Devotional: Does God Send Trouble?

 

Is a trumpet blown in a city,

and the people are not afraid?

Does disaster come to a city,

unless the Lord has done it? (Amos 3:6 ESV)

 I recently read a story of a man who had been crushed under the wheel of the heavy equipment he had been operating.  He had to be transported via MedStar, a medical helicopter service that we have here locally.  He was at death's door, but the one thing that brought tears to my eyes was the comment made by one of the attendants on the flight to the hospital.  He said that the man's wife sang songs and prayed the whole flight to the hospital. He was amazed at what a woman of faith she was. 

 In troubled times, where does the Christian find courage and comfort?  When things are uncertain or disaster strikes, how do we find strength to carry on?  Here is a quote I saw on Facebook that explains it well.

 "It is because we cannot be robbed of God’s providence that we know, amid whatever encircling gloom, that all things shall work together for good to those that love him. It is because we cannot be robbed of God’s providence that we know that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ—not tribulation, nor anguish, nor persecution, nor famine, nor nakedness, nor peril, nor sword. . . . Were not God’s providence over all, could trouble come without his sending, were Christians the possible prey of this or the other fiendish enemy, when perchance God was musing, or gone aside, or on a journey, or sleeping, what certainty of hope could be ours? “Does God send trouble?” Surely, surely. He and he only. To the sinner in punishment, to his children in chastisement. To suggest that it does not always come from his hands is to take away all our comfort." - B.B. Warfield

And this is why I can have peace in the middle of trouble, (if I avail myself of it) because God is in control. Nothing happens outside of His perfect will and this is comforting to me even in the face of difficult trials.  When I fret (and I often do to my shame) I am basically saying that I don't believe all things are under His sovereign control.  If I believe He is in control of all things, then I should live like it. That is not to say that there is no place for grieving over the loss of a loved one.  Grief and mourning are a gift from God's loving hand to help us deal with loss.  But fretting over past events or future events means that we do not think God is in control of our situation.

 This mind-set is the secret of those who remain composed under the trials of life and bear up in the most difficult circumstances with a sense of peace and calm.  It is the goal that I strive for, yet often fall short of.  

If you are struggling today with difficulties that threaten to shake your faith, remember that behind the scenes it is God at work. He has your spiritual good in mind.