a woman's mother passed away tragically this morning of cancer. in speaking with someone who knows the friend, we bounced back the "whys" and the "i don't understands." the point was made that if God is in control anyway, why should we even have faith at all? why hope for a positive outcome, when God's sovereign will is going to prevail anyway? i've been thinking about this all day since our conversation.
first off, let me say that i am not, in any shape, form, or fashion one of those people that says "you shouldn't ask God 'why?'" in fact, that statement infuriates me! if we are to abide by His Word, to live for His purpose and glory, then we are to have a relationship with Him. and if we are to have relationship with Him, then we converse with Him and nothing is hidden from Him anyway..so even if you're thinking 'why?' in your heart, He already knows. so why not ask why? we may not get the answer we want, heck, we may not ever get an answer this side of the Kingdom...but i think it's okay to ask your Creator, your Savior, 'why?' when bad things happen. i even ask 'why?' when good things happen! okay, so now that that's out of the way....
so i've been thinking all day...what's the purpose? what's the reason in hope, in faith that people will be healed, that broken hearts become mended, that something will go our way..when all along, God is going to decide what is best either way, whether we like it or not?? i think it's important to understand that God's outcomes are not always what we think is perfect. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and My ways are not your ways." Isaiah 55:8. we don't see the big picture. we don't know the beginning from the end as our Father in Heaven does. if we were to choose how everything went in our life, it would be a huge mess, simply because we can't understand how our situations today would effect our future. Only a Soverign God could know that.
so i have come up with this; having faith and hope and trust isn't and shouldn't be about having a belief in how we want things to turn out. yes, we want God to heal our loved ones, yes, we want and believe God to make things right when storms come in our lives...but wanting God to do something isn't about faith, it's about a sense of control. true faith is, "okay God, i want this, or i need this. but if what i want, and if what i need do not line up with Your plan and Your will for me, then i'm okay. and i accept it. and i pray that as Your will is carried out in my life, that You would give me the strength to handle whatever Your will entails. and i'm going to hope and trust and have faith for the best, but i believe in You, and what You're going to do with me and through me during my trials. so even if things don't go how i want them to, how i pray they would, then it's okay. have Your way with me."
easier said than done? yes. but at the risk of sounding extremely cliche, our Father never promised us an easy road, but He HAS PROMISED that He will never ever ever ever leave or forsake. and that "ALL things work together for good to those who love God, and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
let's not every forget Job...who told his wife that he should curse God because of his trials. and instead he tells her that we shouldn't just accept the good from God in life, we must accept the bad too. my conversation bud this morning wasn't mad at God, so please don't think i'm telling you she had a bad attitude. but, she is broken hearted at seeing her friend go through this. her friend, who is a believer, and comes from a spiritual home. i know so many who are broken hearted for others and don't understand why they have to go through what they go through, but i believe in His promises. and i pray that you do too.
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