Friday; July 29

One of the blessings of doing these little daily thoughts is that I get people sending me their own insights. I had one show up in my inbox the other day that reminded me, “An umbrella cannot stop the rain, but it allows us to stand in the rain. Faith in God may not remove our trials, but it gives us strength to overcome them.”. As I pondered this observation, I was led to a discussion that people often have about trauma and crisis. The issue is often broken down this way, “How can a loving God allow bad things to happen to good people?”. There are all kinds of answers to this question – some make sense, while others just seem to muddy the waters. Yet, as I think about this, there are two things that come to mind. First, bad things happen to all kinds of people. They always have and they always will. God has never promised to put a hedge around believers and shelter them from the nature of living in sin-filled world. However, it is the second reality that makes Christianity a life to be pursued. You see, when bad things happen to those who have no faith, they must deal with the difficulties alone. They have to find their own answer to life’s problems. Yet, believers have a loving God to guide them through the process. When Moses delivered his farewell address, he left the Israelites with this encouragement, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). I don’t know that God leads us into crisis, but I do know that He has promised to hold our hand as we walk through it.

All of us are going to go through tough times. Would we rather do it alone or make the journey with our All-loving, All-powerful Heavenly Father?

Think About It!

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