It’s great to have Gus Batley with us this morning to share his experience as Chaplain at Tamworth Base Hospital. Alongside other medical staff, he cares for the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and their families. It’s work which often brings him into contact with the saddest moments in life. Indeed, life is fragile and it takes only one rogue cell, or an unexpected accident, to turn lives upside down. In times such as these, people are left vulnerable as they battle the trauma of sickness and death.

Sadly, it often takes a life-changing event to bring a person in touch with reality. Is it not much better to confront the harsh realities of life before the experience of intensive care or invasive medical treatment? It all sounds a bit rushed to think about ones standing before God only moments before meeting him.

Today is an opportunity to consider life-changing issues before your life seriously changes. Rather than flinging its readers into the twilight zone, the Bible rescues us from fantasy and lands us squarely in reality. The truth is that life is a mess. Of course, there are happy times but beneath the surface all is not good. The Bible speaks about creation “groaning” (Rom 8:22) which is an apt metaphor because that’s the first thing we do in pain. It’s as though the whole of creation is groaning. It’s like the whole world is frustrated because it knows this isn’t the way things should be, but is unable to liberate itself from its bondage.

What’s the solution? The trouble with atheism is its deaf. It doesn’t hear the groans and the frustration of creation as it cries out in pain. It says that life is no more than a meaningless chain of events, a random assembly of atoms that exist in eternal emptiness. Atheism robs us of the air we need to breathe as human beings. It aggravates our soul and makes a mockery of life.

The Bible reveals a God who listens and cares about our groaning. We groan because we are alienated from God and we are living with the consequences. For this reason, God sent his Son who lived a real life and who himself groaned under the burdens of life. Indeed, the Son chose the path of suffering which led him to the cross. Upon his death and resurrection, Jesus liberated us from the burdens of life by rebuilding our relationship with God.

Pain reminds us that things are not right and corrective action is needed. This is why dying people so often cry out to God for forgiveness. It’s the ultimate corrective action. God has acted to relieve the frustration of creation. When we invest our lives in him, he promises to liberate us with the promise of life without decay and depravity. The real, physical, historical resurrection of Jesus proves that God is not mealy-mouthed. He delivers on his promises which can even begin to renew us even now.

Ask God for forgiveness. Take hold of his solution for a world in pain. It’s the best decision you’ll ever make!