GOD WRITES THE LAST CHAPTER
We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose. Rom. 8:28, T.E.V.
We Christians ought to join together and file a formal complaint against the insurance companies of the land. When we read their policy papers and find out that tragedies listed under "acts of God" include trees falling on cars, tornadoes tearing apart homes, and hailstorms ruining crops, we ought to protest. Who says that our God is to blame for these destructive mishaps!
To be quite honest, we Christians have been saying it. In our endeavors to portray God as sovereign and all-powerful, we have often put the blame at God's doorway for everything that happens on this earth. The medieval Christian took the position that God actively caused most tragedies as a form of punishment upon those who had earned His disfavor. Others have suggested that since God has the power to prevent catastrophes, if He does not do so it is the same as His causing it.
Still another noted Christian speaker advocates that if I am born with a deformed arm I should accept that God has ordained it that way and therefore rejoice. But regardless of which of these interpretations one may accept, they all have this in common: God gets the bad reputation, and Satan gets off free.
The Bible sets it before us in quite another light. Satan is the one who causes unending heartache and trauma in this world; but our God is so creative, so clever and resourceful, that--with our cooperation--He can turn any tragedy into a triumph.
One of my favorite descriptions of God is that He is The Great Recoverer. It is not His desire that I should be born with a deformed arm. But should I suffer such a mishap, He is marvelously able to turn it into an occasion for growth: for deeper dependence upon Him and clearer settling of true values. It was not God's hand that broke Joni Eareckson's neck, but it was surely His hand that guided her spirit into praise and ministry for others.
As the story of my life unfolds, with so many of its key passages having been authored independently, I rejoice in knowing that our God is always able to write the last chapter. Though I cannot rewrite past history, I can turn the future into the hands of a better Author.
We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose. Rom. 8:28, T.E.V.
We Christians ought to join together and file a formal complaint against the insurance companies of the land. When we read their policy papers and find out that tragedies listed under "acts of God" include trees falling on cars, tornadoes tearing apart homes, and hailstorms ruining crops, we ought to protest. Who says that our God is to blame for these destructive mishaps!
To be quite honest, we Christians have been saying it. In our endeavors to portray God as sovereign and all-powerful, we have often put the blame at God's doorway for everything that happens on this earth. The medieval Christian took the position that God actively caused most tragedies as a form of punishment upon those who had earned His disfavor. Others have suggested that since God has the power to prevent catastrophes, if He does not do so it is the same as His causing it.
Still another noted Christian speaker advocates that if I am born with a deformed arm I should accept that God has ordained it that way and therefore rejoice. But regardless of which of these interpretations one may accept, they all have this in common: God gets the bad reputation, and Satan gets off free.
The Bible sets it before us in quite another light. Satan is the one who causes unending heartache and trauma in this world; but our God is so creative, so clever and resourceful, that--with our cooperation--He can turn any tragedy into a triumph.
One of my favorite descriptions of God is that He is The Great Recoverer. It is not His desire that I should be born with a deformed arm. But should I suffer such a mishap, He is marvelously able to turn it into an occasion for growth: for deeper dependence upon Him and clearer settling of true values. It was not God's hand that broke Joni Eareckson's neck, but it was surely His hand that guided her spirit into praise and ministry for others.
As the story of my life unfolds, with so many of its key passages having been authored independently, I rejoice in knowing that our God is always able to write the last chapter. Though I cannot rewrite past history, I can turn the future into the hands of a better Author.
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