This is My Father's World - Grief and Trust in God's Goodness
This is my Father's world:
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad!
Sunday morning I could barely make it through this verse during congregational singing.
My heart was heavy for so many families who were facing loss, grief, or the consequences of someone else's terrible choices. And Sunday afternoon, I learned another dear friend lost her sister in a tragic accident.
Disease. Abandonment. Death of a child. Addiction. Loneliness. Missing someone so much it physically hurts. An accident that makes no sense.
Too often, it seems like evil is winning in this world. And we want to scream, "Where ARE you, God?!? I cannot take another minute of it. It hurts too much!"
And He waits. Open arms, open lap, He is our Father. Sobbing, we climb into His gentle embrace.
"If You're in control, God, why..." we choke. "Why is this happening?"
He is wise and longsuffering with us, knowing silence is often needed in the dark. To let Him plant and sow faith in His goodness, rooted deep in a trust that is beyond our understanding.
This is our Father's world. But it is tainted by sin, loss, disease, death.
Friend, there IS good news. The battle isn't done.
In His goodness, God has provided redemption through Jesus Christ and a place with no more tears. While we wait and suffer the devastating effects of this world, God is at work.
And He is not an unkind God. Goodness is Who He is. Even when this world cloaks that goodness with evil, one day we will see behind the curtain and know that He does prevail - and in Him, so will we.
Dear friend who cannot bear the present sufferings, let God work in the darkness.
He will never leave you or forsake you (Deut. 31:6-8). Do not rush His work. Grieve. Be held. Let deep call to deep (Psalm 42:7).
He is fighting for you. Choose to believe it and trust in His goodness - even when the world says otherwise.
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13
“In proportion to your tribulations shall be your consolations! If you have shallow sorrows, you shall receive shallow graces; but if you have deep afflictions, you shall obtain the deeper proof of the faithfulness of God!” - Charles Spurgeon
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