Paul wrote,
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? (Rom 8:31-32)Looking at flames burning down a house, do we believe that? Watching a child die, a loved one perish, do we believe that? When a job is lost, do we believe that? When our kids are in peril, do we believe that? We have, in front of our eyes, evidence that God is withholding good things. And we have this sure confidence that He will not withhold any good thing. Who are we going to believe -- our eyes, or Him?
Life can be difficult. We have a quaint little saying: "Into each life some rain must fall." That doesn't quite cover it, does it? But we get it. Bad things happen. Everyone, at some point, experiences tragedy. We who are believers have to ask ourselves, "Who are you going to believe? Your eyes, or God?" The answer will have a major impact on our response.
3 comments:
I'm not sure if I'm right to do so, but whenever someone asks me to pray for some hardship in their life, my initial prayer isn't for repair of the hardship, but for the faith of the person in the hardship. Too often we walk away from God because He didn't do something or didn't prevent something. We have such an outsized view of our understanding of what is good that we reject God for what we think is bad for us.
Had this conversation last night. It's great to pray that the problem will be fixed, but it's probably more important to pray that we'll focus on YHWH and praise Him no matter what the outcome is. Thy will be done.
The question you ask today is, of course, life’s most essential issue: one’s core belief regarding God--a hope (or lack of it) that will be paramount when the rubber meets the road of life. When a devastating event or circumstance arises, one better have a “safety net” of sorts in place, for we will surely need one sooner or later (and it will get much use). To us solid believers in God, whom we are trusting for help in all things that arise, the issue is (hopefully!) settled. For all others, this is the perfect opportunity to “seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6).
May God use the current crisis to bring lost people to Himself and even greater faith in Him to His children. (This is, afterall, the reason God allows such catastrophes to take place. [Luke 13:1-5]) Above all else, may God be glorified.
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