Daily Devotional For Monday, November 6, 2023
Children have an unbelievable capacity to use their imagination. As children growing up, it is common for us to have super heroes. I am daing myself here -- but my first super hero as a very young child was -- drum roll please -- Mighty Mouse. "Here I come to save the day." My mother almost made me stop watching Mighty Mouse because at age 4 or so, I asked her this question: "Can Mighty Mouse beat up God?" I laugh now about it but at times in our lives, we all wonder, is God impotent. If God is omni-potent (all-powerful), then why is there so much evil in the world?
If God has absolute power to create things our of nothing -- such as our universe -- surely, He, as a loving heavenly Father cure our illnesses, keep us safe from tragedy and clear the road of all obstacles that would keep us from living and experiencing the abundand life Jesus promised us. Like me, maybe you have seen people, who you thought had great faith and a growing, dynamic relationsip with God simply walk away from God and the church due to some tragedy.
David writes in Psalms 95:3, "For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods" (NLT). God says in Jeremiah 32:27, "I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for Me?" (NLT). One of the most challenging truths of the Chrisitan faith is living with these questions. We sing in church, "Our God, is an awesome God. He reigns from heaven above, With wisdom, power, and love, Our God is an awesome God." Fantastic song, but do you ever find yourself questions God's love for you when something bad happens to you or your family?
Here is what I have noticed. People, even some Christian people, are quick to blame God for all the evil, tragedies and death in this world. Yet, how quick on a daily basis to they praise God for all the good in their life? Jeremiah 1:17 says, "Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow" (NLT). Everything good in your life and my life is by the hand of God: eyesight, hearing, mobility, a job, a place to live, a car to drive, an education to get, friends, family and the church.
Each day you go without receiving a grim diagnosis from a medical test or you were not injured or killed in an accident or you did not lose all of your possessions in a fire, all of this is by the hand of God keeping the demonic and evil from coming into your life. You may not see it, but it was God.
Think of it this way: the ocean is vast, deep and awesome. If you stare at it long enough you get the feeling how vast, deep, powerful and mysterious it is. Without God giving us the land as a barrier, the oceans would flood the earth. If God did not hold back the oceans, tseunamis would destroy it. And when tragedy and/or evil strikes, it is not a sign that God is powerless, or loves us less or is off somewhere else and forgets about us. This is part of the mystery as with the ocean. We will never fully understand God -- never. Yet, at times we attempt and are left with frustration. God says in Isaiah 55:8-9,“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. (9) For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts" (NLT). God sees all and knows all -- even the future. This is why walking by faith rather than sight helps.
The more we get to know God through prayer, reading His Word, fellowing and worshipping with other believers, the more we are able to trust God when life does not make sense. There is evil, tragedy and death in this world due to sin. God created a perfect world for Adam and Eve but they willingly chose to disobey God. It is not God's fault no more than it is the fault of a victim of a drunk driver. That driver willingly chose to drink and drive.
Assignment: This week sit down and consider the doubt and questions you have about God. Since God is omni-potent (all-pwerful), omni-scient (all-knowing) and omni-present (present everywhere), trusting and believing this comes from knowing God personally and His character. Trust comes from truth. You can't trust someone without truth about them. Get into God's Word, pray in faith and tell God your questions. He can handle them. The Bible is full of stories of people like you and me who strubbled, wrestled with and even question. Learn from their lives how they worked through it.
Love you, Pastor Kelly