Today’s Refresh clearly wins the prize for “Most obscure blog title in 2022”. Sorry about that! But the journey it discusses is important, perhaps even liberating. I hope you find it helpful. This was first posted on 13 Feb 2022.
Refresh: From Theodicy to Theophany
Ok, I admit the title of this post is not exactly catchy! But you are still reading, so let me quickly say why I think it matters.
You probably know people who have suffered greatly – perhaps you are one of them. All suffering is hard to watch, but it is especially devastating when it seems to be senseless and unfair. There are a thousand different scenarios I could paint, but in your heart you already know your “why, why, why” questions.
How do we come to terms with life’s most devastating heartaches without shaking the fist at God and questioning how we could call this Deity – who apparently knows everything, is everywhere present and has the power to do anything – loving, when every prayer for help is met with silence?
If your theological studies extend to even the 101 level, you are likely to have been introduced to the theodicy debate – or the defence of God’s goodness in the face of suffering and evil. It usually follows along tried and tested lines… God, who knows more than we do (so don’t question God’s wisdom), has eternity to set things straight (justice is an eschatological category) and in the light of eternity, most current suffering is fleeting. Furthermore, this God has been incarnated and has suffered alongside us, so never expects us to do what Jesus has not done (and the crucifixion was an extreme form of torture which relativises our pain) and so on – blah, blah, blah.
Depending on your disposition, you may well find the argument convincing, and given that it has now been out there for a few thousand years (many parts of it pre-dating Christianity), it offers sensible points that provide some consolation – especially if your questions are theoretical rather than existential.
But what if your questions are existential – and it is you who are suffering, or (and often this is worse) it is someone you deeply love and care for who is suffering? At this point, too quick or too trite a theodicy will hurt and infuriate, rather than help.
So what might it mean if we move from a theodicy to a theophany?
Put simply, a theophany is an encounter with the Divine – a meeting where God’s presence is felt deeply and profoundly. No, I don’t mean an encounter where sickness suddenly disappears or the reason for the suffering goes away. It is wonderful when that happens – but then people who have had that experience are not usually talking about the theodicy question. I’m talking about an encounter after which the sickness doesn’t go away, or the business doesn’t bounce back into profitability, or the marriage isn’t suddenly wonderful, or the war doesn’t just end. But something does change. You see it in the persons face and posture, you hear it in their language, you sense it from the things they no longer say.
For all the miracles that don’t happen during times of great suffering, let’s note one that fairly often does (and fairly often is NOT always, and for some there is no relief ever). It is the God encounter that sometimes takes place in the midst of suffering and confusion. It is common for it to change nothing other than our perspective and our sense of hope – and strangely, often that is more than enough.
When friends suffer, or I suffer, or I am overwhelmed by the pain in the world, I remember the prayer of Jesus, “If it is possible, let this cup be taken from me.” But if it is not, Lord, stay close, stay very close, for if I know you are with me, I can walk through even the darkest valley (or as the Psalmist puts it, the valley of the shadow of death), and not be afraid – for you are with me.
Should you be passing through the time of trial, forget about theodicy. Pray for theophany – Lord please (please) encounter me, please be with me…
As always, nice chatting…
Photo by Tobias Bjørkli on Pexels.com
Please extend the reach of this blog by reposting or forwarding. You are free to reproduce material from the blog with acknowledgment of its source.
