What a joy to meet with you again today. It is a glorious day here in Eastern North Carolina! I have one at public school, one fishing with Grandpa, two playing quietly with Legos and one at respite so this Mama is ready to dig into some Bible study with you!
I pray you are all rested up and have your favorite study Bible with you. We begin by delving into John today. Go ahead and take a minute to read the entire book of John 9, if you wish. I'll be right here waiting. When you're ready, scroll to the next line and I'll be there waiting...
* Day 4
Don't Pray Away
"This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him."
John 9:3*
The author of the book (Draw the Circle. The 40 Day Prayer Challenge) starts right in with sharing a story of a tragedy that happened to friends' child. A young boy fell 13 feet from his bedroom window. Suffering significant brain damage, loss of vision and severe motor skills damage the child now stutters and walks with pronounced limp yet...he lives! He is alive and although he is flawed in his earthly tent of skin, he is a living testimony and now sings and praises God along with his parents.
As most of you know, John and I have five adopted children. When we first adopted Angel, Andrew and Danny we were not told of the severity of their disabilities. As a matter of fact, we were pretty much lied to and we believe with all our hearts information was withheld so that the children could be adopted as a sibling group.
As we later found out, they had many diagnoses and within a year we realized we, as first time parents never having had biological children of our own, were not fully equipped to have adopted the children we brought home with us. I won't waste time recounting the pain this has caused our family, the loss of friendships and fellowship, the countless therapists and doctors and specialists we've endured over the past 13 years, but what I will share with you is that each child is a miracle. They are alive!
Unlike the child in the book who has had a traumatic past and now has issues that can be seen with the naked eye, our children have had a traumatic past and has issues that CANNOT be seen with the naked eye. But, they survived the fall. They are alive and safe and living! And praise God they are each little miracles in themselves!
The father in the book, and I, myself, both have asked "Why?" "Why, God, would you allow this to happen to my child/children?" "Why him/them?"
And as the author wrote..."Why, God..." is not a new question at all.
I remember a man named Job. Job, who was blameless in God's eyes. Job, whom the Lord trusted enough to allow Satan to test him. Job, who lost everything and even said...The Lord giveth and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Satan took everything he owned. All his 500 teams of oxen, along with the farmhands. The 7000 sheep and all the shepherds. 3000 camels and the servants. His sons and daughters and their homes. Job still blessed God and kept himself holy. He was left with the four messengers that brought the bad news and a wife, who must have been devastated.
But oh, that devil! He certainly wasn't satisfied with that! He came at Job again. The Lord allowed it but commanded that he spared Job's life.
Satan put terrible boils all over his body. He sat and scraped at them in pain, and his wife told him to curse God and die! (Not exactly the Proverbs 31 woman, is she?)
Job called her foolish and reminded her that they had accepted all that was good from God and now they will accept the bad as well.
Go 'head Job!
Here comes the friends. The friends that were supposed to come and comfort and console him. They saw Job and hardly recognized him. The Bible tells us they didn't say a word for seven days but just sat with him. (Giving us good wisdom on what to do when someone is so down and out and we want to comfort them. Sometimes the best thing is just to be there with them. No words will make it better so just be there.)
Finally, Job cries out and curses the day he was even born. If he had never been born, he would not have owned all those things and had those children and this never would have happened. His friend spoke up (this is long verses made short) and told him if you are this upset, you need to go to God and tell him!
Job realized he had said foolish things and declared that his grief was so horrible that if it could be weighed, it would outweigh the grains of sands in the see and that is why he spoke impulsively. (See, we're not the only ones who blurt stupid stuff when we are mad, angry, sad! Whew. This gives me hope for my impulsiveness, how 'bout y'all?)
Oh, but wait. Then he said something even more dumb...I hurt so bad I wish God would just kill me.
He continues on about God's injustices and how could one man take so much. I'm sure we've all felt this way at one time or another. Probably why God put this juicy story in the Bible, huh?
And Job goes on and on and on and on. He goes through all his friends. All his friends give him whack advice and egg him on. He continues and relentlessly goes through what we now call the cycle of grief. Until one day God answers Job.
That final "Why, God?" The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. And God responds...
Who are you to question my wisdom? Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Who decided how big it was gonna be? You? Then, what supports its foundations and who laid the cornerstones? Tell me.
Who kept the seas within their boundaries? Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east? Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth? Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? Then show me.
How about this, do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you been there and seen it? Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me!
Where does light come from and where does darkness go? And who made the rain? Who gives birth to the dew? Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost? Do you know?
Can you direct the movement of the stars? Do you know the laws of the universe? (I'd love to ask a few atheist scientists this question myself?) Can you shout to the clouds and command them to act?
Who gives the wild donkey his freedom? Will the wild ox consent to being tamed? Have you ever given a horse its strength? Is it your wisdom that makes the hawk soar?
And he continues...Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?
I won't continue with what Job said. He said probably what we would all say... I have nothing more to say. My friends, the Daddy has spoken. At this point, coincidentally, would be an appropriate response for us to say nothing more.
When we come at God with our lame "Why, God?" in an accusatory tone, He, the Creator has every right to put us in our place. We, who own nothing (remember yesterday?) certainly have no right to take what the good Lord has given us and throw it back in His face and say "Why?"
However, since God knows our hearts, we should always remember that when we have true, genuine questions, we should bring them to him. We should talk everything over with the one above. The one who gave us life, wants to hear our thoughts, our concerns and our pleas. Just don't come at him all bowed up with attitude. Remember, He brought you in this world and He can take you out!
Whew! Somebody tell me God is good! All this and we haven't even gotten to John 9 yet!
Friends, I'm so sorry but I'm gonna have to stop here. Life in the flesh is calling me away at the moment and Satan must be mad at me for sharing this with y'all because I have now received five phone calls, eight texts, two kids asking about lunch and my daughter came home and interrupted all in the time since I started typing. On top of that, it's time to go pick up a child at respite!
But hold on to what you got, I'm gonna finish Day 4. So, go take an intermission. Kiss yer sweetie pies, rotate that laundry, feed the cats & dogs and we'll meet back again shortly!
Until then I say...Blessed be the name of the Lord!
