Lost Crusader #248 If Only

Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

How many people in pain or from the pits of depression have presumed themselves to be forsaken because events did not unfold as they thought they should? How quickly the best of us lay the blame on God. “God, if only you’d done this or that, I wouldn’t have to suffer like this.” The assumption is that God wasn’t watching over us as He should and so everything went awry.

Mary’s brother was dead. But he loved Jesus. She loved Jesus. Her sister loved Jesus. How could one of them just up and die when they all loved Jesus? The obvious answer is that death is as much a part of life as birth. People die. It’s painful to those they leave behind, but it is a natural occurrence over which we have little or no control.

God can, and does, suspend Nature as He wills. When He chooses not to, is it right to complain that He doesn’t exist or that He doesn’t love us or care about us? Might the real trouble be that He didn’t obey us? Is it that we had it all figured out and God let us down?

If only God would do things the way we wanted, life would be so much better. Or would it? I don’t think I can count the times people seeking my advice told me their story. When they were finished and my advice didn’t suit them, they would say, “But you don’t know the whole story”. I had listened to all they wished to tell me. But it was quite possible I hadn’t heard the whole story.

God knows the whole story before we tell it. He knows the end from the beginning and all that shall come between. While He is both the author and finisher of our faith, He has left the writing to us. Having read the entire story, He knows how to get us to the end we have chosen. He knows what needs to happen in each chapter so that the story makes sense.

Martha when directed to get the stone moved from the entrance to the grave, complained about the smell even though Jesus had explained the story to her. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

If only we would believe…