Trillions and trillions of prayers every day asking and begging and pleading for favors. 'Do this' 'Gimme that' 'I want a new car' 'I want a better job'. And most of this praying takes place on Sunday. And I say fine, pray for anything you want. Pray for anything. But...what about the divine plan? Remember that? The divine plan. Long time ago God made a divine plan. Gave it a lot of thought. Decided it was a good plan. Put it into practice. And for billions and billions of years the divine plan has been doing just fine. Now you come along and pray for something. Well, suppose the thing you want isn't in Gods divine plan. What do you want Him to do? Change His plan? Just for you? Doesn't it seem a little arrogant? It's a divine plan. What's the use of being God if every run-down schmuck with a two-dollar prayer book can come along and fuck up your plan?
~George Carlin~
It's one of the most commonly asked questions in Christianity. How is it that God can allow bad things to happen to good people? How is it that God can allow such suffering in the world? Indeed, I've often had difficulty in explaining to others the answer to these questions. Mainly because I myself was unsure of that answer. For I have often prayed for the Fathers provision in certain areas of my life. Before my mother passed away, I did exactly what those in the church instructed me to do, I prayed that God would heal her from her pain. I was not seeking something for myself, only that my mother would be free of her suffering. The night she passed away, I was not only filled with sadness, but an anger at God which I had never felt before. How could God simply ignore my prayer and take my mother from me? Had I not prayed for her healing? Had God abandoned me in my time of need despite proclaiming that He would never leave me nor forsake me? In my time of mourning, it certainly seemed that way to me. Then, a good friend from the church spoke something to me. What had happened had been according to His will for her. What? Killing someone is according to Gods will? It wasn't until some time later that God revealed to me that He had indeed answered my prayer, just not in the way I had been expecting. My mother was now free of her sickness and pain, which was what I had been praying for all along. I have no doubt that God knew even before time began everything that would transpire through the passing of my mother. As believers, we know that God knows all things. Nothing will ever escape His notice. The author J Preston Eby describes Gods plan for the ages. The apostle Paul writes of this divine plan in Ephesians {Paul to the Ephesians 3:8-11}. So, how is it that God can allow such suffering into His creation? That's been His plan all along. I know that this sounds like a somewhat trite answer to the question, but it is nonetheless accurate. Throughout history we have been witness to the unfolding of the plans of the Lord. The failed plans of Satan to overcome God. The disobedience of His creation in the garden and the reconciliation through Christ Jesus which He ordained from the beginning. When we have this revelation, we can be assured of the words of Paul that God is working all together for the good {Paul to the Romans 8:28}.
To me, less than the least of all saints, was granted this grace: to bring the evangel of the untraceable riches of Christ to the nations, and to enlighten all as to what is the administration of the secret, which has been concealed from the eons in God, Who creates all, that now may be made know to the sovereignties and the authorities among the celestials, through the ecclesia, the multifarious wisdom of God, in accord with the purpose of the eons, which He makes in Christ Jesus, our Lord
Paul to the Ephesians 3: 8-11, Concordant New Testament
One of the most difficult scriptures I've ever had to unpack are the words of Paul we find in Romans 8:28. That God will work all together for good for those who are loving Him. Really? How is death, pain and violence considered working all for our good? Again, this is a question often asked by well-meaning Christians looking for that simple answer to the troubles of life. Of course, the answer to this question may just be too complex for them to handle. That God created all from the beginning. That He indeed had a purpose for His creation. We might live in a black and white reality, but God doesn't work in that way. All too often, that which we feel is best for us is not what the Father has in mind for our life in Him. Our decisions are often based upon physical possessions and emotions. If we were to strip away these filters, then perhaps we could see through the eyes of the Father just what He desires for us. Instead of praying for that new car, how about praying for the Lord to open our eyes to that good which he has for us? Why? Because to do this provides no immediate physical reward for us. Indeed, knowing of a gift is not as good as receiving one. Yet we can be assured that the God who created all according to His desire for our good will also make known unto us What His desire for us is in His timing.
~Scott~
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