God’s Intimate Care in Trouble
On Monday in Boston, evil struck. Three dead and more than a hundred were injured in the first successful terrorist attack on American soil since 911.
While law enforcement and government officials investigate, searching for clues to the perpetrator, many of us also search for answers. How could someone do this? Why didn’t God prevent this tragedy? How do the grieving go on?
While I don’t have the all the answers to these questions, I know the One who does. Even though God did not stop those two bombs from exploding, He was there in the midst of them to care for and comfort His children.
The Bible describes God’s care as intimate and personal. Consider this passage from Psalm 91:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
Psalm 91:1-4, NIV
When violence and disaster strikes, God beckons us to take refuge in Him. He is our place of strength and safety. Like a mother bird draws her chicks under her wings for safety, God pulls us close to His side and gently covers us. He shields us with His protective arms and wraps us in His loving presence.
Because of the nature of His care, trouble fosters intimacy between us and God. In times of weakness, we learn to lean on the One who is strong. And when we lean, He gathers us in and holds us up. Through our troubles, we develop an intimate knowledge of the God who cares for and protects us.
When life brings hardship and pain, God promises to carry us through to the other side. Sometimes that means physical salvation and sometimes that means complete and eternal restoration. But our Promise Keeper will deliver us.
Amen, Kathy. Yes, often times we don’t understand things going on and why God does not stop evil to happen. But like you, I seek comfort in His Word.
Amen, amen.