Or to whom shall I cry other than You? (“Confessions”).” So Lord, in fear and trembling I come before Your holiness. I cower in my present state. Cleanse me and give me love—not the love of this world, for that is not love at all—but Your love. Lord, may my life be lived for Your pleasure.
In Your gracious and most sovereign name, amen.

I like learning things...

(Taken off my Facebook)

forgive my attempt... but i wanted to share with you some of the lessons that God has been teaching me :-)
you all are such a blessing to me--i can't even begin to describe. i am grateful for you and have learned so much from the fellowship we've shared :-)

this simple "poem" started out w/ reflections on friendship--but from there it just ran off w/ other stuff i've been learning and contemplating... so yeah.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heart and mind: Conjoin in reveling
A joy that reaches beyond “sweet bliss”

Breach the walls of emotion’s ruling
Love, overflow mine heart’s abyss

Tary not in comfort’s dwelling
Trust, unveil for Truth to see

Eyes affixed on Love’s perfection
Earth-trodden souls press faithfully

Silence: paint strokes of reverent wonder
Body of the Beloved, come one, fall down

Soar with hearts of adoration
Praise the One, the King who’s crowned!

Amen

The Love of God

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

-Fredick M. Lehman, "The Love of God"


The words which beg to stumble from my lips are humbled. Let my words be few.

The love of God is something that I struggle to grasp. Oh conditional love, judgmental and unforgiving self--depart from me! The depravity of my heart and my inability to truly love often astonishes me. I fear, I fall.

Father,
I am at a loss for words. The deprivation of my soul blinds me. What am I that You are mindful of me? The love which has been extended me is beyond what I can comprehend. I cannot even bear the weight of the knowledge of my transgressions--how much more the understanding that I am truly loved, regardless? Wretched sinner that I am! Yet with gratitude and humility do I fall prostrate before Your sovereign throne of grace. I tremble as I ask that You break this stubborn heart of mine. May Your will be done now and forevermore.
Amen.

Aisthetike

"The creation awaits the revelation of the children of God... through art and in art. This is your task. Humanity in every age, and even today, looks to works of art to shed light upon its path and its destiny." ~ Pope John Paul II

What is my responsibility to art? What is my responsibility to God? As a Christian (I can't stand that phrase... but I will use it nonetheless), what is my responsibility to art? And likewise, as an artist, what is my responsibility to God?
Questions concerning art and faith have been bombarding me as of late. Coming to a Christian university to study art (film, to be more precise), I will admit that I am not only skeptical... but I am also very critical. That aside, I must add that I am even more excited and full of anticipation than I am skeptical and critical. So there--I've got that straight.
There is a warm, fuzzy feeling that I get just sitting in class. I am with like-minded, artistic people--people who not only can discuss a film, but their relationship with Jesus Christ. Wow. Let me repeat that. Wow.
I have found that when dealing with the arts, I have always struggled with different issues. I have always come across adversity. And I have often wondered whether the marriage of art and faith is at all possible. Yet coming to Biola has been a sort of culture shock--I am with film kids who also (at least for some of them) confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. It is a beautiful and inspiring thing... I haven't gotten over it yet... and I continually thank God for His guiding me here. Yeah, I still question my being at Biola... and I question the route that I believe He has called me to take... yet I also know that I just need to focus on being faithful to His calling. (Though that is a huge challenge!)

The point of writing this post was to state my reason for writing this blog. Yes, I have a Xanga... and of course I have a Facebook. But as I continue this journey that God has planned for me, I want to stay off the cushion of like-mindedness. Not to say that I don't want to be around like-minded people, but rather that I don't want to get too comfortable being around like-minded people. I don't want to ignore my questions or water them down--just because I know that everyone else has the same main beliefs. I don't want to compromise and settle for mediocrity. Faith and art are powerful and dangerous... I respect both of them. Yet unlike the painter in C.S. Lewis' "The Great Divorce," I don't want to love art so much that I lose sight of why I love art. And now I will pull out my favorite quotes from the book:
Light itself was your first love: you loved paint only as a means of telling about light. When you painted on earth--at least in your earlier days--it was because you caught glimpses of Heaven in the earthly landscape. The success of your painting was that it enabled others to see the glimpses too.
I have to say, I love art. But that love is also dangerous. My art can only be a channel through which I glorify the Master Artist. If my art does not enable others to "see the glimpses" of Heaven, I am like a branch that bears no fruit--I am useless. So help me God.

Haha... this feels like a disclaimer. Okay, maybe it is. Let me put the title.
DISCLAIMER: I will be raising questions and challenging myself through this blog, ranting and raving about certain issues, and posting my art (or whatever art inspires me). I will, hopefully, point towards the Light. Grasp onto Truth. And marvel at the beauty of the Almighty.

How great is our God!