Cruel?

Do you think God can be cruel?  The other day I made a statement to the effect that, “I can’t believe God would be so cruel.”  Once said, I thought, wait a minute – God, cruel?  I believe the Holy Spirit is teaching me something this week about this word, “cruel”. 

Cruel is defined in Websters, as “disposed to inflict pain or suffering”.  THAT IS NOT GOD!  He is good, and faithful and true.  He is ALL that IS good, faithful and true! 

I base my life on that, my faith.  There are hundreds of verses on God’s goodness, His greatness, His mercies. 

Psalm 100 says:

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness;

  come before Him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.  It is He who made us and we are His;

   we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him and praise His name.  For the Lord is good

 and His love endures forever, His faithfulness continues through all generations.

                             THIS IS WHO GOD IS

We are HIS PEOPLE, the SHEEP of HIS pasture.  I heard a story once of something shepherds do to keep their sheep safe.  I’m talking about REAL shepherds, the ones that have staffs, you know, and live with sheep 24-7.  If they have a “wandering” sheep, they break one of its legs so that the sheep has to be carried by the shepherd.  By the time the leg heals (in the arms of the shepherd), the sheep is totally okay with not wandering again.

Does that sound cruel?

As a parent, I have been cruel.  I have kept my sons out of harm’s way from playing in the street, to giving curfews, to letting them go their own way until they came to their senses (Prodigal Son kind of thing).  I have done that because I love them and want the best for them.  It seemed cruel to them, but to me . . . it was the ONLY way to love them. Do you see what I mean?

Don’t get me wrong here . . . . there is not one iota of evil in God – He is all that is good and gracious and true.  But can He (and will He) “dispose or inflict pain”?

Think back on your own life, I have disposed and inflicted pain to myself.  My SIN has disposed and inflicted pain.  My wrong choices, my wants, my selfishness.  THAT is what has disposed and inflicted pain on me.  And what did God do to me and for me?

He carried me through.  Like the shepherd, carrying the sheep, He carried me right through until my “wandering” ceased.  Until I felt safe in His arms.

 But wait . . . .  did He break my leg to get me there?

 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

(Ephesians 3:17-19)

May you rest in His arms, my friend, His caring, loving, arms.