The Other Side of the Coin

Just as we cannot understand why God allows bad things to happen to good people, we cannot fully understand the love of God for us. Can anyone comprehend the kind of love that would cause a father to give his only son as a sacrifice for the whole world? For people who despise the name of the one who died for them? For people like me, who sometimes take that sacrifice for granted?
I love this prayer that the Apostle, Paul prayed for the Church at Ephesus:
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19)
Why God chooses to love us--in spite of our selfish, self-centered ways--is a mystery as deep and unfathomable as why He allows suffering in this world. His ways are so much higher than our ways. Can we accept His love without accepting the fact that He is sovereign and sometimes that involves pain that we cannot understand?

The Hardest Question

Why do bad things happen to good people? A friend passed away recently of a horrible disease. A middle aged couple died in a fiery crash a few months ago. A tiny baby was found to have a heart defect just last week. What is God up to? Why does He allow these things? How do we settle that question in our heart? How do we believe that the God of the Universe is a loving and a good God who cares for His creation as a father cares for his children? There are more questions than answers.

God has told us in His Word that "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." What does this mean? It means we cannot understand His actions and His purposes because He is God and we do not have His understanding. He sees the whole picture--we see only a tiny part. It means we have to have faith--faith to believe that what God says about himself in the Bible is true. He is good, He is loving, He is merciful, He is faithful, He is forgiving. Have I seen evidence of these things in my life? The answer is "yes"--many times over.

Here's the question:

Would you rather believe that the bad things that happen in our lives are just random--that they have no meaning or purpose?

Or would you choose to believe that God, in His infinite wisdom, knows what He is doing? That even though it is painful and impossible for us to understand, God has a higher purpose in our suffering or the suffering of others. Could you dare to believe that something good can come out of tragedy?

It's really an issue of acceptance--some people deny the existence of God because they cannot explain everything that He does. Can we accept the fact that there is not an answer for everything that happens in life? A strong and godly woman, Elisabeth Elliot, penned these wise words: "In acceptance lies peace." May we all find peace in the midst of pain.

Getting A New Perspective on My Life

Deep Waters

God has so many promises for His children. When i’m in trouble, I tend to search for those promises that tell me everything will be okay. But sometimes everything isn't “okay”. There is pain and suffering and sorrow in this world, and we are not always shielded from these things, even though the Almighty God of the Universe is our Father. Only God can answer the question “Why?” And sometimes it seems He is strangely silent. It says in Isaiah 55:8 that we cannot understand God’s ways--He looks at everything from a higher perspective.I have had moments of great joy in my life, when I have seen God do amazing things. I have also had times when I wondered, “Where are you, God?” For those times there is a special promise:

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.” Isaiah 43:2

Promise

From the Pit to the Palace

"So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father." For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory." Romans 8:15-17

Imagine that! With my little faith the size of a mustard seed, God took me from being alone--a slave to fear and despair--to being His adopted child. I now call Him "Abba" or Daddy. If I am His child, that makes Jesus my brother--He and I are heirs of God's glory! My Father is the all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God of the Universe. He knows me and He knows my circumstances. He has promised to never leave me or forsake me. No more living in the pit--delivered from slavery to fear, false beliefs, and worries about the future. I am now a child of the King and my future includes living with Him in a mansion that Jesus Himself has prepared for me!

"In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:2-3

 

Finding Rest

"Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." Matthew 11:28-30