As a believer and one who tries very hard to live every day with Jesus, I sometimes find myself in the odd position of defending God.
Life is filled with injustices, and when these injustices occur, people tend to look heavenward with a defiant fist raised and hurl a series of accusatory questions:
How could you let my child die?
Why didn’t you keep me from losing my job?
Where were you when I was abused?
The list seems endless, and there are no easy answers.
For example, a young man reached out to our prayer group because his little boy had an inoperable brain tumor. We prayed several times for this gentlemen and his family. I, personally, felt led to take it a step further and email him the specifics of my prayers as a way to encourage him and hopefully build his new found faith.
Then his little boy died.
The child was only 7 years old, and their only child.
What now? I thought. How do I go from offering this man hope in the infallible God, to telling him this all powerful God did not let him down?
This is one part of living every day with Jesus that I still struggle with.
Still, I know is that God is still good, and His love is still everlasting.
Whenever I face hard times and want to ask God ‘how could you?” I always reread the last few chapters of of the book of Job because it reminds me that I am not God and that He knows exactly what He is doing.
“And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm. He said: Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about? Pull yourself together, Job! Up on your feet! Stand tall! I have some questions for you, and I want some straight answers. Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much! Who decided on its size? Certainly you’ll know that! Who came up with the blueprints and measurements? How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone,…” (Job 38)
What about you my very special reader?
Have you ever found yourself in the unique position of trying to defend God?
How did you handle it?
More importantly, how did living every day with Jesus help you to handle it?