I Will Praise Him

 

I have had a very hard…but good week.  Some will not understand what could be “good” about the sudden and unexpected death of a family member, but for those who know and are known by Christ, all things do work for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes; yes… indeed, all things. (Romans 8:28)

 

I have often witnessed the God of Sovereign goodness as He orchestrates His will among the sin and suffering of this fallen world. Yet this reality permeates my very soul when the sin and suffering are my own, and He nonetheless still offers mercy and grace in my time of need.

The problem with how we sometimes view suffering, is that we do not believe we deserve it. We somehow think that we should be exempt if we are “good” people, or if God Himself is good towards us. But this is certainly a false theology and leads us to misinterpret our own wretched condition…as well as God’s infinite grace towards us. We do not know His heart when this is how we view His allowance of our pain.

 

It is pleasant to talk about the love of God in times of peace and blessing, but it is quite another to be lifted up in the grace of His presence when our circumstances are at their worst. To be able to trust and obey the call of His purposes when we cannot see much more than the step in front of us… That is a walk of faith.

 

Some say that faith is blind. But those who truly live by faith know and experience God through internal and eternal perspective. We may not “see” with our eyes, but we do see with the eyes of spiritual insight and understanding.

 

It should be enough to trust the Lord with what we do not understand. He alone is God. He does what pleases Him….not always what pleases us in our finite understanding of things.

 

This blog has been many things to and through me.

I have written in my frustration at the complacent church.

I have written in an attempt to address the selfish childish tantrums I have witnessed in those who claim Jesus as Lord.

But in the end, I write to express my gratitude and everlasting worship for The God who has revealed Himself in ways that personally take my breath away.

 

This week, I have stood at the gates of eternity and watched as someone I love passed through. I stood alongside some people who are fearful of that day coming for them… They experienced fear, horror, and great grief; unable to come to terms with the loss and separation they felt.

 

Yet I also stood alongside others who wait patiently for that day, for they know whom they have believed and are persuaded He is able to keep all that they have committed to their Lord against that day. (2Tim 1:12) They know where they are going and they are at peace with death. They know that day will bring unrestrained joy and absolute freedom. They believe that any suffering we experience now is worth it. I am one of those who believe such things.

 

Our God is a Universal Sovereign God…but He is very personal.

 

There is no individual truth…but His absolute truth affects each of us in intimate and individual experience.

 

Our own life is a vapor…but is still God-breathed. He alone knows the number of days we are permitted, and He tends to us each day with an expression of His mercy and the invitation to know Him and abide in the presence of His love.

 

When we finally come to that place of total surrender, we do not lose our free will, or our choice to sin as some would hope…

In mercy and in protection, our heart which has been sealed by the Holy Spirit is made raw with the sensitivity of our fallen nature; and yet increasingly we also become aware of His majestic grace which covers our every transgression.

 

It is the desire of the Lord for us to desire Him in return.

Heaven is not just a “place” where we receive reward and blessing, it is the eternal dwelling place of the presence of the Lord! All that is of Him and through Him and for Him will be “there.”

 

 In contrast, Hell is the absence of all that is God. There is no dwelling or peace or presence of God at all. It will be the most desolate aloneness that could be experienced for all of eternity. All that will remain is the tortured mind of “self” left to itself, in all of its sin and treason to be consumed and still live.

 

For some, this world will be the closest they ever come to Hell. Praise God! For the suffering that they experience will one day end!

For some, this is the closest to Heaven they will ever come. In delusion and deception they, eat, drink, and are merry. As they enjoy sunshine and family, they are unaware of the expiration date that the pleasures of this world have stamped upon them.

 

It was right for our beloved brother John to write:

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding. That we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” 

 (1 John 5:20)

 

The Scripture still seems a mystery to those who try and use it for their own purposes, or who reject God’s authority altogether. But for those who are yielded to obey the Word of God because they love Him, everything that is written becomes absolute truth and eternal life, now and forevermore!

 

This week was hard for me because I suffered loss. But it was also good because I know that God will allow no suffering to come into my life that will not ultimately be for my good and His glory. I can be absolutely certain, that even in these things, He is ever faithful.

 

I was amazed, that even though my heart felt torn, I actually “saw” God at work. It felt safe to both grieve, and minister comfort to others, because I could rely on the Lord’s sovereignty to be trustworthy. I am persuaded again and again that He orchestrates everything in our lives for the “greatest good” for His “greater glory”.

 

We will certainly praise Him in the end for His wise and wonderful ways even if we do not understand them now. It better for us if we can praise Him now…before we see all things from His perspective.

 

I have witnessed both tragedy and triumph. It is two sides of the same coin. God who is all wise has determined that through the contrast we might experience joy through sorrow, and purpose from pain. To Him be the Glory!

Amen