Making sense of life – God is Able #3

“That’s not fair!” my hot-headed 12^th grade student protested about the grade I gave her; it was the first ‘B’ she had received in high school.  I smiled softly and reassured her she had time to be certain her semester grade would be an ‘A’ so that she might retain her grade point average.  I refrained from telling her ‘well, life isn’t fair—so get used to it!’  But we all know that life is not fair, and sometimes it seems like it just might get the better of us.  Sometimes it just seems that we make it over one hurdle only to face another right on its heels … true?

We have all seen grinning television preachers, talking about how God just wants us to be happy, telling us we deserve it.  I do not believe that is true; in fact, I think that kind of teaching sets up crushing disappointment.  Christians live in the same broken world that the rest of humanity inhabits, and are not immune to sickness, terrorism, heartache, disease or financial struggle.  Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”¹ In Jesus, you and I are meant to be overcomers. 

We overcome as we trust God, endeavor to follow and obey him, remembering always that his heart toward us is good.  Walking with a good God, following a good God, being in relationship with a loving God, makes all the difference in the world!

And further, when we have been with God for any length of time, we can look back and remember his faithfulness to us. Hmmm, I recall standing next to my mama in church whilst we sang ‘‘Great is Thy Faithfulness,’ the old hymn of the faith; ‘Morning by morning, new mercies I see.’ Jeremiah penned, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; “great is your faithfulness!”² Do you ever look back and think how God has been there--leading, guiding, answering prayer in your life?

So often we acquaint ourselves with a particular verse or verses, such as these verses from Lamentations that form the song celebrating God’s faithfulness, only to miss succeeding verses that are equally powerful.  Look at this: “I say to myself,

‘The Lord is my portion;?therefore I will wait for him.’ 

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,

to the one who seeks him;

it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” 

There it is again—the Lord is good—and believing that changes everything!³  Nothing that happens, nothing that comes our way, can change or alter the fact that God’s heart toward is oh, so good, and because of that, we can trust him. 

You see, life is going to happen.  There will be heartache, there will be setbacks, pain, disappointment and loss; all are parts of our human condition.  As I write, I think of dear friends desperately looking for employment in a much too tight job market; I know of a wonderful family caught in the throes of drug addiction with a beloved daughter, wanting to see her break free and live; I see what you see—the evil of innocent people being killed, families forever bereft.

In a news conference this week, Dallas police chief David Brown, said it is his Christian faith that is sustaining him.  “I always refer back to the good book; the Bible. And we have an example of how to conquer this tragedy. When the good Lord was crucified and rose on the third day, alive, he said, ‘Oh death, where is your sting? Oh grave, where is your victory?’⁴ He was talking about the fact that even death does not have the last word for the Christian, referencing Paul’s words about resurrection in 1 Corinthians chapter fifteen—powerful stuff.⁵

And thankfully, God promises we will never go it alone.  In the Old Testament and in the New Testament, he assures that he will never leave us.⁶ To Joshua, with a herculean task in front of him, God said, “This is my command--be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."⁷

Wait—there’s more!  As those who walk with God, we know how the story ends:  one day our faith will be made sight--we will see his face--we will be with him forever.  And then life will make sense because our loving Father will set all things straight.  In the meantime, we live . . . we walk in faith knowing that God is Able.

^{1       John 16.33}

^{2       Lamentation 3.22-23}

^{3       Lamentations 3.24-25}

^{4       The Daily Wire  http://www.dailywire.com/news/7380/watch-dallas-police-chief-eulogizes-fallen-cops-daily-wire}

^{5       1 Corinthians 15.55}

^{6       Hebrews 13.5}

^{7       Joshua 1.9}