I Don’t Get It

I have a friend who is young, smart, talented and very single. By that I mean that she considers herself eligibly unlucky, watching all her friends and family tie the knot while she has yet to meet anyone who she would consider marriage material. This woman is gorgeous and faithful that God will provide a mate in His timing, and she is very lonely.

Another friend and her husband have raised their three adult children well; in church each week, praying over their children through the years and applying scripture to their lives as they grew up. At this writing, all three have seemingly walked away from the faith of their parents and are relying on their own strength and power to get through this world.

There is a family I am close to who desperately wants to have another baby, or would love a couple more to add to their brood. Several miscarriages, some of them late term, make the possibility feel less and less likely, but they still try for another because they believe their house is not full yet.

Another family that I love has a young, sick father. He has a chronic illness that will likely prevent him from living a long life, so they concentrate more on seasons than years. Their faith in God is strong, but their trust in medication and time being on their side is not.

These scenarios beg the question, “Lord, Why?” The people who love you and are following your will the best way they know how, are still suffering…..waiting…..hoping.

The answer may be simple, but it is not easy to accept. Free will. If God gave believers everything they dreamed of, everyone would be a believer simply to get whatever they asked for. And then there would be nothing to believe in, no faith required. We are all being observed by others, believers and non, to watch how we will handle life’s circumstances. None of us is exempt, if we were, there would be nothing to watch, and faith would not be necessary.

God has a plan. He knows your name and your circumstance.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11