It looks like everywhere we turn today, James and I are faced with people who are going through life changing crisis. We ran into one friend at Six Flags yesterday who is going through just this. We also found some other friends in the hospital tending to their very sick little boy...with no insurance. Sometimes you want to pray, "God take them out of this....why do they have to go through such horrible circumstances?" As I started to pray this for these families, God reminded me some of the reasons that he allows us to go through times like these.
1. Trust/Faith
Matthew 14:24-33
24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 28 "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29 "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." Now, Jesus didn't have to let him fall at all. He was completely in control of the situation, but Peter lost his focus and got scared.
Jesus had just been through the death of a family member (John the Baptist) and the disciples had
JUST seen him feed 5000 people with a couple of pieces of fish and bread.
Sometimes we have to go through scary things just to remember that God is in control and that we need to Trust and Have Faith that he will provide, get us through, etc.
2. Leaning on Him
Proverbs 3:5
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
I love this verse. I actually love the whole passage, but this is the specific verse the Lord gave me this morning. Trust in the Lord and Lean Not....let me give you an example.
John 11
1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. 7 Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." 8 "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. 10 It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light." 11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." 12 His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16 Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." 28 And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" 38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." 40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. Woah, I do believe Mary and Martha were a little ticked (to say the least). Jesus was only a couple of miles away when they sent word to him. Where was he? Four days????
The thing about God's timing is that it isn't our timing. Mary and Martha so did not understand why Jesus chose to do it this way, BUT it cultivated faith and trust and belief in him. When we acknowledge God at work in any situation, miracles happen and faith is restored.
3. Praise/Glory
In both of these instances that I have shared, God received all of the Glory. Sometimes we have to praise him through the storm and give him Glory even though we don't feel like it. He deserves it.
Some of the most beautiful and moving praise and worship music is written out of pain and strife. Jesus always healed in the name of the Father so they would know who to give thanks to. Lives are changed and people are saved when we give Him all the Glory.
John 11:4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it."
I think it is ok to ask, "why?" My why turned into an educational experience for me. I know that both of my friends are going to be OK and God is totally going to come through for them, but I hurt to see their hurt (which is biblical,too). All I can do is pray that they will see God at work in their pain. I don't have all the words to say to them, sometimes they don't need words. Sometimes they just need Jesus and sometimes Jesus shines through the love you give to them, the shoulder you lend to cry on, the meal you take, the offer to care. Sometimes, I am learning, you have to see their pain to know that your pain isn't as bad as you thought.
