My mom recently told me about a family I knew from my previous church. Their 11 year old son has leukemia. Fortunately, he was able to get a transplant and is in recovery. But in the effort to take care of the child, both parents quit their jobs, sold their house, depleted all their savings, and are now living in an government-subsisted apartment near the hospital in Seattle.

I have two children. I, too, would go to that extent if it happened to one of my kids. But who can tell if something awful like leukemia would not happen to our children? What precaution can we take to prevent it? This is very troubling because we CANNOT control it!

So, we, Christians, turn to God. We pray that God will keep us and our family safe. But then, why didn’t God take care of that family? Why would He allow such a thing to that family? They were very active in church. They were great people who served God faithfully. So, we think, “There must’ve been something in their lives we couldn’t see that made them deserve it…” (Of course, we would never say it out loud, but that’s often what we think….) But that’s all in effort to find false peace about God. Essentially, we want to contain God and control Him so that awful things like that wouldn’t happen to us…

But we are completely at the mercy of God. Read Job 31 if you have the time. There was not a man as pure and righteous like Job. He never even looked at a woman lustfully, and never turned away a needy hand. Yet, he lost all his children, all his assets, and even his health.

Troubling, isn’t it?

God is troubling because we cannot tame Him. He is an untamed lion, C.S. Lewis said. “He is NOT safe, but He is good!”

In our minds, good equals safe. But not in God’s mind. He often uses hardships, danger, and suffering to bring about the ultimate good. Even death.

If our faith is in God so that He will give us comfortable and peaceful life on earth, God is a butler to us. But He’s not a butler. He is our Commander and Master. In a moment, He can insert us in the fiercest battle that will cost us our life.

But He is good. He did not spare His own Son for us.

Fear Him. Love Him. Trust Him

PH