I see a mother as her husband pulls in the driveway, mad at yet another unproductive day when he couldn’t earn much (he has bombarded her with texts all day), even though he tried. I see her tense as the car door slams, the furtive look at the front window...
Julie, you are my friend and I respect you. But I have to admit, I still struggle with a post like this. I still cringe at the notion that he helped "wherever he could," "as much as possible," "until help arrives" and "to ensure it doesn't get physical, today" (which implies it does get physical other times).
You gave the caveat that Jesus doesn't interfere with free will, and there are natural consequences to people's actions, so that is why Jesus sometimes can't help. But it just seems so inconsistent, like the small print at the end of a pharmaceutical ad: "Individual results may vary."
It seems too easy for the survivors to praise Jesus' hand of protection while the victims--the ones who don't survive, and the ones who love them--stay silent. I know this the oldest question in the book, but I am admitting I don't have any answers. It's a real faith crisis for me sometimes.
I understand! Having had loads of trauma as well. And I really cannot explain it more except to say that His Word is accurate. He never leaves us. He is for us, not against us. He cannot work outside of His characteristics of love first and compassion second. The fact is, people have seen this in scenes of their life and we all will someday. It will all make sense, we will see that He was always "on time" and in fact-His timing and intervention was impeccable. This is not to make light of our grief here-it is sometimes heavy, deep, and soul-reaching. But who can say that He did NOT save us from far worse in each and every situation? It is a matter of choosing to trust Him, knowing that in the light of eternity, much will be revealed. And a matter of choosing to believe that He really does have our best interests at heart and loves us so very much. Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I always appreciate connecting with you. I hope that this helps a bit.
The 'rules' are complex but prayers of intercession are structural to justice now and in the future.
Relationship with Jesus = Aligned Will (you start to see as Jesus sees and can pray for what *He* wants) "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven"
He requires us to participate to bring Heaven on earth through prayer. We'll get there eventually.
Hey - thanks for the reshare. Appreciate it and you!
Julie, you are my friend and I respect you. But I have to admit, I still struggle with a post like this. I still cringe at the notion that he helped "wherever he could," "as much as possible," "until help arrives" and "to ensure it doesn't get physical, today" (which implies it does get physical other times).
You gave the caveat that Jesus doesn't interfere with free will, and there are natural consequences to people's actions, so that is why Jesus sometimes can't help. But it just seems so inconsistent, like the small print at the end of a pharmaceutical ad: "Individual results may vary."
It seems too easy for the survivors to praise Jesus' hand of protection while the victims--the ones who don't survive, and the ones who love them--stay silent. I know this the oldest question in the book, but I am admitting I don't have any answers. It's a real faith crisis for me sometimes.
I understand! Having had loads of trauma as well. And I really cannot explain it more except to say that His Word is accurate. He never leaves us. He is for us, not against us. He cannot work outside of His characteristics of love first and compassion second. The fact is, people have seen this in scenes of their life and we all will someday. It will all make sense, we will see that He was always "on time" and in fact-His timing and intervention was impeccable. This is not to make light of our grief here-it is sometimes heavy, deep, and soul-reaching. But who can say that He did NOT save us from far worse in each and every situation? It is a matter of choosing to trust Him, knowing that in the light of eternity, much will be revealed. And a matter of choosing to believe that He really does have our best interests at heart and loves us so very much. Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I always appreciate connecting with you. I hope that this helps a bit.
The 'rules' are complex but prayers of intercession are structural to justice now and in the future.
Relationship with Jesus = Aligned Will (you start to see as Jesus sees and can pray for what *He* wants) "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven"
He requires us to participate to bring Heaven on earth through prayer. We'll get there eventually.
Yes, encouraging to remember that. I thank you for the reminder.
Thank you, Julie. He is always with us. We need only to believe it.
Yes and amen.
I love this reminder of Jesus being ever present with us, in all things. Thank you.