The error that can sneak into our thinking is that our positive experiences are indicative of God's goodness and therefore less than positive experiences are not. This is why it is so important to base our relationship with God on the truth of the Word rather than our experience. It is a matter of faith to know that what God reveals about Himself in his Word is true whether our experience would support it or not. Consider this observation from Philips Brooks:
Faith says not, I see that it is good for me, so God must have sent it, but, God sent it, and so it must be good for me. Faith, walking in the dark with God, only prays Him to clasp its hand more closely.
People who do not know God have difficulty with this idea; when bad things happen, one might say, "Why did [a good] God let this happen?" A Christian knows (or should know) that bad things happen as a consequence of living in a fallen world, and his hope (through faith) is that one day God will be faithful to keep his promise to make the world right again.
In the meantime, when I lift up requests to God in prayer, I try not to watch expectantly for the answers I want but to content myself with the knowledge that God is able. If I truly believe what I profess, that God is good, loving, wise, and all-powerful, then I know that his answer, according to his plan for me, will be best for me--whether or not I understand or agree.
God usually answers our prayers so much more according to the measure of His own magnificence, than of our asking, that we do not recognize His benefits to be those for which we sought Him.—Coventry Patmore
2 comments:
I remember when you shared this truth with me... I just don't remember how many years ago it was. We lived in the Ruidoso Run house. You and your precious friend had come over to fix my door! You sat in the floor under the door frame and talked to your friend about this truth. I struggled with it. It takes me a long time to actually 'get' things. Then several years later, I sat on my bed shortly after moving into the Crawford house and had it travel from my head to my heart. I remember dropping to my knees beside that bed and receiving this truth. From that moment my world changed. If God is good and all things that are happening to me are from His hand, then THIS is good. Whatever it is that is happening to me. So, from rotten roof, to fallen apart airconditioner, to holes in walls, to siding falling off, to loneliness, to ... all became GOOD!
Thank you for sharing this truth with me so many years ago. I don't know that God would have me here on the mission field if that HUGE truth had not dropped from me head to my heart!
I remember not too long ago when this truth came alive in my heart. We had just walked through losing our second child through miscarriage. The Lord took me to two places in scripture that gave me tremendous comfort and opened my eyes to the REAL goodness of God.
The first was right after David had lost his & Bathsheba's child and once he learned of the child's death, he got up dusted himself off and ate a meal content with the outcome because he knew His God's heart.
The second was the story of Job, where after calamity and great personal loss, (1:21) he acknowleged from whom all things come and gave praise to God.
Perhaps one day we can all walk away from tragedy and be able to say Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Post a Comment