When God chooses to crush you. Isn’t that a cheerful thought?
I’ve given this a lot of thought recently. Because, taken on its face, that makes God out to be some sort of cosmic ogre. It makes Him sound like a wicked potentate, demanding His pound of flesh.
Fact is, God is a god of mercy and justice. So how does this “crushing” fit in? Does God indeed choose to crush you?
Yep. For the believer, it’s not optional.
Here’s what spurred this thinking for me. It grew out of a re-reading of the classic “suffering servant” passage in Isaiah 53 which is a prophetic foreshadowing of Jesus’ crucifixion. I’ve read this passage a gazillion times, I’m sure, and have often winced when reading verse 10.
Speaking of Jesus, Isaiah says, “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer …”
So I thought, man, poor Jesus. I know it was all part of The Plan, but it was for a redemptive cause – his life was to be an offering for sin.
(I’d add that it’s this line of thinking which causes some non-believers to balk at the Christian faith. “I mean,” they say, “what can you say about a god who would crucify his own son?” We could unpack that later.)
Are there, then, times when God chooses to crush you?
I’ve concluded that yes, indeed, there is.
Understand that being crushed by God doesn’t mean that your life is an offering for sin. That role has already been fulfilled. This isn’t about you being that kind of martyr.
To illustrate, I’ll need to go all autobiographical on ya. Thanks for indulging me. I have a reason for being personal…
… but I’m not looking for pity.
You may know that in June of 2018 I sustained a nasty concussion. Concussions happen all the time. But in about a third of concussion cases, the victim incurs what is called Post Concussion Syndrome. The issues are complex, but the bottom line is that it’s not a quick recovery. Some days I feel like a poster child for PCS.
I do think I’m better. People tell me they’re seeing more of the old Tony, and I appreciate that so! I don’t necessarily feel it, but I’ll go with the bright days I do have.
Besides the apocalyptic migraines that have come with it, the cognitive issues, and other fun symptoms, the worst has been the darkest, blackest, depressed funk you can imagine. That, too, has been held mostly at bay.
What that has done, though, has given me a fresh empathy for those facing mental illness in general and depression specifically. I get it.
Here’s where it gets messy, though.
For those who aren’t familiar with mental illness – either their own or by observing someone dealing with it – it is so, so easy to pass judgement.
Here’s what sufferers hear. I know experientially what I’m talking about:
”Shouldn’t you be over it by now?”
”Cheer up. There are plenty of people worse off than you are.”
” Just have more faith.”
Yeah, that’s really helpful.
The worst, for me personally, is the vibe that I get from some people who think I’m trying to get away with something. There’s no visible sign of illness, so you have to be working a scam, right?
You get cancer, or you get heart disease, and no one asks, “what did you do?” You get depression or other mental illness, and they ask, “who sinned, this man or his parents?”
I could go on, but I’d come across as a whiner.
I don’t want to be a whiner.
Back to my thesis – does God choose to crush? What do you do when God chooses to crush you (and I believe He does)?
If you feel crushed by God, you are not the first, nor are you alone.
I won’t take time right now to talk about David, that man after God’s own heart, but I can tell you that he just flat-out despaired. Check out Psalms 13, 22, 38, and 42 for starters.
I don’t want to get bogged down in theological weeds. Let me be as honest as I know how to be. I think this will help someone today.
I knew the Gospel. I knew all the right answers. I’ve taught the truth as best as I knew how.
But what I have recently learned is that there is a refining work of God that can only come though moments of despair.
This: I believe that God, in His mercy, chose to crush me.
Know why? It may be that I entered a season that I needed to suffer with Him. I could sit back and be all academic about suffering, or I could experience it first hand.
Here’s what’s happened. Because He’s crushed me, the faith He gives me is now stronger, more focused, and has astonishing clarity.
By walking through days that are a slog, and facing nights that are unusually long, I see things I never saw before.
By spending time in darkness, I am coming to understand what the light of Christ is all about.
When you say depression is just evidence of a weak faith, then you’re forgetting that Jesus Himself knew horrific sorrow. Not only did He endure despair (and was forsaken by God!) He even bore all our sorrows.
The takeaway? God sometimes chooses to crush you. But His love for us never changes. It’s in Him we place our hope.
…”there is a refining work of God that can only come through moments of despair.” Those words are so powerful and true! This is something I have experienced myself recently, and I am so grateful for the crushing. Thanks for the insight! Love reading your blog!
Thank you.
I am reminded of C S Lewis in the film “Shadowlands.” He had lectured about trials and hard times, but came to know what he was talking about in his relationship with his wife, Joy. God is constantly using pain and suffering to develop our character.
Man, the depression and anxiety related to concussions is heavy and some days I feel crushed and though I know it’s okay. I did Judo, wrestled, and jiu-jitsu out of fear when I probably could’ve relied on the Lord alone. Instead I love the Lord but trusted in my own ability for self defense. Now I am old and broken and The Lord is my only defense.
Thanks for yr article. We see things that when we have been crushed – that otherwise wouldn’t. So true.
After 8 years of unemployment and now on workers – I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Hello,
… there is a refining work of God that can only come through despair.
This statement is depressing, as I have spent my entire Christian life in despair, and misery. 42+ years of nothing but silence, absence, and unanswered prayers. That is torture to me. What could God be doing that requires an entire life of this “refining work”. A broken family, life long poverty, no God given talents, no God given purpose, nothing from/of God ever. No God, no hope; no God, no peace; no God, no joy; no God, no contentment; no God means misery. I’m at the point where I need God not His word. God supposedly wants an intimate relationship with us but neglects the one thing needed to actually have any kind of relationship, interaction/conversation. This nothingness from God is a big problem for me. A problem that I can’t move past. Big stumbling block. Thanks
God bless you, through the Holy Spirit, in Jesus holy name, Amen.
I am so sorry you´ve had to endure so much hardship . And I completely agree with you, I just don´t get why God would want to make someone´s life a complete misery for didactic purposes or for any other purpose. If you love someone you don´t want to hurt them. If someone you love is suffering you are there for them. Indifference is the opposite of love. Sending lots of love your way, A.
It’s all something of a mystery. But suffering is part of living in a broken world. There are so many biblical characters who’ve suffered – the foremost being Jesus Himself. There are a couple of lies out there about suffering – one is that suffering happens because we’ve sinned and God is punishing us. Sin certainly can cause suffering, but that’s not always the case. Another is that if we suffer, then God owes us a reward afterwards. Where does it say that?! So maybe we need to learn how to suffer well.
Since I wrote this, I’ve found Romans 8:18-25 to be very helpful. But Christianity doesn’t give us a free pass out of suffering. It’s good and right to acknowledge the real pain in our suffering. Being a child of God doesn’t mean that our suffering will be less severe or more endurable. It DOES mean that we can see our suffering as one point on a timeline that extends into eternity. For the Christian, the best is always ahead of us.
The real reward for our suffering is what God does in us and through us. There is an intimacy with God that happens amidst our suffering that only suffering can produce. Our souls are touched by the Creator Himself, who is present with us when we hurt.
It’s complicated, for sure, but I am at peace.
I so understand where you are coming from. So sorry you´ve been through so much. I also don´t understand why God would want us to suffer. Take care.
So sorry you´ve been through so much. I also don´t understand why God would want us to suffer. Take care.
I can echo every word of this. Is my sole purpose in this life to be God’s whipping boy? I pour my heart out to him for years and get nothing but silence and daily beatings. How can I believe He cares? In Psalm 115:3, He does as He pleases. He is pleased to crush me, it makes Him happy to see me this way. What kind of relationship is that???
God has used the crushing . Through it I can comfort others