"Solving the Puzzle"
SOLVING THE PUZZLE
So let us attempt to solve the “God” puzzle to the best of our human ability by means of heavenly (Godly) wisdom. Humankind disobeyed God, and sin entered the world. All suffering and evil is derived from “sin” (in a general sense). Satan, the evil one, the tempter, desperately and incessantly prowls the earth in order to ensure we do not reflect God’s glory. God is more powerful than Satan. With His unrelenting faithfulness and grace, God seeks in every moment of time, in every circumstance, in every event, in all of His creation, through millions of means available to restore us and this fallen world back into His loving arms. These are the facts, Jack (as Sy Robertson might say)!
The question we may never entirely understand is, “Why does God seem to intervene directly and purposefully into a particular circumstance but fail to do so in others?” For instance, every time I am sick, I pray for God to miraculously heal me. Has it happened? Yes, it has. Does it happen every time? No, it doesn’t. As a matter of fact, I am not instantaneously healed in a miraculous sort of way the majority of the time. More commonly, I believe, He strengthens me, grants me peace, helps me endure the illness and, at times, shortens its duration. I ALWAYS pray because I know God can and does and will intervene on my behalf, for my good even if it is not entirely according to my personal plan or preference.
If not a complete healing or a specific answer to my prayer (the way I want it answered), I know God helps me to grow Spiritually through pain, gives me the strength to endure it, teaches me to trust in Him, confirms more clearly my fragile humanity (the need for Him), instills within me a more thankful heart when I am healthy, humbles me, makes me more sensitive and sympathetic for others undergoing similar problems, slows me down from my frantic pace, causes me to reorder my priorities, reminds me of mankind’s sinful condition and suffering throughout the world, makes me long for a heaven without any evil, sin, or suffering, and much more.
Although God, for reasons we often fail to completely comprehend, fails to intervene in our situation exactly like we demand does not mean God is not moving by His Spirit at all. Au contraire, as we have learned (and need to absorb deep into our spirits) God is at work every moment of every day on our behalf. Furthermore, He is eventually working everything out in the end for our good and His glory. (next week’s message)
CONCLUSION
God guarantees that every trial, all suffering, each evil onslaught by the enemy, and any form of persecution will have the exact opposite affect of the original intention…if we trust in God through it all. Instead of destroying us, weakening us, robbing us of our joy and peace, scarring us for life, or losing our hope, these trials will instead deepen our faith and trust, open our eyes to truths previously unseen, reveal the garbage in our lives dragging us down, cause us to completely surrender to our Savior’s will for our lives, transform our worldly character traits into the characteristics of Christ, strengthen us for the future, and give us courage to trade in our old self-centered model for a new ride focusing on glorifying God and helping others.
SOLVING THE PUZZLE
So let us attempt to solve the “God” puzzle to the best of our human ability by means of heavenly (Godly) wisdom. Humankind disobeyed God, and sin entered the world. All suffering and evil is derived from “sin” (in a general sense). Satan, the evil one, the tempter, desperately and incessantly prowls the earth in order to ensure we do not reflect God’s glory. God is more powerful than Satan. With His unrelenting faithfulness and grace, God seeks in every moment of time, in every circumstance, in every event, in all of His creation, through millions of means available to restore us and this fallen world back into His loving arms. These are the facts, Jack (as Sy Robertson might say)!
The question we may never entirely understand is, “Why does God seem to intervene directly and purposefully into a particular circumstance but fail to do so in others?” For instance, every time I am sick, I pray for God to miraculously heal me. Has it happened? Yes, it has. Does it happen every time? No, it doesn’t. As a matter of fact, I am not instantaneously healed in a miraculous sort of way the majority of the time. More commonly, I believe, He strengthens me, grants me peace, helps me endure the illness and, at times, shortens its duration. I ALWAYS pray because I know God can and does and will intervene on my behalf, for my good even if it is not entirely according to my personal plan or preference.
If not a complete healing or a specific answer to my prayer (the way I want it answered), I know God helps me to grow Spiritually through pain, gives me the strength to endure it, teaches me to trust in Him, confirms more clearly my fragile humanity (the need for Him), instills within me a more thankful heart when I am healthy, humbles me, makes me more sensitive and sympathetic for others undergoing similar problems, slows me down from my frantic pace, causes me to reorder my priorities, reminds me of mankind’s sinful condition and suffering throughout the world, makes me long for a heaven without any evil, sin, or suffering, and much more.
Although God, for reasons we often fail to completely comprehend, fails to intervene in our situation exactly like we demand does not mean God is not moving by His Spirit at all. Au contraire, as we have learned (and need to absorb deep into our spirits) God is at work every moment of every day on our behalf. Furthermore, He is eventually working everything out in the end for our good and His glory. (next week’s message)
CONCLUSION
God guarantees that every trial, all suffering, each evil onslaught by the enemy, and any form of persecution will have the exact opposite affect of the original intention…if we trust in God through it all. Instead of destroying us, weakening us, robbing us of our joy and peace, scarring us for life, or losing our hope, these trials will instead deepen our faith and trust, open our eyes to truths previously unseen, reveal the garbage in our lives dragging us down, cause us to completely surrender to our Savior’s will for our lives, transform our worldly character traits into the characteristics of Christ, strengthen us for the future, and give us courage to trade in our old self-centered model for a new ride focusing on glorifying God and helping others.