Lately I've been thinking... thinking about the nature of God and evil in the world and why things happen the way they do. I definitely do not have all the answers and that would be scary if I did. I guess the reason why these questions have come up in my heart is because we are walking through Genesis with our discipleship group and there are loads of questions there. I mean, when you read through sometimes the thought occurs to you... "ok, a talking snake, man made from dirt, flaming swords, tree of the knowledge of good and evil ect..." I know God is big enough for these questions, but none the less, at some point it takes faith.
Then, I have been watching documentaries. Documentaries about North Korea, and one that totally rocked me. It is called "Dear Zachary" and I do not recommend you watch it unless you want a good cry and a haunting story. Things came up in my memory that I had seen on the news about Amber alerts gone bad, people killed before their time, children abused, ect. The over all affect was to come away asking God "how can you see these things and allow them to come to be?" My heart just couldn't make sense of any of it. I know that suffering and horrible things are nothing new to this generation... there are plenty of Biblical stories of such. Job asked questions to God and instead of getting reasons for what was happening to him, God just told him who He was. I guess I am on that path again... learning again who God is. In similar circumstances... in horrific circumstances... how would my faith hold up? How would I know that God is good even when I can't see the whole picture.. when it makes absolute no sense? I'm still working on that, but I've been asking God to show me.
I teach K-2nd grade on Saturday night at our church. You wouldn't think I'd learn anything new teaching kindergarten huh? The lesson for tonight is the story of Paul and Silas. They were beaten and put into jail. For what? Talking about Christ. We know they made it out, but they didn't know at the time. Here are two comments from the lesson that stood out to me.
"Our influence to show God's greatness is strongest in our hardest days."
I still don't want to have hard days. Real hard days are hard. I, however, do want to show God's greatness. Jesus had some hard days. So will we. I don't want them, but if I am to have them, please let them happen to me and not my kids.
Here's a quote from Corrie ten Boom:
"often I have heard people say, 'How good God is! We prayed that it would not rain for our church picnic, and look at the lovely weather!' Yes, God is good when He sends good weather. But God was also good when He allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in a German concentration camp. I remember one occasion when I was very discouraged there. Everything around us was dark, and there was darkness in my heart. I rememer telling Betsie that I thought God had forgotten us. 'No, Corrie,' said Betsie, 'He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word: 'For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His stadfast love toward those who fear Him.' Corrie concludes, 'There is an ocean of God's love available- that is plenty for everyone. May God grant you never to doubt that victorious love- whatever the circumstances.'
