Trusting God in the Midst of Suffering: Living in a Fallen World

 

My eyes are worn out from weeping; my stomach is in knots. My heart is poured out on the ground due to the destruction of my helpless people; children and infants in the town squares. Lamentations 2:11

 The consequences of sin are devastating. We live in a fallen world. That means that all of the world is subject to the effects of sin. It’s not just the person who sins that deals with its consequences, but everyone that person interacts with, everything that person interacts with, in a ripple pattern. And because ALL have sinned (Romans 3:23), this is a global, universal phenomenon.

 Today’s verse deals with the situation in Jerusalem at its fall to Babylon. There were evil people who had done evil things in the city who were experiencing their just reward, but there were also regular people who had committed regular sin that also fell under judgement. On the one hand, sin is sin and there are not supposed to be tiers to it as far as I can tell biblically, but we still have a hard time seeing a white lie as being the same as murder or harm to children. The thing is, all sin has the same punishment: death. The only way we can escape that punishment, receive a pardon from our sentence, is by accepting the price Jesus paid on the cross in our place. Our sin has to be paid for with death, but the good news is that Jesus already paid that price for us. Our part in this is simply to humble ourselves before Him, admit our sinful condition and need for His forgiveness, and believe in what He has already provided to us.

 Is there still going to be sin and tragedy in the world? Yes. Until Jesus returns and brings with Him His perfect Kingdom, we are all still living in a world steeped in sin, a fallen world. In it, tragedy will occur. Just like the sun shines and the rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45), hardships come to us all as well. It may be the ripple effects of someone else’s sin that you are dealing with, or even your own, but one thing is for certain: hard times will come (John 16:33). Even more certain, though is the second part of that verse, “but take courage - I [Jesus] have conquered the world."

Here’s the Thing: In the world you will have trouble and suffering (John 16:33a). This is not a maybe, it is for sure. But we don’t have to stay there. We don’t have to be defeated by it. Jesus has overcome the world. He has provided a way of escape and peace for us. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

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