S2 Episode #23- Dr. Adam Dooley
The One wITH ADAM DOOLEY
When Dr. Adam B. Dooley’s three-year-old son Carson was diagnosed with leukemia, Dooley clung to the truth that God is often most active in our lives during the times we have the most trouble seeing him.
In Hope When Life Unravels: Finding God When It Hurts, Dooley explores the encouraging, upside-down lessons of the book of Job to give real-life answers to the questions you may be asking in your own pain
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Why does God allow suffering?
Through the greatest trails in our lives, God may teach us more about himself than in any other circumstances.
Suffering can test everything you thought you believed and taught other people.
“All of us have one thing in common-- we are either in a storm, headed for a storm, or coming out of a storm.”
Every trail is different, but God is the same. God works through pain and teaches us some of the most important lessons of our lives when we are hurting the most. He is often the most active when he feels the most absent.
How do we navigate being angry with God?
Adam first had to admit that he was angry. God knows you’re angry, even if you don’t admit it. We don’t have to hide our feelings from The Lord.
Throughout the Bible, God never rebuked anyone for asking, “why?”
In Matthew 7, Jesus teaches about 2 houses-- one built on the sand and one on the rock.
“The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
Adam felt the Holy Sprit say to him, “You will not fall, you have the right foundation. I’m going take care of you, but for the first time in your life you must drink deeply from the pain in order to know that I can take care of you.”
There is a great difference between knowing God will bear your burdens and actually watching Him do it!
Adam began to thank God for the trail and that helped him to let go of anger along the way.
Gratitude was key to building faith and trust. When we cannot solve the problem, we need to learn hard into who God is and what He promises for His children.
What is Hard Providence?
God is always good, but that doesn’t mean that everything God uses in our lives is good. Sometimes hard things are used for our sanctification. In the Bible, Job suffered more than any person outside of Jesus himself. This illustrates that God is worthy of worship because of who he is, not just what he does for us. Job has the opportunity to live out what he knew in his heart. There is a greater depth that we reach with The Lord when we experience His “hard providence”. Jesus knew on the cross that although it was hard, it was best.
“This is hard, we would not choose it, but God can use it and bring His good out of it.”
God in His grace allows us to take one day at a time and gives nuggets of reassurance along the way.
Falsehood: “God won’t give you more than you can bear.” The only way you can know that God is your burden bearer is for Him to put more on you than you can bear so that he can bear it for you.
God speaks in a number of ways: through His Word, through prayer, through other people.
How do we practice soul care through our suffering?
Share with others what God is doing in your life!
Share your burdens with others, we cannot survive on our own. When Satan isolates us, that’s when we are most vulnerable. We must stay connected with others.
Most trials are temporary, even though they don’t feel like that in the moment. This will pass and you will be better because of it, or you will be less committed to the Lord because of it.
Some trials are not temporary, but even then God is good and trustworthy. You can give Him your greatest burden and He will not leave you or forsake you if you do!
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This episode of The Collected Podcast was edited by Jacob Early.
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