How do you see God?
If you were given the opportunity to explain the character of God, what would He be like?
Do you see Him as a loving and giving father or do you see Him as the punisher who makes you pay for everything you do wrong? Do you think He has only good plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11) or do you believe He brings sickness and trials along your path just to teach you a lesson?
Who is He to you?
I would like to sketch the following scenario and I want you to consider the way you think of God.
A believer, who followed God devotedly encountered circumstances beyond his control—he suddenly lost a close family member, a promotion for which he worked very hard was given to a colleague and his wife was diagnosed with cancer.
There are two ways on how a person can perceive God’s role therein.
One person may experience these circumstances and ask where God is? Why was his loved one taken so soon? Why didn’t God stop it, doesn’t He love him? His pain and anger towards God makes him turn his back on his personal relationship with God as he believes he is better off without Him. The promotion that he didn’t get makes him doubt his own abilities. Again, he doubts that God has good plans for his life, otherwise God would have given him the promotion. He worked so hard for it. His wife’s diagnosis is almost too much to bear. It feels like all hope is lost. She is a good person, why her? God should have rather given it to him. All that it left, is for him to run away because everything and everyone is against him….
The other way of looking at these circumstances: God still loves him (Jeremiah 31:3, Psalm 107:1). His loved one is now in a better place with God. He does not always understand how these things work, but he knows God let all things work together for the good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). God is good and He is in control. He believes that God would even use this sudden death for His glory and purposes. He knows that God still has good plans for his life so if he didn’t get this promotion, it means God has something better in store for him. He will continue to work hard and give his best until God’s time for His plan arrives. And finally, no sickness will prevail, because Jesus defeated all sickness on the cross (Isaiah 53:3- 5). He will stand together with his wife on God’s Word that she is healed by Jesus’ stripes and they will declare it. God does not bring sickness because He is good, but He can use it for His glory (John 9:1-3). He will not focus on the storm he is going through, but rather on God and what good work He will do in him, in spite of the valley of darkness he is walking through.
Our opinion of God can make or break us. If we think He is always out to get us, we will always expect the worse. When we realize that God loves us with an everlasting and unconditional love, we will always expect the best and know that God never leaves our side (Hebrews 13:5), no matter how dark our circumstances might look.
One final thought to ponder on… If God gave us heaven’s best, His beloved Son, Jesus to die for all our sin and diseases through His perfect and complete work on the cross, why would He withheld anything less like health, favor and goodness from us?