I have had occasion to ask God a lot of questions. One I keep coming back to is along the lines of “Why’d you leave so many sharp objects lying around down here? Didn’t you know someone might get hurt?” I was back on the question again and thoughts were swirling around my head with the insistence that you usually only read about in accounts from guys stranded on the tundra in the summer. Those little bugs will drive you crazy, which is what this question was doing, until I realized the genesis of it was a discussion (I’m getting to the title – bear with me) some friends were having. I heard that Postmodernism is the Next Big Thing, and with my extensive research (all of 2 ½ books) I learned that one characteristic of Postmoderns (I’m not sure if that designation makes them a sub-species, but they seem to like to call themselves that) is that they can hold two opposing ideas in juxtaposition with little or no effort, and feel no need to reconcile them. So the title containing suffering and dancing is a shameless attempt to cash in on the wave of Postmodernism – nothing more, nothing less.

Some preliminary observations:

The “money” passage on suffering is, of course, the book of Job. Most of the time I like working with the grain of the way God created the world, like Proverbs tells me. That’s where most everyone I know lives 90% of the time. Job is one of those 10% books. If you haven’t read it, you’ve got no business taking about suffering, though you can listen politely while others do, and nod your head at intervals that will make everyone feel better about what they’re saying.

(1) Job never gets an “answer” in a manner that directly addresses the question of suffering. He gets an incredible ecology lesson, but no direct answer that I’m able to tease out of the text. We are given a glimpse of why when we see that Job is test of whether people will trust God if there’s no payoff – but Job apparently is unaware of that heavenly converstion.

(2) “Pain” is generic. If we’re talking about the pain, say, of divorce, you might say I don’t know anything about “your” pain because I’ve never been divorced. There might be pain in emotions, in my physical being – Job experienced emotional (he lost everything, including his family), physical (that boil thing was serious. In high school I had a pimple once that cause all kinds of pain, but Clearasil helped, so I can’t imagine what Job went through) and spiritual (His wife told him to curse God and die so he could get it over with). No matter which kind of pain you’re talking about, Job experienced it.

(3) All of Job’s friends were theologically accurate in their theology but missed the mark when it came to application because they were applying it to someone else. Suffering CAN be God’s discipline – but it wasn’t the case with Job. My guess is that his friends became therapists, because they were so wide of the mark, though I can’t prove it from the text.

The question of pain is one my friend calls (I like the phrase) an asymmetric question – I can answer it for me but not for you. With those preliminary observations, here are some places for you to look for a better understanding of pain.

Feeling Bad in a Feel Good World: A Bible Study

What does Philippians 1:29 tell us about suffering?  What do verses 27-30 tell us about the right way to view our circumstances in life?

What can we understand about the character of God from John 9:1-3?

What does Luke 13:1-5 tell us about disasters?

From the preceding two verses, would you say that suffering necessarily implies sin? Why or why not?

What does 2 Corinthians 12:7 add to our knowledge of how God uses painful things?

In Job 6:8,9, how does Job react to his own circumstances?

Read Hebrews 11:34-36.  How would you express these verses in your own words? Do you see any similarities or contrasts?

Philippians 4:11 gives us a key to coping.  How would you express it in your own words?

According to Matthew 10:29, how much does God know? What difference does it make?

From Romans 8:35-39, summarize what Paul most wants us to understand about Jesus.

What is your reaction to the following quote?  “God requires faith and allegiance to Him in the absence of guaranteed blessing and in the presence of unexplained suffering.”

Books you’ve got to read if you’re thinking about this:

The Answers of Jesus to Job by G. Campbell Morgan

Yes its old but its still a “must read” on this subject. It sworht spending time hunting it at a used book store or (easier yet) on line at a site like alibris.com.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Philip Yancey and Dr. Paul Brand

In His Image by Philip Yancey and Dr. Paul Brand

The Gift of Pain: Why We Hurt and What We Can Do about It by Philip Yancey and Dr. Paul Brand

These 3 were written before somebody told Yancey he was somebody. He was un-self-consciously deep, rather than just annoyingly deep, which he is now.

The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis

Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis

The first one is Lewis at his best; the second proves he knew what pain is.

Three books by Margaret Clarkson are excellent, and especially appropriate if you know anything about her story (She was single, suffered lifelong migraine headaches and developed juvenile arthritis at age 3). In So You're Single, she writes honestly about sexuality, loneliness, personal fulfillment and sovereignty. In Destined for Glory she wrote (in a way only a lifelong pain sufferer could) “When trouble comes we do not search the whole counsel of God to sustain us but rather seek to fortify ourselves with comforting passages of scripture, isolated promises or proof texts. If these do not support us we crumble; no wonder we have so little to say to an unbelieving world” In The third f her books is Grace Grows Best In Winter. She also wrote the hymn (one of my favorites - if you grew up in a traditional church you must have sung it) So Send I You. To heighten your interest you might be interested that she was friends with A.W. Tozer, who wrote the foreword to Clear Shining After Rain, which contains verse dedicated to communion, Pentecost, faith, home and family.

OK – the thoughts have flown out of my head and onto the screen. There you have “The Dance Mix”.