The reason I am losing faith is the pain in God’s plan, why does he think more will bring me back?

Questioning Brother said:

You are correct. I DO NOT want to be Job. In that particular story, I would probably be Job’s wife. Seriously, I would have walked away from God after the kids died. The rest would have been potentially bearable. The kids dying would have vaporized any faith I had in God at all. In fact, I am moderately worried that the final straw will be God not choosing to heal my wife. I don’t know if I could recover from that.

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So do really want our help and advice as fellow Christians? It doesn’t sound like it if you are saying you do not want to be a Job.

Granted, we can pray for you, but why does it sound like are you desiring in taking the darker path when you really don’t have to?

Questioning Brother said:

Darker path? That is the Job path.

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I don't see Job's path as the darker path. He had enough faith and understanding to see that God knew what He was doing. He loved God above all else and knew his children were in paradise. Job was not perfect but he was incredibly mature and wise.

I am praying for you and now will add your family to that prayer. May God bring the answers, peace, and hope y'all need.

Questioning Brother said:

Darker path? That is the Job path.

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Did you even read the book of Job?
It has a happy ending.
Also, death is not the end.
This life is only temporary.
Believers are pilgrims just passing through in a strange land. But unbelievers and those who justify sin will be destroyed.
God in Scripture speaks positively of Job. So he will be in God’s kingdom. Is that truly the darker path? Being in a place of righteousness? Is that bad in your view?
Jesus suffered more than you. He did so in order to save you and have you in His kingdom. But if you reject Him there will be even more pain that is unnecessary. Why do that to yourself?

Questioning Brother said:

I am losing my faith in Him due to the pain in life. I don’t care whT it is for, and I don’t want ANYTHING that could come out of going through this. I beg for help and prevention of more, and when I do I get a lot of the “be still...” and “ my grace is sufficient “ and “plan for goodness” verses. Those answers are utterly destroying any love, trust, or positive feelings I have for God. If God wants me to come back to Him, why does he think more pain (either He inflicts it, or He allows it, doesn’t matter), wil bring me closer rather than drive me from him and ensure my eternal hatred of Him?

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God's word will not return to him void. (Isaiah 55:11). It will accomplish exactly that for which he sent it.

Maybe God has in mind something more important for you than to come back to him according to your timetable.

Questioning Brother said:

You are still talking about a God who does not care what you are going through. A God that it is a waste of time asking for anything, because He is just going to say, “I did everything with Christ, so go away. You couldn’t possibly need anything else AT ALL.” And if you are unhappy with that answer, you are doubting and headed to Hell. It says to bring Him our requests, indicating he wants us to seek his help. The God you describe must just want to hear us cry so he can laugh. He isn’t going to do a damn thing.

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God doesn't need your faith. Doubt as much as you please, you won't change his plans. You can't stop God from doing what he will. This isn't about you.

Questioning Brother said:

es the loss of faith has been building a long time. I had a pretty good amount of it at one time. It is dwindling

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Maybe that wasn't faith. Maybe that was just belief that God would take care of things = God is believable.

I'm hoping God is educating you. You may find out you don't even know the questions to ask him. Did you really expect to reach some plateau of understanding with God, where you and he would continually have the kind of relationship you thought you once had?

To some degree, all of our questions are dishonest, assuming the validity of a blind worldview.

Friend, a while has passed since we wrote to one another last. You haven't forgotten God's promise of wisdom, have you?

I ask you that because what I'm afraid of is that you still haven't humbled yourself before God and because of this God might have withheld the wisdom He wants to give you. So I ask you again - have you received a clear, unequivocal "No" from God or are you thinking like the world does - i.e. assuming God won't do anything because the circumstances haven't changed/have deteriorated? Once again, like I told you last time, while we should never complain, your lamenting would make a lot more sense if God has communicated a clear "No" to you first. You have heard God talk to you before - clearly, through His spirit. Has He done that again for you, for the situation you're in?

Questioning Brother said:

I am losing my faith in Him due to the pain in life. I don’t care whT it is for, and I don’t want ANYTHING that could come out of going through this. I beg for help and prevention of more, and when I do I get a lot of the “be still...” and “ my grace is sufficient “ and “plan for goodness” verses. Those answers are utterly destroying any love, trust, or positive feelings I have for God. If God wants me to come back to Him, why does he think more pain (either He inflicts it, or He allows it, doesn’t matter), wil bring me closer rather than drive me from him and ensure my eternal hatred of Him?

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Many humans desire a life of comfort and ease. But comfort and ease cause weakness and atrophy.

Consider the muscles. Muscles only grow stronger and larger when subjected to pain via physical exercise. Nevertheless, if you allow the muscles to avoid pain (physical exercise), they will shrink and become weak. So ease and comfort are poison to the muscles.

Likewise, ease and comfort will ruin a person's mind and spirit. A person sheltered from the difficulties of life will deteriorate mentally and spiritually. His mind and spirit will become soft like Jell-O, unable to function properly.

On the other hand, if a person faces all of life's difficulties rather than run from them, he will become very strong mentally and spiritually. And upon being very strong mentally and spiritually, he will do the most good on this planet.

Regards,
Al A. Gammate

Questioning Brother said:

Muscles also undergo career ending injuries where they are diminished permanently when too much strain is applied. Especially when not allowed a rest period after exercise. That is where I am my faith has been permanently diminished by the pain. Even if He does the miracle I am asking for, it will not be grown from before, but greatly smaller. It will never be anywhere near as much as it was before.

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So are you still keeping the faith or not? It doesn't sound like you are making God as your #1 love in your life but it sounds like your wife as your #1 in your life still. This is why I believe you are miserable and upset right now. Do you even realize that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God? We all deserve far more worse for our sins against God. There are people who have suffered a lot more than you have and they kept the faith. Why? Because they realize that they deserve nothing because they sinned against God. God has a great plan for good that we cannot always see. You either can wine and cry, and say, “Why me?” or you can choose to praise God and love Him despite the problems you are having in life and keep the faith. Are you praying for the Lord's will in all of this? It sounds like you don't even want God in your life anymore everytime you post here. You think you know better than the Creator.

But God said this to Job,

“Will the person who argues [contends] with the Almighty correct him? Let the person who accuses [reproves] God answer him.” (Job 40:2) (EXB).

Paul said to the Corinthians.

“For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?”” (1 Corinthians 2:16) (NKJV).

Solomon wrote,

“Whatever one is, he has been named already, For it is known that he is man; And he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he.” (Ecclesiastes 6:10).

Do you honestly think you know more than God and or why He does things?
By the way you are speaking it sounds like you know more than God, which places you in the seat of God (Knowing more than Him).

Questioning Brother said:

No, I don’t know more than Him. I just want my wife back by my side. Without that, He doesn’t have anything that interests me very much.

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Then it appears you love your wife more than God. Am I wrong in saying that?

Questioning Brother said:

No, I don’t know more than Him. I just want my wife back by my side. Without that, He doesn’t have anything that interests me very much.

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Actually, you talk like you do. God tells you over and over in the Bible that His way, though mysterious, is ultimately the best and you are saying otherwise. You may not realize it but you are. Your words, taken to their full extreme, even say "I'd rather have my wife fully healthy more than salvation. I'd rather have a comfy life and then go to Hell." God offers eternal life in Heaven but you imply that doesn't interest you.

Maybe I'm off base but I'm just trying to help you really think about what you're saying. Still praying for you and your family, by the way.

Questioning Brother said:

, I don’t know more than Him. I just want my wife back by my side. Without that, He doesn’t have anything that interests me very much.

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but you would have to realize that since we are all going to die that you would have probably lost her or she you if either died. If you have kids they will lose you. You may have already lost your parents or other loved ones. No matter what you believe or think about reality, this is what we experience. We have to handle this world one way or another. Some try to handle it by destroying themselves with alcohol, others have hope that one day suffering will end and we will be with our loved ones in Paradise. I hate this reality... but you can make things even worse on yourself than it has to be. Please try not to do that with yourself.

You are not the first nor the last to suffer pain. Gods grace is sufficient even in our pain. It is what you do with the pain that matters. My mother suffered much pain for many years without complaint and without losing faith in God. It is a decision you make no matter how you cut it. Give it to Christ and live or keep it as a source of separation from Christ and die not once, but twice.