I just got a call that reminded me of something that frustrates me and encourages me at the same time. The call let me know that a hopefully treatable disease had gotten worse, and that in a few days there would be information so they could make some very difficult decisions. All I wanted to do was to try and make it better, and tell them everything was going to be OK, but that’s not the truth.
The truth is the disease is going to take this person’s life. I wish I could help, I wish I could make it better, but I know I can’t. This is the frustrating part. How or where is the encouraging part you are wondering? It is the same place…the place where I realize I can’t do anything. This is the place where I also realize I need to trust that God can.
God answers every prayer; the problem is that it is not always the answer that we wanted. All too often, if you are anything like me, do you find yourself telling God what needs to be done? Like in God’s plan for everything in creation, He needs my help to point out what is best for the current situation or for me. Pretty arrogant if you look at it that way, isn’t it?
When we pray for God to heal someone, he always answers. First, miraculously by removing the illness and healing the person. Second, through the miracle of modern medicine and the dedicated medical professionals who are offering their help. Or lastly, and we don’t like this one, to perfectly heal the person by taking them home. All three are answers to the same prayer for healing.
When things go the wrong way, we can find ourselves crying out to God for help. Wanting to claim the promise in this passage:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28.
Paul is telling the readers that “in all things” God works for “the” good, and not that all things “are” good. This can be a tough one. So maybe we just simply need to stop telling God how to fix what is wrong in our lives, and start to look at what is going on as part of His “all things”. Then maybe we could start praying to see Him in our "all things", and I bet that could change everything, right? ...just sayin'
In His Grip,
Pastor Pat
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