CP 174 Then came the day of the accident...
CP 174 Then came the day of the accident…
Here’s a true story for you:
The local newspaper in a little country town in South Australia carried a weekly Christian column called “JUST A MOMENT”. Each week there was a challenging thought to deal with, and nobody knew who wrote them. Since the articles had commenced around the time I arrived many people assumed it was me. The only thing I knew was that it wasn’t me! About 8 years after I left town the paper printed its usual column. It is reproduced below, in full.
“Some time ago Joe applied for an insurance policy for accidents. In the interview the agent asked him if he had ever had an accident. Joe thought for a moment and said, ‘Nooo, but a horse kicked me in the ribs, and another time a snake bit me’. ‘Wouldn’t you call those accidents?’ replied the agent. ‘No’, said Joe, ‘they did it on purpose’.
That may be an amusing story, but the truth of the Bible remains that there are no accidents in the lives of God’s children. In today’s Bible verse, Joseph interpreted a dreadfully trying time in his life as a great test of his faith, and from a human standpoint it appeared to be a case of injustice and not a blessing at all. But Joseph learned that God had planned the whole experience.
Maybe you are having a time great hardship in one way or another. Maybe your children have done the wrong thing to you, or you have suffered an accident and are feeling absolutely miserable. Sometimes these trials are for a special blessing. Be patient and trust God. Even try to praise him for the trial. It may be the hardest thing you have had to do for quite a while, but it will work and God will transform your trial into a blessing. ‘God meant it for good…’ (Genesis 50:20.)”
The item was in the paper on June 28. The author’s husband was killed in an accident on his way home from work on that very day! You and I can hardly imagine the pain of that coincidence of God. Rose and I sent a card expressing our sadness. In her reply she included the clip from the paper and a brief written message from the funeral.
“TIME ON THIS EARTH IS SHORT. THE 36 YEARS I HAD WITH MY HUSBAND WERE OVER SO QUICKLY. DON’T WASTE A MINUTE OF YOUR LIVES FOR GOD HAS SO MUCH FOR EACH LIFE TO ACCOMPLISH BEFORE HE CALLS US TO HIMSELF.”
Fred’s comment? I share and confess the belief that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ works all things for the good of those who love him. I don’t believe his purposes would necessarily be obvious at any time in this life. Certainly praise would not come easily. I reckon I could get to say with Job, “The Lord gave. The Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” I would have to move on in faith. What I do believe is that our heavenly Father does love us, and will, on occasion, test our convictions in order to strengthen us and grow us ever deeper in HIM. Jesus is Lord!
And by the way… be prepared!
Shalom,
Fred
Here’s a true story for you:
The local newspaper in a little country town in South Australia carried a weekly Christian column called “JUST A MOMENT”. Each week there was a challenging thought to deal with, and nobody knew who wrote them. Since the articles had commenced around the time I arrived many people assumed it was me. The only thing I knew was that it wasn’t me! About 8 years after I left town the paper printed its usual column. It is reproduced below, in full.
“Some time ago Joe applied for an insurance policy for accidents. In the interview the agent asked him if he had ever had an accident. Joe thought for a moment and said, ‘Nooo, but a horse kicked me in the ribs, and another time a snake bit me’. ‘Wouldn’t you call those accidents?’ replied the agent. ‘No’, said Joe, ‘they did it on purpose’.
That may be an amusing story, but the truth of the Bible remains that there are no accidents in the lives of God’s children. In today’s Bible verse, Joseph interpreted a dreadfully trying time in his life as a great test of his faith, and from a human standpoint it appeared to be a case of injustice and not a blessing at all. But Joseph learned that God had planned the whole experience.
Maybe you are having a time great hardship in one way or another. Maybe your children have done the wrong thing to you, or you have suffered an accident and are feeling absolutely miserable. Sometimes these trials are for a special blessing. Be patient and trust God. Even try to praise him for the trial. It may be the hardest thing you have had to do for quite a while, but it will work and God will transform your trial into a blessing. ‘God meant it for good…’ (Genesis 50:20.)”
The item was in the paper on June 28. The author’s husband was killed in an accident on his way home from work on that very day! You and I can hardly imagine the pain of that coincidence of God. Rose and I sent a card expressing our sadness. In her reply she included the clip from the paper and a brief written message from the funeral.
“TIME ON THIS EARTH IS SHORT. THE 36 YEARS I HAD WITH MY HUSBAND WERE OVER SO QUICKLY. DON’T WASTE A MINUTE OF YOUR LIVES FOR GOD HAS SO MUCH FOR EACH LIFE TO ACCOMPLISH BEFORE HE CALLS US TO HIMSELF.”
Fred’s comment? I share and confess the belief that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ works all things for the good of those who love him. I don’t believe his purposes would necessarily be obvious at any time in this life. Certainly praise would not come easily. I reckon I could get to say with Job, “The Lord gave. The Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” I would have to move on in faith. What I do believe is that our heavenly Father does love us, and will, on occasion, test our convictions in order to strengthen us and grow us ever deeper in HIM. Jesus is Lord!
And by the way… be prepared!
Shalom,
Fred
posted by PastorFredVeerhuis at 6:31 PM
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