Wednesday, March 17, 2010

God Guides Us Through The Storms

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?

'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'"

-- John 9:1-3

There are few things as sad as a Christian facing a crisis without his anchor. Maybe that's the point. He is forced to learn that bad things really do happen to good people.

Cancer isn't a punishment from God. Neither is job loss, the untimely death of a loved one or the errant behavior of a spouse. God uses all these things, and so many more, so that we can come to see His glory and feel His strength.

An unexpected illness can toss anyone around. It's when we come to realize how firmly we are planted on the rock. Like my friend who lived her life attending church and being a pillar of the community. She was unfazed by true tragedy. Oh, she had known loss. Her parents had died after living full, long lives. But she'd never looked death in the eye herself. She'd never faced her own weakness. She'd never had to depend on the strength of her Savior to make it through the day. She learned.

Just like the couple faced with a job loss. They were active in church. He taught Sunday school. She played the keyboard during worship services. Suddenly his job was downsized. They thanked God for her job and the medical insurance that came with it. He got another job almost immediately. They celebrated even as they uprooted their lives and moved. The recession hit. Another job loss came but this time no job followed. They struggled financially. He applied for job after job but none came. They learned to live on one income. They learned that they didn't need to go out to eat a few times a week. They learned that expensive gifts didn't make holidays special. They drew closer to their family. They drew closer to God. His peace settled over them and they learned to be content in their circumstances. They had enough.

God doesn't allow bad things into our lives to punish us. He loves us and keeps us close to Him at all times. He will turn bad things into a blessing -- so long as we turn toward Him when the storm hits.