God Heals All Wounds

Sometimes things happen, we're imperfect creatures in an imperfect world and the good times cannot last forever. Something bad will happen. Why? I don't know, but having been in this world as long has I have been it's a guaranteed fact that three good days in a row is a blessing we should be eternally thankful for, because that really really beats the averages.

So often we're left to wonder "Why do bad things happen to good people" when we as Christians know for a fact that no one is good other than God, we see that in Matthew 19:17 and Romans 3:10. However even in the bible we see this question being raised, Solomon writing in Ecclesiastes 8:14 brought up this subject, why does it seem that the righteous suffer while the evil get away with evil. 

Can we blame Satan for all of our pains and woes? You could, but what good would that do? We're still imperfect creatures in an imperfect world. It's what we do with our pain and our needs that counts. Lucky for us our creator is perfect and knows our pain and wants to help us, John 6:44 tells us that God is trying to draw us closer to Him and we should let ourselves be drawn to Him and let his love heal us:

¹⁹ Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
    He saved them out of their distresses.
²⁰ He sent His word and healed them,
    And delivered them from their destructions.
²¹ Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,   And for His wonders to the sons of men! (Psalm 107:19-21)

This Psalm refers to the mass affliction and mass healing that I wrote about in Snake On A Stick, To get to where God wanted Israel to be, they had to traverse an area full of poisonous snakes, and to survive the snakes God gave them the means of healing.

What if we're not where God needs us to be? Today God isn't going to drop us in a desert filled with poisonous snakes to remind us to trust in Him. What He's going to do will be more subtle, less miraculous; a long term illness, a car accident, or in the case of a group of people - he's going to let something happen to a church. Maybe right now your congregation is not where God wants you to be, maybe God needs all of you to move to another place in your faith. He's not going to fill the sanctuary with poisonous snakes and place battalions of Egyptian charioteers in the parking lot as you arrive for bible study. But think of this: what do the sheep do when they're suddenly without a Shepard? That's a real good way to get everyone's attention. If the head of the dishwashing committee disappears it's doubtful too many people outside of the Women's Ministry will notice. Remove the pastor and everyone will notice.

So what do you do when God drops you in a desert full of snakes and posts the entire 361st Charioteers across the entrance? 

You Trust God.

Trust God for he is our stronghold

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” (Psalm 91:2)

Trust God for He is our protector

“As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. (2 Samuel 22:31)

Trust God for He will deliver us

For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. (1 Timothy 4:10)

Trust God because we can't do it without Him

Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

You may be asking yourself if there's anything we can do without Gods help? I can only think of one thing: Smile.

A joyful heart is good medicine,But a broken spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)