Why Do Some People Get The Short End Of The Stick?

The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” Zechariah 3:2 (NIV)

In the big scheme of things life does not seem fair. Why are children stricken with cancer? Why do good people die young? Why so often do the innocent suffer and the guilty go free? It is a fact of life that some people get “the short end of the stick”.

In the verse above some Bible commentators believe Israel is being described as having been a stick snatched from out of the fire. Bible commentator F.B. Meyer says of that verse:

We are as brands scorched and charred with the burning. But we have been plucked out of the consuming flame. Surely then we are being kept for some high and useful purpose.

That is the hope we must hold onto. God in His sovereign purpose has allowed some people on earth to suffer terrible things and endure many hardships. We may not know on this side of heaven why this is so, but with faith and courage we can look to God and believe these miseries in the here and now will be recompensed on the other side.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 2 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV)

When we see or experience unjustified suffering something within us rises up in anger at the injustice of it all. We all know people who are terrible sinners and yet they go through life with hardly a day of illness or any problems it seems. We can get to the point that we question both God’s goodness and His justice when we observe the world around us and the unfairness of it all.

The truth is that if this world was all that there is and nothing came after--we would have good reason to despair. The Apostle Paul recognized this type of thinking. He understood that if there is nothing more than the suffering of this world we would have reason for cynicism and doubt.

If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 1 Corinthians 15:32 (NIV)

Thankfully there is more to this world and our eternal future than the suffering and pain and “short end of the stick”.

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;  it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 42-44 (NIV)

These bodies, these troubles, and these difficult times are not eternal, but our relationship to Christ promises something far better. We have eternity awaiting, a great promise from Jesus that through His sacrifice these mortal bodies will put on immortality, and these miseries we now suffer will seem slight and momentary in the light of eternal glory with Christ.

Brothers and Sisters, heaven awaits. We have been robbed here of health and suffered much affliction, yet riches await the child of God. If you are a believer you have every reason to hope despite the unfairness of life. And if you are not a believer, then invite Jesus into your heart, ask Him to become your Savior, and you will receive the Seal of the Holy Spirit to comfort you and secure you now for heaven, and eternal glory will be yours’ through Christ Jesus.

Prayer: Dear Lord, life brings discouragement and pain, misery and suffering. Yet You give us Your Spirit, and precious promises that though life may be unfair now, eternity offers us riches and blessings beyond our comprehension. Thank You Jesus for hope and courage and for securing us for our eternal, glorious destination. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2017