Piper: look for the purpose, not the cause

Yesterday was one of those days of painful truths, prayer, and provision. In many cycles and orders. I went to bed exhausted, emotionally spent, and yet encouraged because the truth does set you free. After a rough night of partially restful sleep and a busy day ahead of me, I prayed for encouragement, something "tangible" from God's word, His promises to help me through this day of recovery, healing, and a hectic schedule. As I started my car, I decided to catch up on podcasts this morning. I listened to some clips before settling in on a sermon by John Piper called The Works of God and the Worship of Jesus, on John 9:1-39, when Jesus heals a man who was blind from birth, and while I just gave the link, thought I would share the excerpts (emphasis mine) that jumped out at me as the answer to my prayer, reminding me to look for the purpose in my pain, not simply the cause.

Last time, we focused on verses 1–5. Jesus sees a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples ask about the cause of the blindness. Jesus turns the question around and says, in effect, human causes are not decisive in explaining things. Divine purposes are decisive. Verse 3: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents [human causes], but that the works of God might be displayed in him [God’s purpose].” The reason causes are not the ultimate explanation for things is that God is not ultimately a responder but ultimately a planner. In other words, when God ordains that something happen, God is not, at the bottom, responding to human causes. He is, at bottom, planning a purpose.

This hit me like a ton of bricks and caused me to do a 180 in the way I was thinking about the hard truths from yesterday, and still thinking about the encouraging news about my hearing last week. But Piper's insight continued....

The implication of this for your life is profound. No matter what mess you’re in or what pain you’re in, the causes of that mess and that pain are not decisive in explaining it. What is decisive in explaining it is God’s purpose. Yes, there are causes. Some of them your fault, perhaps, and some of them not. But those causes are not decisive in determining the meaning of your mess or your pain. What is absolutely decisive is God’s purpose. “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (verse 3).
And if you will confess your sins, and hold fast to Jesus as your Rock and your Redeemer and your Riches, God’s purpose for your mess and your pain will be a good purpose. It will be worth everything you must endure. We know this is true because God says so. Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

The circumstances surrounding yesterday were ones that I did have fault in, I clung to things that I should have let go of months ago, and now I paid the price for it, but I also can look back and see God's purpose in it. I have grown in ways I never would have without the circumstances so my "cause" isn't the end of it, beating myself up does nothing but tie me down and discourage. I must move my focus to the purposes of the painful things in my life.

One last note, of exhortation and encouragement from the middle of this sermon:

Being loved by God, and being with God forever, is better than having eyes and better than being alive in this world. If we don’t believe that, then saying that God has wise and good purposes in all our losses, will not be much comfort. But if we do believe it, not only will God’s purposes comfort us and strengthen us, but they will make us able to patiently, and gently help others through their times of darkness.

I am so thankful for John Piper's ministry and insight. I encourage you check out his sermons at Desiringgod.org