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The Complexity of God - Part 2 Mighty God
by Amanda Gray Finding humour in the darkness, my mother and I joked that if trials are about developing character, then I must have a lot of character. I'd just come out of a period of mourning after choosing to follow God rather than marry the man I loved because he was not on the same path. I was in my tenth year of a chronic illness, and was recovering from my second major operation in six months - the fourth operation in those ten years. I was just hanging onto the will to live by the faith God had instilled in me. But my peace was disturbed. I heard from the pulpit that all who came to the Lord were healed (Luke 9:11 and Acts 5:16). That healing was the result of coming to him with faith. I had been down that road. I had come to God, I had pleaded. I had experienced hands laid on me, and I truly believed in God's healing power. I had seen His healing in others' lives. I had felt his protective power in other ways. I knew through faith and experience that he was the Creator, the one and only Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6). So, why was I not healed? Doubts and condemnation came to me. Maybe I hadn't asked the right person to pray, or it wasn't done the right way (James 5:14). Or maybe it was done with the wrong motive (James 4). Maybe I wasn't persistent enough (Luke 18:1-5). Maybe I just didn't have enough faith (Luke 17:12-19). But every time I came back to God, I only heard "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46: 10a NIV). I didn't realise it at first, but this was the answer to my prayer for healing. Instead of resting and trusting, I struggled with guilt. But as he had done before, God patiently, gently, lead me to great lives in the Bible to help me learn to trust his judgement as well as his power. First I re-visited David. He was given a promise. He was anointed as king. But then he spent many years hiding in caves, fighting and running for his life. But in his distress David learnt that "the salvation of the consistently righteous is of the Lord; He is their Refuge and secure Stronghold in the time of trouble." (Psalm 37:39 Amp). Could he have felt this so intensely if he wasn't fighting for his life? Would he have truly known this, in body, mind, and soul, without the difficult experiences? Would he have been the great king he was without the trials he faced? Would his life have impacted so many through the ages if the road to kingship had been easy? And then there was Paul. He had an extensive, blessed ministry but all the while struggled with a "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7). He begged the Lord three times to take it away (2 Corinthians 12:8). But the answer was clear. "'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'" (2 Corinthians 12:9a NIV). For Paul, it was a lesson in humility. It was to ensure that his life didn't get in the way of God's light. Trying to take control, to fight God's might, would be like putting an opaque cover over our light when we're meant to illumination the way (Matthew 5:14-16). My final lesson was from Job. It was the hardest one to understand when seen from a human perspective. How could a God of love allow, almost encourage, Satan to come near to destroying Job (Job 1:9-12)? Why was proving Job's faithfulness so important (Job 1)? We see and hear Job's suffering as he loses his children, his wealth, respect and his health. He hears discouraging words from his wife and his friends. But in the midst of this, Job cried the words that have sustained me in my worst hours: "For I know that my Redeemer and Vindicator lives, and at last He [the Last One] will stand upon the earth. And after my skin, even this body, has been destroyed, then from my flesh or without it I shall see God, Whom I, even I, shall see for myself and on my side! And my eyes shall behold Him, and not as a stranger! My heart pines away and is consumed within me." (Job 19:25-27 Amp) I, too, have had times when I pined to be home with my God. Where I will experience release. When I will have the ultimate proof of his sovereignty and power, seeing it with my own eyes. For some, like Job and David, the blessings come in their lifetime. But we see many contrasting lives in the Bible. Like Peter and John, who were miraculously released from prison (Acts 4), while Paul spent much time imprisoned (beginning Acts 23). David was delivered from being killed yet Stephen was stoned to death (Acts 7). Does this mean God has lost his might? Is his power inconsistent? Does he favour one over the other? Hebrews 11 answers this. "God had us in mind and had something better and greater in view for us, so that these heroes and heroines of faith should not come to perfection apart from us [before we could join them]." (Hebrews 11:40 Amp) That is, God's love is individual but his purpose is collective. He guards, holds, sustains and strengthens us in the midst of difficulties (Psalm 37). But his purpose is to save souls (Luke 5:32; Hebrews 12). We are safe in his love, we can't be lost (Romans 8:37-39). But He wants to bring light, whatever the cost (Matthew 26, 27). In the spiritual kingdom we cannot be harmed, even death is disarmed (Matthew 28; 1 Corinthians 15:54-55). Our God is mighty! c Amanda Gray 2009 Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace -available as a free reprints. Also find Amanda's children's book about bullying at ebooks.faithwriters.com (children category: "Dave is Brave"). This is inspired by David and Goliath's story in 1Sam17. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |