A dear relative, after reading our most recent post, wrote to Joan and me: “Your family’s experiences over the last week are too hard and sad.”
It does feel that way! It makes me wonder: Are we in a good place, a safe place, when the trials compound and feel like too much?
There was a guy named Agur who prayed:
“give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.” (Prov 30:8,9)
I’m thinking I could pray something similar about trials:
“If I don’t have any hardships, stress or trials in my life…
That wouldn’t be good for me. I wouldn’t grow and besides,
I could conclude that I don’t need you – ‘I got this.’
But if I have too many trials…
I could become disappointed with you and question your goodness,
And perhaps ‘unsubscribe’ from some aspect of your role in my life.”
Both Dobson (“When God Doesn’t Make Sense”) and Yancey (“Disappointment with God”) have written books about this. A season of grief isn’t just hard, it is also dangerous. We barely have two gray cells to rub together. We can make bad decisions. It is at such times when many walk away from the faith. But we don’t want to do that, not even a little bit. We need all of God’s love through every means that he would provide. We don’t want to turn from him, but to stay close – even when we don’t understand. Besides, like Peter expressed, where else would we go? Jesus is the one who offers real life. And therefore, we must continue to subscribe to life in him.
Our relative concluded with her prayer for us. No doubt it is the kind of prayer that many of you are praying for us – one that is so precious to us. “We pray for God’s grace and strength to uphold you through grief and stress.”
Thank you for that prayer and all your prayers and all the words of encouragement and concern!
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