We’ve been discussing what we can do when we face storms in life, whether we’re talking about COVID-19 or any other type of difficulty we might face, and we’ve said that there are at least three things we can do: we can pray, we can trust, and we can worship.
In the last post we talked about being able to trust God because we know that he’s sovereign, that he’s in complete, absolute control of any situation that you may face, including this pandemic. That’s the first step in trusting.
But here’s where our faith sometimes falters. Even when we recognize God’s sovereignty, at times we still tend to doubt or fear because, well, just because God is “great” doesn’t always mean that he’ll do what we think he should do. But here’s the thing: the reason why we can trust God is not just because he’s all-powerful; it’s because he’s also good and he loves you beyond measure.
How do we know this? Just listen to what he says in his Word:
Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! (Psalm 63:3 NLT)
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 107:1 ESV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 ESV)
God is love. (1 John 4:8)
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! (Psalm 34:8 ESV)
The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. (Nahum 1:7 NIV)
God is in absolute control, but more than that, he is good and he loves you and cares about you. Still, I have to admit that when I’m afraid and I’m begging for God’s help, sometimes it’s hard to get over the feeling that I know God can, I just don’t know that God will. I know that God can bring healing, I just don’t know whether he’ll do it. I know God can make sure the medical test comes back with a good result, I just don’t know that he will. I know God can provide me with a good job, or protection, or enough money to pay my rent, or whatever it is I’m asking for, but I’m not sure whether God will do those things.
My problem is not that I doubt God’s ability. Sometimes I’m just afraid that what God wants might be painful to me.
Whenever those times come in my life, I’m reminded of the father in Mark 9:14-24 who brought his son to Jesus for healing. The dad obviously had faith that Jesus could heal his son, or he wouldn’t have brought him to Jesus in the first place, but he says, “Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” Jesus replies to him, “What do you mean, ‘If I can’? Anything is possible if a person believes.” And the dad replies, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
Sometimes that’s exactly how I feel, and it’s what I pray to God: “I believe, help me overcome my unbelief!” What I’m really saying is, “God, I know what you can do. I know you are absolutely in control of this situation. But I’m still afraid. I’m not doubting you, I’m doubting me. Please strengthen my faith. Help me to trust in you, not that you will necessarily do exactly what I’m asking for, but that whatever it is that you choose to do, help me to accept in my heart that you know what’s best and you know exactly what needs to be done.”
Because God does know what’s best, and he does know exactly what needs to be done. No matter what happens in your life, you can know that God loves you, and he’s working his plan.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 NIV)
God will work out everything for the best. He loves you and has a plan that will be accomplished, and that plan is good and perfect, whether we can see the good in it or not.
I believe the empty tomb is the perfect picture of the power of God over this world. I also believe that the cross is the greatest picture of God’s incredible love for us. There could be no celebration of an empty tomb if there wasn’t first the agony of the cross! For the followers of Jesus, Good Friday was incredibly painful. They couldn’t see what Sunday had in store. But once Sunday came, once they understood the full significance of the resurrection of Jesus, how thankful they were for Friday.
When God allows us to experience a circumstance that brings us pain, we can’t always see the goodness of the pain at the time, but we can know that God still loves us, and one day, either in this life or the next, we are going to thank God for the thing that brought the pain.
I believe there’s a God who is all-powerful and who says to you, “Even when you’re in a storm and life doesn’t make sense and horrible things are happening, especially in those times when you’re hurting, I love you and I’m with you and I’m in control.”
Recognizing that your hope is in an all-powerful God who loves you won’t automatically make your problems go away. It may not heal that relationship, fill your bank account, get you a job, or get rid of a virus.
But it will remind you that when life is uncertain, God is certain. When you’ve lost hope, God is hope. While our power is limited, God’s power is limitless. While our love fails, God’s love is perfect.
In whatever storm you face, trust that God can do anything that you ask of him, but also trust that he loves you and wants what’s best for you and that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”