Monday, January 18, 2016
“His sovereign rule lasts and lasts,
his kingdom never declines and falls.
Life on this earth doesn’t add up to much,
but God’s heavenly army keeps everything going.
No one can interrupt his work,
no one can call his rule into question.
Daniel 4:35
There are many things in the world that I do not understand. You do not have to look too far to see or hear the injustices and the deep sorrow that plagues our world. Trouble, fear, devastation, injustice, murder, corruption, brokenness, sickness, loneliness, lying, cheating, abuse, and the list could go on forever. Many of these troubles I see them through eyes of our broken world. They are present because sin is present. God has not restored this world to His Glory yet, so these troubles are part of our sin against a Holy God. There are some things that I see in this world and I think, "God, why do you let this continue? You have the power to stop it completely!"
The one thing that vexes my soul more than anything else going on in this world involves pregnancy and loss. Most of the trouble in this world is a direct reaction from the selfishness and fallen human nature, but it is only God that can open the womb and give life. So my soul is troubled when I think about the fact that 43,203 abortions were performed in 2015 in the state of Illinois and there are childless couples all over this state that are pleading to God for a child. I cannot wrap my head around why God would allow these women who are going to murder their unborn baby to get pregnant in the first place. Why do the women who have no regard for the ways of God have full arms and the women who have dedicated their life to following God sit broken with empty arms. My children are my heart and I do not say this to contradict my love for them, but in a perfect world there should not be orphans and the servants of Christ should not know the feeling of being childless.But I at least see through adoption the beautiful picture of redemption and the Gospel. I wish that is where my anger ends, but then I cannot help but hurt for those who have begged and pleaded with God for a child and God opened their womb and gave them life only to lose that child through miscarriage, stillborn or complications from birth. I have cried with too many friends as they try to make sense of this cruelty and I cannot help but once again question God, why give them that hope only to snatch it away in the most heart-wrenching way?
Yesterday afternoon this sadness has hit too close to home. As kids we grew up being close to my Uncle Mike and Aunt Rose and my cousins Josh and Mandie. We spent a great deal of time with them and have so many wonderful childhood memories. My uncle, aunt, and Mandie had the amazing opportunity to be with is in Detroit when both Samuel and Chloe came home. They stood by us when we saw two of our children for the very first time. Mandie gave her heart to Jesus at a young age, she went to a Bible college, she surrendered her will to God and had plans to go to Africa for mission work, God had other plans and she was asked to stay in the states, she met Mike, they got married, and have been serving God in their church faithfully. Their desire was to start a family. They prayed and waited for some time and it seemed like it may not happen. It is hard being in that waiting time. Well a miracle happened and she found out she was expecting a baby! They would later learn she was having a boy and the preparations continued and all praise was given to Jesus for this amazing gift. At just 25 weeks into the pregnancy complications would arise and an emergency c-section would take place and baby Hudson would be born weighing a little over 1 pound. We all rejoiced for a safe delivery and so many rallied around them asking God to make this baby strong and heal him from any complications that were present. It seemed like the world was watching to see how God was going to heal him and show His Glory and build this amazing testimony of survival. But that is not how it turned out. Since he was born in November he has been fighting, but over the last few weeks his lungs were just not strong enough and there was nothing more they could do. Yesterday this precious baby boy was ushered into the arms of Jesus, leaving a sadness I cannot even imagine with my cousin and her husband. Leaving a sadness with all of us who love and cherish this family. Leaving us with the temptation to shake our fist at God and think "Why would you let this happen? They love you. He would of grown up knowing You. How is his death more glorifying than his life?" We are all left hurt and have great sorrow for this family and I do not have the answers, but the word that kept popping in my head last nigh is sovereign. God is Sovereign. As His child we must trust His Sovereign ways even in the sorrow that we cannot understand. It's the moment when you realize that we on this earth cannot fully understand it, because we are not God. We do not see the big picture that He is piecing together. At the moment we cannot seem to fathom that this piece is supposed to fit. There is no way this piece will make the picture beautiful and complete. In this sorrow and others in life we make that choice to trust His heart, trust His plan, and wait. Know that in the waiting, in the weeping, in the darkness, He promises to hold us and love us as a good Father.
his kingdom never declines and falls.
Life on this earth doesn’t add up to much,
but God’s heavenly army keeps everything going.
No one can interrupt his work,
no one can call his rule into question.
Daniel 4:35
There are many things in the world that I do not understand. You do not have to look too far to see or hear the injustices and the deep sorrow that plagues our world. Trouble, fear, devastation, injustice, murder, corruption, brokenness, sickness, loneliness, lying, cheating, abuse, and the list could go on forever. Many of these troubles I see them through eyes of our broken world. They are present because sin is present. God has not restored this world to His Glory yet, so these troubles are part of our sin against a Holy God. There are some things that I see in this world and I think, "God, why do you let this continue? You have the power to stop it completely!"
The one thing that vexes my soul more than anything else going on in this world involves pregnancy and loss. Most of the trouble in this world is a direct reaction from the selfishness and fallen human nature, but it is only God that can open the womb and give life. So my soul is troubled when I think about the fact that 43,203 abortions were performed in 2015 in the state of Illinois and there are childless couples all over this state that are pleading to God for a child. I cannot wrap my head around why God would allow these women who are going to murder their unborn baby to get pregnant in the first place. Why do the women who have no regard for the ways of God have full arms and the women who have dedicated their life to following God sit broken with empty arms. My children are my heart and I do not say this to contradict my love for them, but in a perfect world there should not be orphans and the servants of Christ should not know the feeling of being childless.But I at least see through adoption the beautiful picture of redemption and the Gospel. I wish that is where my anger ends, but then I cannot help but hurt for those who have begged and pleaded with God for a child and God opened their womb and gave them life only to lose that child through miscarriage, stillborn or complications from birth. I have cried with too many friends as they try to make sense of this cruelty and I cannot help but once again question God, why give them that hope only to snatch it away in the most heart-wrenching way?
Yesterday afternoon this sadness has hit too close to home. As kids we grew up being close to my Uncle Mike and Aunt Rose and my cousins Josh and Mandie. We spent a great deal of time with them and have so many wonderful childhood memories. My uncle, aunt, and Mandie had the amazing opportunity to be with is in Detroit when both Samuel and Chloe came home. They stood by us when we saw two of our children for the very first time. Mandie gave her heart to Jesus at a young age, she went to a Bible college, she surrendered her will to God and had plans to go to Africa for mission work, God had other plans and she was asked to stay in the states, she met Mike, they got married, and have been serving God in their church faithfully. Their desire was to start a family. They prayed and waited for some time and it seemed like it may not happen. It is hard being in that waiting time. Well a miracle happened and she found out she was expecting a baby! They would later learn she was having a boy and the preparations continued and all praise was given to Jesus for this amazing gift. At just 25 weeks into the pregnancy complications would arise and an emergency c-section would take place and baby Hudson would be born weighing a little over 1 pound. We all rejoiced for a safe delivery and so many rallied around them asking God to make this baby strong and heal him from any complications that were present. It seemed like the world was watching to see how God was going to heal him and show His Glory and build this amazing testimony of survival. But that is not how it turned out. Since he was born in November he has been fighting, but over the last few weeks his lungs were just not strong enough and there was nothing more they could do. Yesterday this precious baby boy was ushered into the arms of Jesus, leaving a sadness I cannot even imagine with my cousin and her husband. Leaving a sadness with all of us who love and cherish this family. Leaving us with the temptation to shake our fist at God and think "Why would you let this happen? They love you. He would of grown up knowing You. How is his death more glorifying than his life?" We are all left hurt and have great sorrow for this family and I do not have the answers, but the word that kept popping in my head last nigh is sovereign. God is Sovereign. As His child we must trust His Sovereign ways even in the sorrow that we cannot understand. It's the moment when you realize that we on this earth cannot fully understand it, because we are not God. We do not see the big picture that He is piecing together. At the moment we cannot seem to fathom that this piece is supposed to fit. There is no way this piece will make the picture beautiful and complete. In this sorrow and others in life we make that choice to trust His heart, trust His plan, and wait. Know that in the waiting, in the weeping, in the darkness, He promises to hold us and love us as a good Father.
Beautifully written and expressed.
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