IF GOD CAN’T, NEITHER CAN YOU
Recently, I watched a wonderful TBN Prime series entitled Inexplicable: How Christianity Spread to the Ends of the Earth. It was fascinating, inspiring, extremely informative, and enlightening. I would strongly encourage you to see it, as it would be so good for your faith. Although there were many powerful stories of those who sacrificed so much to spread the Gospel to the world, one in particular hit me deeply, in a very personal way. It was the story of an African man named Samuel Adjai Crowther, a former slave, who became a convert to Christ. An extremely effective preacher, leader, Bible translator, and missionary for the Gospel in Nigeria. After years of devoted service, other leaders turned on him, telling him he could not preach or lead any more. They betrayed him and demanded he stop. They effectively destroyed all the work he had done. Realizing he no longer had their support, and the grave injustice being done, he resigned in protest. Three weeks later he died of a broken heart. I identified with this man on a very deep and personal level. Having experienced something very similar, I can attest to the reality that this is just how shocking and painful betrayal really is. It makes you feel as though you want to die. Many actually do; some even taking their own lives. Others completely fall apart and give up on life.
One of the most perplexing, difficult, gut wrenching experiences in life is betrayal. To have spent your life loving another person, or a group of people, with all your heart, giving yourself sacrificially to serve them for their good, only to have them treacherously turn on you and betray you is hard to even grasp! The experience is agonizing. It leaves you reeling in pain, filling you with tormenting questions. None more so than—How could they do this? Why did I not see this coming? How could I have prevented this from happening?
As I’ve wrestled and prayed through these vexing questions, God gave me an epiphany, a divine insight over the last several years that has ministered to me tremendously.
If God Can’t, Neither Can You
“When you were born, no one cared about you. Your umbilical cord was left uncut, and you were never washed, rubbed with salt, and dressed in warm clothing. No one had the slightest interest in you; no one pitied you or cared for you. On the day you were born you were dumped in a field and left to die unwanted. But I came by and saw you there, helplessly kicking about in your own blood. As you lay there, I said ‘Live!’ And I helped you thrive like a plant in the field!” —God [Ezekiel 16]
God lifted me with this incredible realization. God created Israel, picked them up, as the prophets said, from their afterbirth, lying naked, unwanted on the ground. Rescued them, loved them, gave them everything, treasured them, and yet, they betrayed Him, ran after idols, and turned their backs on Him, even though God was perfect and loving in all His dealings with them. Even God, in one sense, could not succeed with the rebellious, treacherous Israelites. Even God could not keep people He sacrificially loved, cared for, and provided for from betraying Him. If God cannot, who am I to think I could keep people from betraying me? You see, if God can’t, neither can I. This brought me tremendous comfort. Realizing that this very thing happened to God ministered to me in a powerful way. It brought peace and comfort, a restfulness to my spirit, and a greater grace to cope with it all.
I know many of you have experienced some form of betrayal in your life. Some of you have experienced it in the most intimate of relationships, at the hands of a person you loved with all your heart. Some have been terribly betrayed by a spouse, a relative, a child, or by some close friends. They have forsaken you and turned away from you.
I’ve come to understand, as my 50-year faith journey has passed, that humans are incredibly unpredictable, unreliable, capricious, fallen, unstable, and disloyal—and can, at any given time, shock you to pieces with the choices and decisions they make. No matter how much I loved them or cared for them, I cannot love them so much, or so perfectly, that they would never betray me.
I am reminded that I could not have foreseen their betrayal was coming any more than David could have known Saul, the man whose kingdom he saved, whose daughter he married, would betray him, lie about him, and try to destroy his life. I could not have foreseen anymore than Paul could have known all of Asia’s believers and leaders would betray and abandon him after all he suffered, gave, and sacrificed for them.
I trust you will be comforted and strengthened, as I have, in the knowledge that If God can’t keep his own people from betraying him, we cannot keep people from betraying us either, no matter how greatly we love or care for them.
I hope you can find some rest and peace from the tormenting questions, the pain and hurt, and find the grace to move forward with your life in some positive way. God is for you, that will not change!
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
