| Devotional Hours with the Bible |
Chapter 23 |
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We are always in danger of losing faith in time of sorrow or any sore trouble. Many times people are heard asking such questions as, “How can God be a God of love, and allow me to be so bereft, so stripped of good things? Where are now the promises of blessing which are made in the Scriptures over and over again? Has God forgotten to be gracious?” To those questions of doubt and fear the answer is, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” Let nothing disturb your faith. Though it seem that God’s love has failed, that God has not forgotten you, that Christ is no longer your friend, still continue to believe; believe in God, believe also in Christ.
Sorrow is full of mystery. We go everywhere asking, “Why?” “This is not love,” we say. “This is not goodness. This is not salvation.” We cannot answer the Why. Why should we expect to know why God does this or that? How could we, with our narrow vision and our small knowledge, understand the plans and purpose of God? God does not want to give us an easy time in this world — He wants to make something of us, and often the way to do this is to give us pain, loss, and suffering. A German writer speaks of the “hardness of God’s love.” Love must be hard sometimes. A writer tells of keeping the cocoon of an emperor moth for nearly a year, to watch the process of development. A narrow opening is left in the neck of the flask, through which the perfect insect forces its way. The opening is so small that it seems impossible for the moth to pass through it. This writer watched the efforts of the imprisoned moth to escape. It did not appear to make any progress. At last he grew impatient. He pitied the little creature and, in a weak kindness to it, decided to help it. Taking his scissors, he snipped the confining threads to make the struggle easier. In a moment the moth was free, dragging out a great swollen body and little shriveled wings. He watched to see the beauty unfold, but he watched in vain. “It never was anything but a stunted abortion, crawling painfully about instead of flying through the air on rainbow wings.” Nature’s way — that is, God’s way — with moths is the only true way, although it is a way of pain, struggle, and suffering. Human pity may make an easier way, but the end will be destructive.
God’s love never makes this mistake, either in nature or in dealing with human lives. God lets us suffer, if by suffering we will best grow into perfect beauty. When the mystery of pain or hardness comes into our life, let us not doubt. Let us suffer and wait. The disciples thought all their hopes were gone, but in the end they learned that no hope had perished or failed. Blessing and good came out of what seemed irretrievable disaster. “Ye believe in God, believe also in me,” is always the word of faith and comfort. Trust God. Nothing is going wrong. You cannot understand, but He understands.
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