In January of 1956, five missionaries went deep into the jungles of Ecuador with the goal of making contact with the Auca tribal group. This was a group, who’s name “Auca” literally translates to mean “savage”, that lived up to their name. It was a dangerous mission. But Jim Elliot, Roger Youderian, Peter Fleming, Ed McCully, and Nate Saint wanted to share Jesus with these people. Knowing it was dangerous, they spent the previous year exchanging gifts from afar paving the way for their journey and next step in their encounter. When landed near the tribe, they established camp at Palm Beach by the Curaray River and they waited for the Auca tribe to make the first move. Which the shortly did. On January 8th, loved ones back home received word that the Auca tribe, led by a man named Mincaye, had slaughtered all five missionaries.
When a tragedy like this happens, the age-old question arises: God, if you are so great, so loving, so merciful, then why did you allow this to happen? I am sure that the families of these missionaries were asking this question rather violently in their prayers. These people, after all, were doing YOUR work God! And you just sat idly by while this group of savages took their lives. Some God they served. Even more than that, you tell us to rejoice in suffering (Rom 5:3) and that all things work together for good (Rom 8:28). Right, God, right.
If we are honest with ourselves, we all frame this question and pose it to God in some way, shape, or form at some point in our lives. Sometimes it’s a breezy question that just whisps by God’s ears in our morning prayers. Other times it’s a vicious scream through salty tears as we throw our hands up towards heaven and shake our fists. This was me last week as I yelled at God, screamed at God, and essentially told God to kick rocks. It was the first time in my life where I meant every word that came out of my mouth:
“God, if you are as great as you claim to be, then why the hell did YOU let this happen? Why didn’t you do anything to stop it?!?!”
It’s why I didn’t write. It’s why I didn’t sleep. It’s why I have been walking around with a dark cloud around me. I was so angry at God. To be honest, I still am.
We get angry with God, but we are not alone. Read the Psalms. It’s filled with anger and lament. Consider Job who seemingly had everything taken from him just so God could win a bet against Satan. Who wouldn’t get upset about that? I think we’d all be hollering at God in desperate want for some answers. So, Job goes off. And God’s response is incredibly telling about Job’s (and our) standing with God when terrible things happen.
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements – surely you know!” (Job 38:4-5).
Who are we to question the creator of the universe? God doesn’t need to reveal his entirety to us. He doesn’t need to validate the things that he does or doesn’t do, nor the things that he allows to happen. He is God and we are not. And as tough as that has been to accept, the reality is that God does not wish for any suffering. But he does allow suffering to happen for a number of reasons, primarily to drive us back to our knees at the foot of the cross where our savior Jesus hangs, suffering for us. That we would look to him, and him alone in our suffering knowing that because of Christ, our suffering will come to an end and it will not be in vain.
It’s not that all things work together for our own good, but rather the good of the kingdom of God. We might not see that now, maybe not ever. But God is working it for his purposes, which are much greater than ours.
Two years after the five missionaries were slaughtered in Ecuador, more missionaries went back to the Auca tribe with the hope of trying again. This effort was led by Rachel, Nate Saint’s sister. After making peaceful contact, the missionaries settled there and among these included Steve Saint, Nate’s oldest son. Because of the ongoing missionary efforts of those with the Auca tribe, many of them, including Mincaye, became Christians. Mincaye not only became a preacher and church elder, but he actually baptized Steve Saint, the son of the man that he had killed maliciously years before.
The five men that were murdered in their efforts to share hope did not get to see what the Holy Spirit did in the hearts of those who killed them. But they will see them in the Resurrection of our Lord, the day when Christ comes back and all suffering, all struggles, all of creation is made new.
Only a great God can use suffering like this. Only a great God can use the suffering of his one and only son to redeem the world. Only a great God can give us a spirit of hope in Christ that compels us to rejoice even in our sufferings.
Rev. Tyler Cronkright 