This week at TFB a young mom died suddenly. She lay down to take a nap and never got up. She was not sick--so far as anyone knows. Just that quick. Yesterday's worship was touched by sadness and a facing toward God that was palpable. One corner of the worship center was in tears, all the while worshipping with arms raised. The next few weeks will be tough for many. There are many questions. Few answers.
My mom died when I was 12. That death has touched every bit of my life since then. I thank God that he had taught me an important truth by that age:
Death is always an evil
AND
God is always good.
We may never see the "good results" of a death. Such hopes are shadows. The reality is that God is good now. He is always good. We must trust him.
I think what confuses matters is that God's definition of "good" very often differs from our own. We usually define it in terms of comfort, happiness, not challenge and growth. Its a very big subject and your assertion that "God is good" is true, even when we suffer.
ReplyDeleteWell said, mulled vine. Our ways of understanding may be the crux of the matter. I am reminded of the many Psalms when the psalmists asks, "Why?" (2, 10, 22, 42, 43, 44, 49, 74, 79, and 88). Psalm 73 also comes to mind, where Asaph does not understand until he enters worship:
ReplyDeleteBut when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. (73:17)
Worship is our declaration that God is good, even when circumstances block our vision of his goodness.