A reminder for
today
I took my troubles to
the LORD; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer. (Psalm 120:1)
I believe that all happens with a purpose. Even though God
gave us the gift of choice and choice surely plays a huge roll in our lives I still
believe all happens with a purpose. I have seen so many times how God will take
what was intended to destroy us and change it so that it grows us in our faith.
God can turn any event around and make it work for His purpose. In the end God
knows what we are going to choose and what we are going to do. He is today,
tomorrow and forever.
So with this knowledge that God knows before we know what
will happen, why does He allow bad things to happen.
That “why” question goes back thousands of years. It was
asked in the Old Testament by Job and the writers of the Psalms, and it was
especially relevant during the 20th century, where we witnessed two World Wars,
the Holocaust, genocides in the Soviet Union and China, devastating famines in
Africa, the killing fields of Cambodia, the emergence of AIDS, the genocide in
Rwanda and the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo. And the 21st Century didn’t start
any better. There was 9/11 and now the Syrian slaughters, and on and on. Why
all of this if there’s a loving and powerful God? Why do bad things happen to
good people?
I cannot stand in the shoes of God and give a complete
answer to that question. I don’t have God’s mind. I don’t see with God’s eyes.
First Corinthians 13:12 says, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling
reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.
All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything
completely, just as God now knows me completely.”
So when you ask about specific individual events and want to
know why this particular thing happened, we won’t get the full answer in this
world. Someday we’ll see with clarity, but for now things are foggy. We can’t
understand everything from our finite perspective.
And the same is true in understanding why there is tragedy
and suffering in our lives and in our world. We may not be able to make out all
the peripheral details of why — they may be obscured from our view — but there
are some key Biblical truths that can illuminate some points of light for us.
And if we follow those lights, they will lead us in the right direction, toward
some conclusions that I believe can help satisfy our hearts and souls.
The first point of light: God is not the creator of evil and suffering.
The second point of light is this: Though suffering isn’t good, God can use it to accomplish good.
The third point of
light: The day is coming when
suffering will cease and God will judge evil.
Point of Light #4: Our suffering will pale in comparison to
what God has in store for his followers.
Point of Light #5: We
decide whether to turn bitter or turn to God for peace and courage.
So today I take my troubles to God and He answers my prayer.
I do not know why bad things happen, but I surely know God can turn any event
into good and He can use any event to turn people back to Him. Sometimes we
will go through many hardships to prepare us for what lies ahead and sometimes
we might feel that we cannot go on anymore. This is when God moves in our lives
and this is the time that we need to remain faithful and keep our focus on Him.
Many will question God to mislead us, but we should not alter our journey. Stay focused, because this life is only temporary.
Lord, make us strong so that we can face all the challenges
that awaits us and hear our prayers. In Jesus name.
Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus.
Cheers
