The big picture...

My friend and I had a pretty in-depth discussion the other morning at prayer time. We were asking God some significant questions.

Why is a good pastor friend of hers very ill? He has so much to offer. He has small children and a wife.

Why does God allow these things to happen.

People, good people, live exemplary lives, love God, love their fellow man....and yet they are afflicted.

Why do we have to endure our children rebelling and wandering away only to find themselves in very difficult circumstances. We raised them with good morals. We treated them well and respected them. Why is this happening to them?

Why is God allowing our church to enter into a season of......not even sure what to call it. There is so much to do here in our city. Why are we complacent. Why is God not bringing a pastor more quickly? Why do we compare our church to other churches? Why do we become jealous and envious? Why are some amongst us divisive?

Why, why, why.

We came to the conclusion that it is good to talk to God about these things. They are important to us and to those involved. They are important to God too. He wants our input and questions and the more we talk to God about the things that concern us......the more he changes us as individuals.....ME.

He may not even change the circumstances or people we asked him about, but in that process of communicating it all to him, I am changed. I see him more clearly. I grow in my faith. I also begin to see the errors of my own finite thinking and self-righteous attitudes and reasonings and I am humbled.

No, it's not about anyone else. Just me. I will continue on asking God, reasoning with Him and talking to Him.

We will continue to meet together to pray, she and I. It's the very least and the very most we can do.

Yes, the Father does know best.

We also remembered that it is God who sees the entirety of any situation. We see only one part..... the part that involves us. But God sees it from the beginning to the end, where any situation needs to go, and who needs to be involved and all the kinds of things that we mere mortals can never see....but God knows how it should be and so he works his purposes out....through us.

We prayed together, she and I. After all, that is the stuff Christians are made of...........