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He Gave His Only Son

"Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

John 21:29

• There should be less talk. A preaching point is not a meeting point.


• The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved-- they are Jesus in disguise.


• In the West there is loneliness, which I call the leprosy of the West. In many ways it is worse than our poor in Calcutta. (Commonweal, Dec 19, 1997)


• It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.


• The poor give us much more than we give them. They're such strong people, living day to day with no food. and they never curse, never complain. We don't have to give them pity or sympathy. We have so much to learn from them.


• I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper's wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?


• I do not pray for success. I ask for faithfulness.


• Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.


• If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

~Mother Teresa~

Asking why a terrible thing happened is one aspect of a biblical lament. The Bible encourages us to grapple with this question by giving examples of great saints who did this, like Job, Jeremiah, and the Psalmists. Job struggled a long time to make sense of what was happening around him.

Usually at the end of a time of grappling, God's people affirm that because God is sovereign and knows what is happening the wisest thing is to keep trusting Him. We see this often in the Psalms.

Believing in God's sovereignty at a time of tragedy helps us to avoid hopelessness amid the struggle. We must rely on God's promise that even out of terrible tragedy He will bring something good to those who love Him. (See Romans 8:28)

This perspective of God's sovereignty may not come right away. Sometimes it's necessary for us to wrestle with God over this. Prayer and meditation on His Word really helps at such times. (See Psalm 27) We may be busy recovering from the disaster or serving those who have been adversely affected by it. But we must find time to spend with God and His Word. This is why people must always continue worshiping Him in community, regardless of how serious the situation may be. When we worship together, we focus on those eternal realities that remind us of God's sovereignty.

The exposure to these truths help drive away the gloom that engulfs us and gives us the strength to trust God to look after us. Having been comforted by God and His Word, we then have the strength to launch into sacrificially serving others who are suffering.

The answer to our questions lie within Him. We must seek His truth, His way and follow the path of Christ and God in order to succeed as Christians. Asking why and listening for His answer is a vital step in that direction!

URLVD

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