SOMEONE wrote:
There are TIMES when we feel as if HEAVEN’S clock is OFF by a few days, months, or even YEARS. God seems to be taking His time in answering that PRAYER, meeting that NEED, changing that CIRCUMSTANCE or bringing JUSTICE.
We sit in the waiting room unattended and anxious.
WHEN we feel this way, guess WHOSE clock needs to be reset?”
A Christian pastor DISCUSSED his cancer BATTLE with a Rabbi who ALSO had dealt with a SERIOUS illness.
The RABBI said that he NEVER prayed to be HEALED.
He DIDN’T believe God had ANYTHING to do with his ILLNESS so WHY should God have ANYTHING to do with his HEALING?
He believed God was, basically, OUTSIDE all the experiences of life. He kind of WOUND up the world then left us alone.
Seventh-day Adventists believe in a God who is VERY close and VERY involved in even the SMALLER details of life.
It’s AMAZING the KIND of SIMPLE prayers He’s willing to answer!
The PROBLEM is He doesn’t SEEM to answer the BIGGEST ones—at least not ALL the TIME OR in the WAY we THINK an all powerful and all loving God SHOULD!
SOLOMON HELPS us look at these KIND of issues from an ANGLE we may NOT have considered.
In Ecclesiastes 3, at LEAST 29 times the WISEST man who EVER lived TELLS us that from IS perspective ALL of life is about TIME.
In FACT, verse 1 STRAIGHT OFF tells us:
“There is a TIME for EVERYTHING, and a SEASON for EVERY activity under the heavens.”
And he begins to ILLUSTRATE, saying:
"There is a TIME to be born, and a TIME to die; a TIME to plant, and a TIME to harvest; there's a TIME to kill, and a TIME to heal; a TIME to break down, and a TIME to build up.”
So, an HONEST question is:
How come LIFE isn’t EASIER than it’s been for us as BELIEVERS?
“If I’m a follower of God, why do I have to go through BLEAK winter seasons?
Why can't it be spring and summer ALL the time?
If I’m a CHILD of God, why DOESN’T He PROTECT us more?
What KIND of God do we serve to ALLOW all this trouble?”
In OTHER words: there are RHYTHMS and BOUNDARIES to life.
But he’s IMPLYING something BIGGER as well.
IF there ARE TIMES and SEASONS and BOUNDARIES —TIME and SPACE cannot create itself BECAUSE TIME and SPACE had a BEGINNING.
We know that as the CREATION week in Genesis and so MUCH of SCIENCE SHOWS that as well.
So SOMEONE BIGGER OUTSIDE of time and space is responsible for CREATING them and then REMAINING in CONTROL of WHATEVER happens.
So, CONTRARY to what the RABBI believes—if God CREATED and SUSTAINS ALL that happens under the heavens—God is INVOLVED in ALL the TIMES of life whether GOOD or BAD—TRAGIC or JOYOUS!
In fact, Psalm 31:15 says:
“My TIMES are in Your hands.”
ALL our ‘times’ are in His hands—that INCLUDES the ‘HARD and the HORRIBLE’ not just the GREAT and GOOD’!
There’s so much MORE to learn about TRUSTING God in our HARDEST times.
Stay tuned for Pt. 2!
Pastor John Abbott :)