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On September 27, 1991, as was his custom, Gerald Sittser, a professor of religion and philosophy at Whitworth College, prayed, asking God to protect and bless his family. Something went terribly wrong. Later that afternoon, returning from a family outing, a drunk driver lost control of his car and smashed into the Sittsers’ minivan. Sittser’s wife Lynda; his daughter Diana Jane; and his mother, who was visiting for the weekend, were all killed in the collision.
Sittser write: "To this day I have been unable to understand what made that day different. What prevented my prayers from getting through to God? Did I commit some unpardonable sin? Did I fail to say the right words? Did God suddenly turn against me? Why, I have asked myself a thousand times, did my prayer go unanswered?"
He still cannot explain it, but concludes an article on unanswered prayer with these words:
"… Jesus charges us to view life from a redemptive perspective. There is more to life than meets the eye when God gets involved. He works things out for good. … We view unanswered prayer from the perspective of our immediate experience and our limited vision. But God is doing something so great that only faith can grasp it, wait for it, and pray for it."
Gerald L. Sittser from Discipleship Journal, Jan/Feb 2001, p. 26
Knowing When We Don’t! (11.03.05--Faith That Flies!--Job 1:1)
I do much better when I know all the little details! When I can see the whole picture it is far easier to sit down and think through even the toughest of problems. Unfortunately there are those things in life that simply don’t lend themselves to full discovery. Sometimes you aren’t able to discover an answer to a difficult question simply by making a list of “pro’s” and “con’s”.
My wife and I have purchased two homes over the course of our marriage. In both cases we did have the opportunity to sit down and make “pro” and “con” lists. And, subsequently, we ended up throwing the lists away. With something as expensive and important as a home purchase, it simply didn’t seem plausible to weigh the decision based upon the tangible alone. It was obvious that there were many intangibles that could and would color the picture. It was a matter of taking a leap of faith and committing. There were just too many details to consider. Trust was more important than knowledge.
Writes Tim Stafford: “A pastor I know, Stephey Bilynskyj, starts each confirmation class with a jar full of beans. He asks his students to guess how many beans are in the jar, and on a big pad of paper writes down their estimates. Then, next to those estimates, he helps them make another list: Their favorite songs. When the lists are complete, he reveals the actual number of beans in the jar. The whole class looks over their guesses, to see which estimate was closest to being right. Bilynskyj then turns to the list of favorite songs. ‘And which one of these is closest to being right?’ he asks. The students protest that there is no ‘right answer’; a person’s favorite song is purely a matter of taste. Bilynskyj, who holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Notre Dame asks, ‘When you decide what to believe in terms of your faith, is that more like guessing the number of beans, or more like choosing your favorite song?’ Always, Bilynskyj says, from old as well as young, he gets the same answer: Choosing one’s faith is more like choosing a favorite song.” (Tim Stafford, Christianity Today)
God often asks us to face the problems of life with little or no understanding of what the problem is or how it might be solved. Job, that great Biblical patriarch, was faced with just such a situation. God asked him to believe when there was no evidence that believing would accomplish which he hoped for in faith. The answers, the details, weren’t revealed; only the problem. Faith that flies is faith that doesn’t guess at the answers. We make a decision and believe even though we don’t know. Faith isn’t easy and it doesn’t lend itself to interpretation or taste. Faith is knowing even when we don’t.
HOW TO GIVE THANKS IN THE MIDST OF LOSS
When you've lost something or someone precious, it is easy to forget that "the Lord gives and the Lord takes away." He doesn't owe us a reason.
John Claypool was a pastor in Louisville, Kentucky many years ago. He and his wife lost their daughter, Laura Lou, to leukemia. He later explained his loss by telling a story from his childhood.
During WWII his family didn't own a washing machine, and since gas was rationed, they couldn't afford to drive to a laundry. Keeping their clothes clean became a challenge. John's neighbor went into the service and his wife moved in with her family. They offered to let John's family use their Bendix wringer washer while they were gone. They reasoned it would be better for it to be used than to sit rusting on the porch.
John helped with the family's laundry, and he said he developed a fondness for that old green Bendix. When the war ended his neighbors returned, and they reclaimed their washing machine. Over the course of the war, young John had actually forgotten the machine was loaned to them, so when the neighbors removed it, John was upset and angry that they would take his washing machine. His mother sat him down and said, "John, you must remember that the washing machine never belonged to us in the first place. That we ever got to use it at all was a gift. So, instead of being mad at it being taken away, let us use this as an occasion to be thankful that we ever had it at all."
John Claypool would say years later he struggled with the death of eight-year-old Laura Lou, until he remembered that old green Bendix. He wrote: "When I remember that Laura Lou was a gift, pure and simple, something I neither earned nor deserved nor had a right to; and when I remember that the appropriate response to a gift, even when it is taken away, is gratitude, then I am better able to try and thank God that I was ever given her in the first place." (Steps of a Fellow Struggler)
That's exactly how Job felt. He knew every good thing in his life had come from God, and God had the right to take anything away. That's the kind of attitude that will keep you from becoming bitter when you face loss.
(From a sermon by Fred Markes, Praise God, 8/30/2011)
COMFORTERS
When I Was Diagnosed With Cancer:
My first friend came and expressed his shock by saying,
"I can’t believe that you have cancer.
I always thought you were so active and healthy."
He left and I felt alienated and somehow very different.
My second friend came and brought me information
about different treatments being used for cancer. He said,
"Whatever you do, don’t take chemotherapy. It’s a poison!"
He left and I felt scared and confused.
My third friend came and tried to answer my "whys?"
with the statement,
"Perhaps God is disciplining you for some sin in your life?"
He left and I felt guilty.
My fourth friend came and told me,
"If your faith is just great enough God will heal you."
He left and I felt my faith must be inadequate.
My fifth friend came and told me to remember that,
"All things work together for good."
He left and I felt angry.
My sixth friend never came at all.
I received the following story as one of those “dreaded” forwarded emails. I think it’s a fitting way to end a Wednesday Lenten message on Obedience ----from the eyes of a child.
Story of God lives under the Bed.
I envy Kevin. He thinks God lives under his bed. One night he was praying out loud in his bedroom, and I stopped to listen, "Are you there, God?" he said. "Where are you? Oh, Under the bed..." I laughed & tiptoed to my room. My brother Kevin’s unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something lingered long after the humor.
I realized for the first time the very different world in which Kevin lives.
He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled due to problem in labor. Apart from his size (he’s 6-foot-2) there are few ways in which he’s an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and always will. He’ll probably always believe God lives under his bed, Santa Claus fills the space under the Christmas tree and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them. I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?
Up before dawn each day, off to the workshop for the disabled, home to walk the dog & eat his favorite macaroni/cheese dinner, and later to bed. The only variation in the routine is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washer like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied.
He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner. He stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day’s laundry chores.
And oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of the passengers. "That one’s goin’ to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands.
His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.
And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn’t know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple.
He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power.
He doesn’t care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats.
His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.
His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he’s working.
When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it.
He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished.
But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax.
He’s not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure.
He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept,
and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.
Free from pride, unconcerned with appearances, Kevin’s not afraid to cry when he’s hurt, angry or sorry.
He’s always transparent, always sincere. He trusts God.
Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ he comes as a child.
Kevin seems to kno...
The story is told of a wonderful, elderly, christian lady. She had very little money and lived in a rundown house, but she was always praising the Lord. Her only problem was with the old man who lived next door. He was always trying to prove to her that there was no God. One day, as the old man was walking by her house, he noticed the woman through an open window. She was kneeling down in prayer, so he crept over to the window to see if he could hear. She was praying, " Lord, you’ve always given me what I’ve needed." She prayed. "And now you know that I don’t have any money, and I’m completely out of groceries, and I won’t get another check for a week." She continued, "somehow, Lord, can you get me some groceries." The man had heard all he needed. He crept away from the window and ran down to the grocery store. He bought milk, bread, and lunchmeat. He ran back to the woman’s house carrying the groceries. He set the bag down on by her door, rang the doorbell, and hid beside of the house. You can
imagine how the woman reacted to seeing the bag of groceries. She threw her hands over head and began praising the Lord. "Thank you Jesus," she shouted. "I was without food and y...
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