Where Was God?

"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up freely for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)

Have you ever been through such a difficult trial, something so devastatingly painful, that you cried out to God and asked, "God, where were You when I was going through this? Why did I have to go through it alone?"

If you have, beloved, then you are no different than just about every other Christian who has ever lived. At one time or another we have all felt that sensation of being utterly alone, the feeling that God had abandoned us in our time of need. And of such times it is common for us to ask, "Where was God?"

The apostle Paul in writing to the church in Rome revealed something of the character of God that we would do well to take to heart and never forget. He reminded them that God, when faced with the prospect of sacrificing His only begotten Son on the cross for our sins, did not cling to Him, but rather "delivered Him up for us all." You see, no one took Jesus from the Father. God had to hand Him over voluntarily so that we might know forgiveness of sins. He was not "kidnapped" and held for ransom by sinful men. His own heavenly Father gave Him to them to be crucified. That's how much He loves you and me!

So what is the point? The point simply is, as Paul has so beautifully shown us in this verse of Scripture, if God did not withhold His own Son, is He really likely to bail out on you in times of sorrow and grief? I recently received an e-mail containing a story about a lady whose young son had suffered long with cancer and had finally been taken from her. Her cry? "Where was God?" In anguish of heart and mind, she cried out to Him in her distress. And in a very special way, He sent her the answer that her heart needed. He let her know that, while her son lay dying in that hospital bed, He had been right where He was when His own Son was dying on the cross for our sins. He was right there with her!

Where will God be, then, the next time you are suffering, beloved? He will be right beside you. He will feel your pain, weep with you, and walk you through that trial of life into the sunshine of a new and glorious day. Why? Because that's what fathers do! And He is the greatest Father of all. Let me encourage you to seize the promise of God in this verse of Scripture and make it your very own. Where is God now and where will He be whenever you need Him? If you will just look up, you will find yourself looking into His wonderful face.

May the truth of God's Word speak comfort to your hearts now and always.

Ron

Never Alone!

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:18)

The thought of anyone being an "orphan" brings out the tenderest thoughts in most everyone, beloved, especially if those orphans are small children. How vividly I recall visiting an orphanage in South Korea while serving there during my time in military service. I was deeply touched by the plight of those children whose parents were not there to care for them. The apostle James urged his readers as believers to minister to the widows and orphans and referred to such ministry as "pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father" (James 1:27).

In His words to His disciples the night of His betrayal, Jesus told them that He would not leave them " as orphans." It is interesting that the King James Version translates the Greek word orphanous as "comfortless." Whenever we think of orphans, we often see them as "comfortless" because of having no families to love them, affirm them, and meet their needs. The wonderful promise of Jesus to His disciples on that night and to us today through them is that He would not leave them and will not leave us as if we were "orphans." In other words, He intends to develop such an intimate relationship with us that we will never feel alone in this world of sin and sorrow! The apostle John nailed down the surety of this relationship when he wrote:

"See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him" (1 John 3:1).

Jesus wanted the disciples to know, and we need to learn the same truth today, that He would never under any circumstances leave them to fend for themselves in this world. He has sent the Holy Spirit to abide within us forever, the assurance of His very own presence with us. Beloved, we are never alone in any circumstance of life as Christians! We are not "orphans" in this world of sin, but find our identity in Jesus Christ as sons and daughters of the Most High God. Circumstances may entice us to feel alone, but in reality we are not alone. We are indwelt by the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9) and are members of God's own family. Whatever we may face here, we never face it alone.

And even though Jesus' promise to them that night - "I will come to you" - spoke directly of His pouring out of the Spirit upon them on the day of Pentecost, still there is comfort for you and me today in those words. One day Jesus will "come to us" and will catch us away to be with Him forever. Until that day, beloved, we must remember that, come what may, we are never alone! If you want to know the comfort of His daily presence, get to know Him more intimately through His Word and through your daily walk with Him. We are not orphans! May God bless your service with His presence and His power.

Ron

When Right Is Wrong

"Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, that I might not cause my brother to stumble" (1 Corinthians 8:13).

Is there ever an occasion when something is "right" and "wrong" at the same time, beloved? Our senses would tell us "No, that's impossible!" Yet in his letter to the church in Corinth, the apostle Paul made it clear that such is often the case. It seems that in the church today, we love things to be "black" (that's wrong) and "white" (that's right). Nor would I argue for a moment against the fact that God's Word is very clear on the issues of sin and righteousness.

But Paul's point was that sometimes, in the exercise of our "righteousness" as Christians, we can actually be wrong even when technically we may be right. A case in point for him involved the Corinthian believers' concern for those among them who were purchasing meat in the marketplace that had come from the temples of idols where it had been offered in sacrifice. How easy it was for them to affirm the truth that "there is no such thing as an idol in the world" (v.4) and to go on partaking of that perfectly good meat with a clear conscience.

Yet the apostle introduced to them a different perspective, and one that we need so very much to heed ourselves today. That perspective was: "What effect is this exercise of my personal liberty as a Christian having upon other believers?" Hm! Apparently no one had asked themselves that question before! Paul went on to explain that in their midst there lived fellow believers who had just come out of idolatry and to whose consciences such an action as eating that meat was offensive and wrong. What about them? Should the stronger believers with the knowledge that "food is food" and that the idols really didn't exist forge ahead anyway and ignore their brothers' wounded consciences?

Paul made it clear that each of them was, in a sense, the "keeper" of his brother's conscience, in particular the weaker brothers in the faith. As the apostle made clear to them about this matter:

"But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak" (v.9).

So "right" can be "wrong" whenever it causes a fellow Christian to stumble in his or her faith! I think that what this same apostle wrote to the saints in Philippi will stand us in good stead, beloved, as we consider our responsibility toward fellow believers:

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each one of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others" (Philippians 2:3-4).

What kind of example are we setting before other Christians, beloved? Do we tend to rush headlong through life, taking our liberties as Christians as we encounter them with no thought whatsoever for what effect we may be having on those weaker in faith? Has "right" become "wrong" for us because we have not considered others to be more important than ourselves?

Let me encourage you to listen carefully to the very wise counsel of the apostle Paul and begin to view every action you are about to take in light of its potential impact on the lives of those around you. We all love "meat," but if it somehow causes another to stumble in faith, what good is that? Let's truly be the "keeper" of our brothers' consciences in the sense that we care more about their growth in grace than we do about the pursuit of our own personal liberties.

May God grant you wisdom as you truly put one another first!

Ron