April 28, 2021 (Wednesday)
A wonderful Christian lady was crushed emotionally by the death of her young, beautiful daughter who was a wonderful mother to her small children. She wanted answers. She wanted to know why that had happened. Both she and her husband were in an extended state of shock, finding no relief from their painful grief. We talked together several times and I did the best I could to try and comfort her, but her anguish remained. One evening at a church event, she brought up the subject, looking for answers. Her main question: “Why?” In desperation, looking for answers, I suggested that, as painful as the experience was for her, in time God would bring something good from it all. She looked me straight in the eye, and said, “You don’t know what you are talking about.” I agreed with her; I had never had that experience and could not possibly know how she was feeling. Later on, I was better able to identify with her when my beautiful daughter died, leaving behind small children. But even then, neither the aforementioned lady nor I had comprehensive answers; we only tried to comfort each other as best as we could.
Grief can become a real spiritual problem. We crave answers. We want to know why. Then we venture over into uncharted territory and begin to ask, “Is anybody there who really cares about us?” If God is all powerful and all loving, why would He let such a thing happen? Now, there it is: the ultimate spiritual problem we all face one way or another. Our faith is at stake, and with it, our ability to function adequately, wanting to help others but weakened by our experience. In time, we would become stronger and our faith would be increased, because even with doubts, we still believe and even feeling forsaken, deep down we know that God loves us. After all, he spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.
I was in college, but home for the Christmas holidays. My brother, Joe, about 7 years old, and I were driving around, looking at Christmas decorations. We passed an outstanding display on a showroom floor. Tall windows revealed the giant tree and huge gifts. Joe asked me, “What’s God’s Christmas gift to us?” I answered, “Jesus.” Then he said, “Oh, I remember, they were mean to Jesus. They put Him on a cross. They hammered nails into his hands and feet.” After a few moments of silence, he continued, “I bet God cried, didn’t He?” The most intelligent Bible scholars would have a hard time stating the truth better than that. He and I talked with each other on the telephone this week. His now 76 and I am 89. I asked him if he remembered that experience I just shared. He does not remember it, but he remembers that as long as it was practical I took him with me wherever I went. He lived with us when I was pastor at Kosse and he was in the 7th grade. We are half brothers, but, if you recall Jacob’s sons were half brothers but the Bible always just calls them brothers. That’s the way I feel about all 6 of my siblings. I am just “brother” to all of them. I’ve had to say “so long for a while” to two of those siblings (my Grandfather taught me never to say “Goodbye”).
When he taught about the Cross and Atonement, my dear college professor was fond of saying, “God got under the load with us!” Even so, why does He not answer all my prayers the way I want Him to? The answer was dramatically portrayed in a movie, “Bruce Almighty,” starring Jim Carrie. The story was pure fiction, but helped me to understand a few things about prayer and God’s response. In the movie, God gave Bruce the power to hear prayers. He was hesitant to do that, so He waited for help in answering. Help never came. As the requests mounted into a cacophony of pleas inside his head, he just answered, “Yes!” to the thousands of requests all at once. Immediately the world became chaotic and in a mess. A big mess. The guy didn’t know what to do next, so He finally asked God for His help. You see, the writer of the show got it right. If everyone could have his own way any time he wanted it, chaos would result. Sadly, keeping the world in order means that God does not do just exactly what we want every time we pray. But in and through our experiences we learn to trust Him, believing He loves us and is accomplishing the best for all of us.
We have spiritual problems, but let us do whatever is necessary to strengthen our faith and our love for God, because He is our hope.
TRUST AND OBEY
Words, John H. Sammis
Music, Daniel B. Towner
1887
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
Refrain
Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.
Refrain
But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
Refrain
Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.
Refrain