God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? [Numbers 23:19 (NLT)]
I will look up for there is none above you;
I will bow down to tell you that I need you.
Jesus, Lord of all; Jesus, Lord of all!
I will look back and see that you are faithful;
I look ahead believing you are able.
Jesus, Lord of all; Jesus, Lord of All!
[I Will Look Up (Redman, Ingram, Joye, Brown, Brock)]
In our family, the car’s driver controls the music. Since my husband usually drives, that tends to be ‘50s and ‘60s rock. My thrice weekly chiropractor appointments, however, have given me the opportunity to listen to worship music rather than golden oldies. Last week, while alone in the car, I joined with Elevation Worship as they sang of laying the worries of the world, the needs of their loved ones, their hopes and dreams, and every anxious thought at God’s feet. “I will look back and see that you are faithful; I look ahead believing you are able!” Those words are so true and yet I frequently forget to look back to God’s past provision or ahead with trust that He is able to provide exactly what is needed.
Singing, “All my life is in your hands,” I wondered if we truly believe that. After laying our worries at His feet, do we ever doubt His faithfulness and ability, pick them up, and take them back again? Do we have reservations about our incredibly faithful and overwhelmingly able God because we know how fallible and incompetent we often are? My life is filled with a series of mishaps, misunderstandings, and failures and I suspect yours is, too. We misplace our phones and have to call ourselves to find them. We read the words “dry clean only” but toss the sweater into the washer. We proof-read a dozen times only to find mistakes in the finished product and write grocery lists but leave them at home. We miss appointments, arrive late, and don’t return calls. We mean to do a task but forget and often claim to know what we’re doing when we haven’t a clue. We promise but disappoint, plan but fail to carry out, and our repairs frequently make the problem worse. We say we’ll pray for someone and don’t, intend to write a letter but never get around to it, or get exasperated when we mean to be calm. That’s not even mentioning the other assorted betrayals, deceit, debacles, and transgressions of which we’re all capable. Knowing how incredibly unreliable and faithless we can be, we often doubt God. God, however, is perfect—we, most certainly, are not!
Hearing the words, “I will look back and see He is faithful,” I did just that. I looked back and saw God’s faithfulness to me in every crisis and dark valley I’ve encountered. From Genesis through Revelation, we see God’s faithfulness to His children and, in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus we see His promises fulfilled. Flawed beings that we are, we’re often unfaithful to our promises or unable to fulfill them but our perfect God is both faithful to His promises and more than able to fulfill every one! Although I’ve failed the ones I love and, at times, they’ve failed me, God never has and never will!
Once upon a time, a father gave his daughter a painted turtle. One morning, she ran to her father in tears and sobbed, “My turtle died!” Wanting to bring a smile back to his little girl’s face, Dad promised the reptile a lovely funeral after which he’d take her to their favorite fast-food spot for a happy meal and toy. When that did nothing to stop the flow of tears, he upped the ante by proposing to follow lunch with the latest Disney princess movie. As the sobbing slowed, he then promised they’d stop at the mall where she could ride on the merry-go-round and Ferris wheel. With only a few whimpers remaining, Dad topped off his offer with a promise to stop on the way home for a double scoop ice cream cone. Thrilled to finally see a smile on his daughter’s face, the relieved father reached into the tank to remove the dead turtle only to discover that it was alive and well and just had been enjoying a turtle nap. When he joyfully reported, “He’s not dead!” the disappointed girl’s response was, “Then can we kill it?”
Earlier this week, I wrote about the ten Boom sisters giving thanks in their horrible circumstances. Because of the physical pain I’ve been experiencing these last several weeks, I know how easy it is to talk the talk but how hard it is to actually walk it. Indeed, when you’re hurting, giving thanks in all circumstances is far easier said than done.
When we’re hurting, it’s not easy to reconcile how an entirely good, ever-loving, and all-powerful God can allow pain and suffering. The simplest answer is that, since He gave us free will, we can’t hold Him responsible for what mankind has done with that free will. We can’t blame God for global warming, tooth aches, concentration camps, genocide, cancer, red tide, wars, tornadoes, torn ligaments, or rising COVID cases. We alone are the ones responsible for mankind’s poor choices and the disease, death, destruction, and suffering that have accompanied us since we were evicted from Eden.
Writing about pesky mosquitoes yesterday reminded me of a story told by Corrie ten Boom in her book The Hiding Place. As part of the Dutch resistance during World War II, Corrie’s family harbored Jews and others hunted by the Gestapo in their home. After being betrayed by a Dutch informant, the ten Boom family was arrested and imprisoned. Corrie and her sister Betsie ended up in the Ravensbrück concentration camp. That first night, as they shared a bed in the crowded barracks, Corrie discovered their bedding was infested with fleas. Betsie reminded her sister of the Scripture passage they’d read that morning from 1 Thessalonians: “Give thanks in all circumstances.” As they began praying, Betsie listed the things for which they could give thanks, such as their remaining together and having smuggled a Bible into the barracks. But, when she mentioned the fleas, Corrie’s response was, “There’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.” Betsie explained that the verse said all circumstances and not just the pleasant ones, so Corrie reluctantly joined her in a prayer of thanksgiving that even included the fleas.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. [Genesis 1:31a (NIV)]
Devotions of the Heart 