I can’t see without glasses. They’re on my nose from the moment I wake up until last thing at night. Which means I see everything through a pair of lenses. And that makes a difference. A couple of years ago I got my first pair of varifocals. I love them, but they did take getting used to. In particular, every time I moved my head from side to side, the whole world wobbled!
This last pair of glasses is a little different to the rest because they are about more than just reading the Bible. They shape how we look at the world - a concept I find easy to grasp, since my worldview is quite literally shaped by the lenses I see it through.
The crown-shaped specs are about looking at the world through biblical eyes. They take those vital Bible truths that God is good and God is sovereign, and shape how we see the world around us.
This applies to everything of course, but I find it particularly helpful when things are hard. These specs help me to cling on to God’s faithfulness, trust in his promises, and wait eagerly for the new creation (Philippians 3 v 20-21). So I hope you’ll forgive me for ending this blog series with a personal story.
For the past ten years I’ve struggled with illness. It has got in the way of me serving God how I want, makes it hard to manage a full week of work, and leaves me so very, very tired.
“Why me? How long will this go on for? It isn’t fair!” That’s my natural instinct, and it throws me face to face with God’s character. When suffering hits we question two things: God’s goodness and his sovereignty. We accept one or the other but not both. It goes like this:
“If God is good, then he can’t be sovereign, because he would stop this horrible thing if he could.”
“If God is sovereign, then he can’t be good, because he wouldn’t let such a horrible thing happen.”
And this is where the crown-shaped specs come in. The Bible makes it crystal clear that God is good - we see it in his actions, his words, his Son… (eg: Psalm 34 v 8; 145 v 9; 1 Peter 2 v 3). Scripture also reveals God’s sovereignty through the whole of history - he is the real King of everything and everyone (eg: Deuteronomy 3 v 24; Daniel 5 v 21; Romans 1 v 20).
So how do we look at suffering in the light of God’s sovereignty and goodness? Here are two examples of seeing the world through crown-shaped specs:
Back in the days of Genesis, Joseph suffered horribly at the hands of his brothers. He was torn away from his family, sold into slavery, left to rot in prison. But listen to what he told those same brothers years later:
“Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. … God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.” Genesis 45 v 5-8
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50 v 20
Similarly, when Peter and John were released from jail, they reassured their fellow believers with these words:
“Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.” Acts 4 v 27-28
Joseph, Peter and John all knew that God is both good and sovereign, so that’s how we have to view the world. And in my own case, after much time and tussling with Scripture, there was only one conclusion I could come to. Since God is good and God is sovereign, this illness can only be his good and loving gift to me.
It doesn’t take the pain away, or make life easy, but it helps me grab hold of God’s faithfulness and cling on until the new creation.
That’s what I mean by looking at the world through crown-shaped specs. They help me - and I hope they’ll help you too.
Alison Mitchell is a Senior Editor at The Good Book Company, where she has worked on a range of products including Bible-reading notes for children and families, and the Christianity Explored range of resources. She is the bestselling author of The Christmas Promise and the award-winning Jesus and the Lions' Den.
