My Hand In His

An email came to me last week that has kept me thinking. One of those emails that hold you in its grip for a while. Not because it was profound in any way but just because it haunts you. It doesn’t go away. And each time you think about it you find your answer changes.
The question that came out of this email is this: “If you could ask God one questions, what would it be?” Many of us would ask without thinking, “Why all the suffering in the world?” A good question considering there is a lot of pain and suffering. We see it every day on tv. In actuality we are becoming numb to it. Okay, another killing in the city, another street racer dies, and someone breaks in. What else is new. I think God would have a wonderful answer and it would probably have something to do with us doing it to ourselves.
Someone else would ask why are so many children suffering so much as they watch World Vision and know what is going on in Sick Kids Hospital. These children are so innocent. They are so vulnerable. In His wisdom He would have an answer. But again it might be because we do it to ourselves as I think back to seeing a 9month old mother walking down the street with a cigarette in her face. I think His answer would be more profound then that. I move on to another question.
With our solders dying in another country, mothers and wives would be asking why is there war? Why do we have to send our boys over to fight a war that is not our own? Why does peace cost so much and why does it cost me, you, us? Sorry I don’t have an answer for this one either.
But in these last couple of weeks I have asked many if not all the questions you might have. I have gone over them in my mind and tried to figure out some of them. Some I could not even venture to answer. Like each of you I find little or no success in coming up with an answer that takes hold of God and His infinite wisdom, power and love.
A hymn came to mind and it doesn’t answer it.
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above with wisdom
And power and love our God is an awesome God
How can this be? I don’t understand. If He really loved us, none of this would exist. Or would it? Do we create some of our own discomfort? At times and in certain places, are we not the author of our own destiny? How much responsibility do we accept when we are the perpetrators of our own pain and suffering?
Now after all this time I cannot give an answer to any of your questions. As a pastor I have to admit that I don’t know why God would allow . . . What I do know is, He knows what is best and all we can do is place our lives in His hands and leave it to Him.
Never once in the bible have we found a scripture that would ever lead us to believe God has promised us a rose garden. Rose gardens have thorns too. What He does promises me and you is that He will walk with us, we just have to stretch out our hand for Him to take hold of.
The words of Horatio Spafford rise up in my heart:
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Could it be that God is ultimately only interested in the health of our hearts? What do you think?
Rob