Is God Indifferent to Our Pain?

In the film adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper's classic novel ‘The Last of the Mohicans,’ Daniel Day-Lewis plays Nathaniel Hawkeye—the white adopted son of the last Mohican chief Chingachgook—making his way across the country during the 7 Year’s War in 1757. Nathaniel, along with his father and Mohican brother Uncas, happen upon a skirmish wherein they rescue the two daughters of a British Colonel. Agreeing to ensure they reach their father safely at Ft. William Henry, they set out through the wilderness. Along the way they come upon a cabin that has been burnt to the ground and all its occupants killed. After briefly inspecting the scene, Nathaniel hurries the party along. Protesting loudly, the eldest daughter Cora lashes out at Nathaniel saying, “Whoever they are, though they are strangers, they are at least entitled to a Christian burial. They cannot be left behind.” To this Nathaniel replies, “Let us go, miss.”  “I will not!” snapped Cora. “I've seen the face of war before, sir, but I have not seen it waged on women and children —almost as cruel as your indifference.” Nathaniel replied, “Miss Monroe, they are not strangers and they stay as they lay.” After traveling on, and when tempers had cooled, Cora asks why they did not stop to bury their friends. Nathaniel then reveals that had they done so, the next war party to come upon the cabin would have seen the signs of their arrival, and tracked them down to kill them as well. Upon this realization, Cora’s disgust turns to admiration and gratitude; for what she initially took as cold indifference, was in fact done for their well-being.  

So too, our understanding of God’s work in our lives can be quite shortsighted. In the Gospel of John we encounter Jesus being bombarded with these words: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (Jn. 11:21). Jesus was a close friend of two sisters (Martha & Mary), and their brother Lazarus who had come to believe in Him. Yet when they seemingly needed Him most, He was nowhere to be found. At times God is seemingly absent in our greatest hour of need. But is that really the whole story? Earlier in John 11, we find that upon Jesus hearing that His close friend Lazarus was sick, He purposefully delayed going to see him until he had died. Before going to see Lazarus, Jesus says: “Lazarus has died, and I am glad for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” You most likely know the rest of the story: Jesus arrives, raises Lazarus from the dead, and many people who witness this miracle come to believe in Him. In the end, Jesus’ initial seeming indifference to His friends’ suffering turned out to have a greater purpose—the salvation of many who would not have come to faith in Him otherwise. Let’s remember that when Jesus seems absent in the midst of our greatest need, that’s when He’s about to do His greatest work for our good and His glory.