“…He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
--Matthew 5:45b (NIV)
A dear friend who has been through a harrowing year recently confessed to me, “God must be really mad at me.” We both laughed, but I knew she was partly serious. As I write this, our community recovers from horrendous flooding; so many people have lost so much. I have to confess that if it were me, I would probably be thinking, What did I do to deserve this?
The truth is He did not promise a trouble-free, flood-free life. In fact, He promised there would be trouble, and that He would be our refuge and strength in the midst of it. There may be a reason for our troubles -- they are of our own making or for our growth -- or there may be no reason other than we were in the path of the storm.
Charles Spurgeon said, “He Who has fixed the bounds of our habitation has also fixed the bounds of our tribulation." God knows the extent of our suffering and knows what will come of it. As Author, Creator, Father and our Fortress, we can trust that His love is unwavering and turn to Him when the rains come.
Father, in troubled times, I want to trust that You are in control and that You are beside me. Amen.
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