In today's passages, both OT and NT, we see a lot of things that don't necessarily add up from our limited human standpoint about good and evil getting what they deserve.
Jeroboam's son dies young as a punishment for Jeroboam's sins, but was the only one of his children who received a burial because he was the only in whom God found anything good.
Jeroboam himself reigned for 22 years before God removed him from the throne.
Rehoboam was also an evil king and he reigned 17 years. Abijah, Rehoboam's son, was evil and only reigned 3.
Jeroboam's son Nadab reigned 2 yrs before he and the rest of Jeroboam's whole family were killed to fulfill the prophecy given through Ahijah.
Baasha was also an evil king but God allowed him to reign for 24 yrs.
Asa was the one good king and he reigned for 41 yrs before dying at an old age, but with diseased feet.
So, King Asa was blessed with a long reign, which makes sense to us.
And some of the evil kings had short reigns, which also makes sense, but then others were quite long.
And, in our NT passage, James was put to death, but Peter was miraculously freed from prison.
What are we to make of this? It all seems so random. Did more people pray for Peter than for James? Did they pray more fervently or have more faith? No. God is not a genie and there is no magic number of prayers that will result in a "yes" answer.
So why then? Why did God heal Baret, yet allow the young mother from our church to lose her battle with cancer?
The honest answer is, we don't know.
God is in control. He is sovereign. And throughout all of these events, He was on His throne.
We don't really need to understand why completely. We will never understand all the reasons why things happen the way they do. But we do know this. Everything that God does, He does for His glory. And God can use anything and anyone to glorify His name.
We also need to be extremely thankful that we don't get what we deserve, because none of us deserve heaven. None of us. God's mercy and grace are the only things keeping us from the punishment we deserve.
But how does all that help us when we're going through the times that don't make sense, during the times when the suffering seems so random, so meaningless (Ecclesiastes anyone?!)?
Well, I think the biggest thing it does is help us to regain perspective. This world is not about us. It's just not. It's about God and His glory.
No matter how hard life gets (and it will, the Bible says it will), we need to trust Him and trust His plan for our lives, through the good and the bad.
No matter how bad it gets, He will never leave us or forsake us. He will hold us while the storm rages. He will be our rock and our foundation. He will carry us through until He can bring us safely home forever.
And through it all, He is worthy of our praise.
Which brings to mind this amazing song by Casting Crowns, whom I had the priviledge of seeing perform in concert this past week.
Praise You in This Storm by Casting Crowns
I was sure by now, God, You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say "amen" and it's still raining.
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone, how can I carry on
if I can't find You?
And as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I was sure by now, God, You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say "amen" and it's still raining.
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone, how can I carry on
if I can't find You?
And as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
Tomorrow's passage: 1 Kings 16-18, Acts 13:1-25
3 comments:
Great post. I was thinking the same things as I read. Why did some evil kings have such long reigns? Why did Peter get the "get-out-of-jail-free" card? It doesn't make sense but only to us. God knows and that's all that matters. Doesn't make it any easier for our human heads to wrap our thoughts around but that's where faith comes in.
Really great post, Tammy, thanks.
This reminds me of a statement a pastor friend made recently (paraphrased poorly, I'm sure:) a huge part of why we misunderstand God is because we have misdefined good and evil. We believe good is what gives us comfort. No, good is what lines up with God's will. He defines good and our feelings about His will don't change the nature of what's good.
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