Turning Tragedy into Triumph

God is well aware of what we are going through:

We do not always know why God allows great suffering and tragedy to impact his people. But no Christian is immune from the many difficult trials of life. And the good news is, these things do not catch God by surprise, and he has a way of turning mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11). He has a way of bringing great good out of great sorrow.

Three things happened to me this morning that strongly reinforced this reality for me. We might say they were just coincidences, but more properly understood, these would be God-incidences. God is always in the picture somewhere, and even when we wonder why things are happening, we can trust that God is not unaware or uninvolved in our situations. Here are the three events:

A key biblical promise

This morning I was again reading in the book of Isaiah. One verse (Isaiah 25:8), is such a great blessing and word of reassurance to grieving believers:

    He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
    and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
    for the Lord has spoken.

Many believers should recognise this text, perhaps more so from the New Testament where it is repeated. In Revelation 21:4 we find it in this form:

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

Keith Green and other believers who died young

Also this morning I was reminded that 43 years ago the impactful Christian musician Keith Green had passed away. On July 28, 1982 a small plane he was flying in crashed. Along with two of his children and some others, he died, at just 28 years of age.

The Christian world was shocked and saddened to learn about this tragedy. Why was he taken away from us at such a young age? But we know that his ministry and music is still very much with us – perhaps even more so. He likely is just as popular today as he was back when he was alive. Death could not stop his ministry and global influence. See more on him here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2012/07/29/notable-christians-keith-green/

Of course many other Christians who had such terrific ministries died quite young. Think of the American missionary and martyr Jim Elliot who died at age 29. His legacy lives on, thanks in good part to the many valuable books penned by his wife Elisabeth Elliot.

The famous missionary to the Indians in America’s northeast, David Brainerd also died when he was 29. These and many others are still inspiring millions of people today. ‘Though dead, yet they still speak’ (Hebrews 11:4).

Turning evil persecution of Christians into good

It is not just the death of God’s people that can be mentioned here. All sorts of other forms of suffering and hardship can be discussed, including the persecution of believers. We know of so many Christians being persecuted overseas – some of them becoming martyrs for the gospel. But ‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church’ as Tertullian put it.

In the West we are also seeing increased persecution of believers. And it is often the radical woke activists and those with secular left agendas that are behind this persecution. Just this morning I was contacted by a well-known Christian organisation in America about a case of persecution involving an Australian Christian. They were seeking his contact details so they could discuss his story. This fellow agreed, and so I just sent it through to the American ministry.

I refer to the former doctor Jereth Kok. As many of you have heard by now, after a very long process, a ruling has just been handed down as to his suspension (more on that in a moment).

Because he has long been a friend of mine, I have often written about this tragic case. I penned five major articles about Jereth over the years. The first and last ones are found here:

https://billmuehlenberg.com/2020/03/30/the-big-brother-purge-of-conservative-christians-in-australia/

https://billmuehlenberg.com/2024/08/31/update-on-the-persecution-of-dr-jereth-kok/  

He was a terrific young doctor well loved and respected by all his patients. But someone complained about his social media posts that he had penned outside of work hours. Because they were about his strong biblical beliefs, and challenged things like abortion on demand and the trans madness, the Medical Board of Australia had suspended him.

That was a full six years ago, and only now the decision has come out. The Christian organisation HRLA (Human Rights Law Alliance) had defended him. They said this in part about the case:

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) has found Christian GP and HRLA client Dr Jereth Kok guilty of professional misconduct – not for any clinical failing, but for expressing his deeply held views on social media. Over a 12-year period, Dr Kok shared posts critical of abortion, gender ideology, and COVID-19 policies.

 

The Tribunal found 54 of these 85 posts to be misconduct under the National Law, despite their political, religious, and satirical nature – and despite lacking any connection to or impact on patient care….

 

This is a deeply concerning shift in regulatory scope over personal speech. The VCAT decision in Medical Board of Australia v Dr Jereth Kok signals a concerning expansion of regulatory power into areas of personal belief, political expression and religious conviction. For Christian professionals – and indeed for any professional who holds views outside the progressive mainstream – the implications are serious.

 

This decision is disappointing to Dr Kok, who was suspended over six years ago and has lost his career. But the ramifications extend much further to all Australians, particularly those who work in a regulated profession. The decision raises concerns about whether Australia will continue to allow employers, regulators, and government to exercise power over free speech and the expression of personal, political, and religious opinions.

 

HRLA will continue to act for Dr Kok and is carefully considering the prospects of appeal. https://www.hrla.org.au/online_satire_can_now_cost_you_your_medical_career

The Christian moral of the story is this: It of course is terrible what happened to Jereth and his family. He had to find different work to help feed his family of four. He never should have been treated this way. BUT, God can even use something like this for his purposes.

Other doctors have also faced similar sorts of persecution here in Australia – some with their stories well-known, others not. But Jereth’s great faith and trust in God and his refusal to back down and recant has been an inspiration to so many, and it can help stiffen the spines of those who find themselves in similar situations.

And as mentioned, his story is now going global. He has suffered much for his courageous stance, but his story is being heard around the world. It serves both as a warning to where the anti-Christian West is heading, and as an example of how one man can stand up against such tyranny, even though being so very costly to do so. Well done Jereth.

In sum, we have so many questions when really tough things happen. And we will not get all the answers in this life. But we know that our sufferings are never wasted. God can use these situations for good, just as he did with the horrible treatment Joseph experienced at the hands of his brothers.

He could even later tell them, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Genesis 50:20).

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