Where Is God When Trouble Comes?
Wednesday June 19, 2013
In the Bible we read the story of how God took care of a poor widow who was running out of food (1 Kings 17). God miraculously made oil and flour multiply day after day during a time of drought and famine so she and her child, and the prophet Elijah would have food to eat every single day. Imagine, day after day, week after week, watching a few tablespoons of oil and a bit of flour being enough to make more bread and more bread and more bread. God was doing something wonderful every single day that the widow could see. Sometime later the woman’s son got sick and died. What was her first response? To trust God who had been taking care of her in such wonderful ways? Sadly this was not her first response. She questioned and complained and thought God was treating her with harshness and meanness. Here is that part of the story.
Sometime later the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died. Then she said to Elijah, “O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?” But Elijah replied, “Give me your son.” And he took the child’s body from her arms, carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying, and laid the body on his bed. Then Elijah cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, why have you brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?” And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived! Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “Look!” he said. “Your son is alive!” Then the woman told Elijah, “Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the Lord truly speaks through you.” (1 Kings 17:17-24 NLT) Most of us have examples of how God has cared for us in particular situations in the past, but all too often, we are just like the widow. When a new problem arises, we complain, we question, we doubt God’s goodness, we wonder if God is around at all for us. How are we to respond to trouble in a healthy way that includes God? 1) We can freely tell God that we don’t understand. He’s ready to hear that from us. We’re telling the truth, and God welcomes truth. 2) We can tell God what we long for and keep on telling Him until a solution comes. We have to be willing to allow God to provide for us in His way, and in His time. God is a caring and providing God and sees our needs even before the need materializes. God cares about the desires of our hearts. 3) Times may be hard as we wait but God offers us comfort and strength to get us through. God understands how we feel. 4) Sometimes life takes a difficult turn and we have a situation where loss is permanent. At that time God invites us to look for the life He’s promised us rather than the life we thought we were going to live. God promises a full life. God knows we live in a world that has troubles and hardships. God promises to help us overcome as we trust His care and His provision in the most difficult times. It’s God’s nature to speak the truth and to care for us. How can we welcome our loving and caring God into our difficult circumstances today?
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