Hebrews 11:7
Noah was another who trusted God.
When he heard God’s warning about the future, Noah believed him even
though there was then no sign of a flood, and wasting no time, he built
the ark and saved his family. Noah’s belief in God was in direct
contrast to the sin and disbelief of the rest of the world—which refused
to obey—and because of his faith he became one of those whom God has
accepted.
The Living Bible
copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights
reserved.
The other day, Timothy asked me why God
allows sin. “Why doesn’t He just take away everybody’s sin for good?” he
asked me. My response was that God wants us to have “free will” – He
wants us to choose NOT to sin and to ASK for His forgiveness. This
tells God that we love Him and serve Him because we want to…not
because we’re afraid of Him. Timothy also wanted to know why God lets
people suffer. Again, I explained that God does not allow this because
He is mean. I told Timothy that I believe that God uses our suffering
for something good…but we may never know why this is for sure until we
get to heaven. He seemed okay with these answers.
I told Timothy
that someday soon, he will probably ask God to forgive all of his sins
and make Jesus his “Forever Friend.” He said, “Oh, I’ve already done
that!” “You have?” I asked. “That’s great! When did you do this?”
Timothy replied matter-of-factly…”When I was two!” I smiled and told
him that was wonderful - and he changed the subject, as six-year-olds
do!
In this precious little boy’s heart, He and God are
“square.” I have a feeling that Timothy will continue to grow in his
faith and understanding of God, and that he will have many more
questions. Like most of us, his faith will waver from time to time…but
in total, I believe that Jesus will always be his “Forever Friend”…and
he will serve Him faithfully. Hopefully Timothy will grow in his
discipleship to a point where he would actually build an ark and gather
the animals if God told him to do so!
I marvel at the depth of
understanding that this little boy has…and how many people several
decades older than he seem to have little to no grasp of what it really
means to trust God. I am thankful that our children are already
discovering how important it is to fully rely on God and obey Him…and I
pray that they continue to grow in wisdom and dedication to serving Him
completely.
I don’t know that my answers to Timothy about why God
allows sin and suffering were all that substantial. I silently
whispered a prayer before I spoke and trusted God to give me the words
that this little boy needed at the moment. But what I really wanted to
convey - and what I want you to understand - is that a lot of the “whys
and wherefores” of our relationship with God cannot be fully explained.
This doesn’t negate them in any way. Much of our relationship with God
is based in complete, unabashed faith…in things we cannot see and
understand, and in God’s ability to “make a way where we see none.” This
is a hard thing to explain – to someone who is six or 96!
The
best way to understand God’s plans and to strengthen our faith is to
exercise it. When things happen…when suffering comes or challenges
arise…we must trust God. When we feel Him telling us to “go this way”
or “choose XYZ,” we have to obediently follow His lead. The more we do
these things, the more we will choose God’s ways over our own sinful
ones…and the more we will grow in confidence that He is guiding our
steps.
My prayer is that we will each take the first steps
today to begin to strengthen our faith. Listen to God’s voice…trust Him
even in the hard things that come your way. Let go of your fears and
embrace God completely. Rest in the rhythms and grace of your “Forever
Friend,” and discover the great things that He has in store for you.
God will probably never call on any of us to build an ark…but if He
should, we will be ready!
©2015 Debbie Robus
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