My Pondering
Oh yeah? While this statement is partially true, its neglected the first part…the part regarding ‘man plans his ways’’.
The heart of man plans his way,
Proverbs 16:9
but the LORD establishes his steps.
A friend of mine was almost lost his life 2 wks ago in a terrible car wreck…he ended up losing a leg and still not out of the woods yet after spending 11 day in ICU…please pray for Brody
My niece, Charlene, lost her life due to a Fentanyl OD about one year ago and left a young girl motherless, her father is in prison….please pray for Lilly and Charlene’s mother.
My father, Kenneth, died in his sleep at 64 about twenty years ago from a massive heart attack after being ravaged by diabetes, losing a leg, almost totally blind, dialysis for years, kidney transplant. I has witnessed to him but there was no clear acceptance of the Gospel, he used to be a practicing catholic prior to his college days….I would ask to pray for his soul but I don’t believe purgatory is legitimate.
My mother in law, Sandy, passed away last year. She was an active believer and traveled to Africa as a missionary and nurse her whole life. She got ovarian cancer and dementia. It was sad to see her literal waste away and lose her mind.. .please pray for our family.
My point is that I do NOT believe a loving God intentionally caused the pain and suffering of any of Brody, Charlene, Ken, Sandy and along with most all the other accidents and calamities in the world. Rather, due to the awesome upside of free will which includes being created in the image of God with all its wonderful qualities (imagination, curiosity, creativity, emotions and ability to relate to and somewhat comprehend God), God permits these terrible things to happen. He doesn’t always, or usually, stop them. They happen, it’s reality in definite time, space and matter.
Being that God is omni-everything, He certainly could but He doesn’t always. With that written, His ways are indeed higher than ours. I, know any living human, can fully understand God but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
With that said, God is loving and powerful enough to turn frowns upside down. He often works through pain, through our travails for our good and thus His glory.
The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
Proverbs 15:3
keeping watch on the evil and the good.
What I have tried to share is different from saying our God directs and causes terrible accidents, overdoses, disease, dementia and cancer.
Some may see the difference as minor but to me, it’s major.
As God has the means and power to intervene, He also has it not to.
What’s critical is that we respond and love God with all we got, that we seek His purpose and seek to glorify God everywhere and everytime. When we do that, we tap into the powerful force behind Romans 8:28. That even ills, mistakes, accidents, diseases, calamities, tragedies and the like ALL work for good.
So whatever happens, know that God cares and loves you and I. He obviously doesn’t always spare us from the storms of life but He always goes with His children through them.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
Pondering Life : Pursuing God 