“Don’t you realise that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets” – Matthew 26: 55-56.
We all go through seasons when it feels like God is not with us. And, if he is, then he must be a sadist. How could he possibly sit there and watch idly while I suffer? In my anguish, I cry out to him for help, and all I hear is the deafening reply of silence. There is one nugget of wisdom I always hold onto when these thoughts race through my own mind: the teacher is always silent during a test.
God cannot always give us the answers as to why we are suffering at that specific moment in time, but he can give us the comfort of knowing that he is in control. Jesus was staring death in the eye, but he knew that his Father had a plan for his life and that, no matter the outcome, everything would turn out okay. In fact, better than okay. For our God is a God who is able to work all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). Jesus might have endured great suffering; but, in the end, he defeated death because of it.
Whatever you’re facing, I want you to know that you aren’t facing it alone. I want you to know that God is right there, watching over you like a mother bird watching their chick attempt to fly for the first time. At any moment, the mother bird could step in and catch her baby from falling. But what good would that do the chick? How would it ever learn to fly if it never knew what it felt like to fall?
God loves you. God sees your pain, and he wants to take it away from you. But, his desire to see you grow and reach your full potential outweighs his angst to protect you against the pain. In times like these, it is important to trust that God is good, that God is in control, and that God could and would rescue you from whatever you’re facing, if he could not see any good come from it.
Trust God. Get up. Try again, and this time you’ll fly …
Student of Christ 