When you have a complaint, who are your go-to people or what is something you do?
If you look to a person, drink, knowledge, or political affiliation, be careful not to put [him, her, it, them] above God.
Bring everything to your Creator in prayer with thanksgiving.
God hates disobedience, ingratitude and irreverence; so, our merciful Lord came to serve those who disobey, are ungrateful and irreverent. Our heavenly Father wants to teach us about goodness as well as listen to our complaints and frustrations. Our prayers are received in His perfect love. His Word blesses and covers us. Sometimes our inquiry, “why did this happen?” isn’t specifically satisfied as we desire, yet He knows every detail and answers in His way and time. Compassionately, He intercedes when we’re at a loss for words to pray. He works in our weakness and tears for our own benefit or that of someone else. Especially when this broken world displays just how shockingly evil it is, God is accomplishing His good purposes. He knows all of humanity is messed up and calls us to repentance. His Word points us to trust Christ in whom is certain hope for life and salvation.
Habakkuk 3:11
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| The sun and moon stood still in their place at the light of your arrows as they sped, at the flash of your glittering spear. Habakkuk 3:11 ESV |
Tragedy, the very opposite of what you expect, just might be what the Creator allows to happen.
Historic heart-breaking family farm tragedy on Wednesday, July 21, 1937.
85 years later, my brother, sisters and I share faint memories of hearing about the casualty. My grandfather and his sons were out in a field doing their work loading a hay wagon. Grandpa, my dad’s pa, was on the metal hay loader when he was struck by lightning and did not wake up. Lightning always goes for the highest thing to be grounded. Our land on the Minnesota prairie, higher up by the lake, is where it hit. The strike speedily came down from a cloud without warning. Rain is possible even when the sun is shining. Though knocked down, the sons survived. My uncle had been the driver and had to deal with the horses’ runaway reaction. The hearse/ambulance got stuck and horses had to pull it out. On a portion of the ground, soggy from previous rain, horses could go through much more than wheels. Hay can be dry on top and wet below. On an anniversary of the calamity when we rode with Dad in the car, he gestured to the area this happened. Such a mournful subject was infrequently and minimally discussed. It must have been very traumatic for my grandma, aunt, two uncles, and the 15-year old who would eventually become my dad. They were so young to have to face that their husband/pa would not come home, ever. My great great grandfather had taken a homestead in Shible township, survived all the hardships of pioneer life, and lived past 100 years of age. No one would have imagined that two generations later, my grandfather would pass, instantly, just a few miles away in Hegbert township, only a month past 48 years of age.
It is normal to wonder how God works in distress.
I’ve learned about Hope When Your Heart Breaks, navigating grief and loss. Comfort for challenges of family trauma pain come from within a faithful community when we remind each other of our shared confidence of mercy promised. The Word of God is balm for deep emotional wounds. The Holy Spirit carries us, encourages and restores broken hearts.
- God hears our prayers why? and how long?
- Though God allows or wills chaotic things to happen, doesn’t mean he endorses chaos.
- For now until God returns, He is patient.
- God is not idle.
- God is powerful.
- God is God—you are not. The universe does not revolve around you.
- God’s ways are higher than humans can comprehend.
- God cares for us in unexpected ways.
- God’s commands are loving. He desires for our good, yet does not force us to comply.
- God invites us to trust Him for strength and mercy.
- Out of thanksgiving for God’s deep love for us, by grace, we love Him and extend love to others.
Not by one’s own heritage, love, decision, work, reason or strength do we believe.
Only in faith, the Gospel, through the waters of Holy Baptism and with the Word, the gift of the Holy Spirit lives within those who receive its repentance and forgiveness. We receive Jesus’s body and blood, in-with-under bread and wine and His Word, which forgives us and strengthens faith that has been given to us. God is always just. His wrath over sin was satisfied by His Son who perfectly proved His love for everyone. After He endured persecution and crucifixion, He was buried and descended into hell. Then, victoriously, He bodily rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. All this, so we may have mercy and grace!
“How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider me and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” Psalm 13
Thank the Lord for guiding the Church to share hope and teach Christ. Praise and honor God for the gift of Prayer during times of trouble! Remember, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Feedback to prayer, timing, spiritual growth, and all things are in God’s caring hands which were outstretched and nailed to the cross.
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.” Habakkuk 3:17-19
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