Psalm 53:1 (New International Version)
The fool says in his heart,
“There is no
God.”
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one
who does good.
"There is no God," said Janice to her friend
Marge. "If there was, my marriage would not have fallen apart, my mother
would not have died of cancer last year, and life would not be so
difficult." Marge offered her friend a gentle smile and placed her arm
around Janice's shoulder.
"No, Janice, God is real. However, do you want to hear
something funny?" Marge asked her sorrowful and frustrated friend.
"What's funny?" Asked Janice as she lifted her
head up.
Marge replied, "Why do people always blame God when
things don't go their way? After all, how do we know it's not Satan causing the
problem, or maybe even our own actions?"
"God could have stopped my mother from dying!"
Janice snapped. "He didn't have to let my husband leave me for another
woman either!"
Again Marge gently smiled as she patted her friend's
knee. "Your mom smoked for thirty years, sweetie. Even when the doctor
told her to stop because she was having trouble breathing, your mom chose to
continue. I know you miss her terribly, but do you really think it is fair to
blame God for the wrong choices she made?"
Janice shrugged.
Marge continued, "When Henry left you for another
woman, did God tell him to do it, or was it Henry's own decision?"
A tear rolled down Janice's cheek as she whispered,
"I guess it was Henry's own actions."
Marge patted Janice's knee again as she replied,
"That's right, sweetie. Many of the hardships we go through in life are a
direct result of our choices, or the choices of those near and dear to us.
Sometimes their wrong choices or sinful behaviors end up hurting us
though." Marge continued as she reached for her friend's hand and grasped
it tightly.
"God loves you, Janice. He loves the sacred bond of
marriage too, and I am sure it broke His heart as much as yours when you and
Henry divorced. And, when your mom died, I am sure He understood your grief,
and wanted to comfort you."
Janice placed her hand over Marge's, smiled, then
whispered, "I feel like such a fool now. Thank you for reminding me that
there are some things in life we just don't have control of, and that just
because bad or sad things sometimes happen, it doesn't mean that God doesn't
exist."
The two friends quickly gave each other a warm embrace.
Dear Lord we pray that we would wouldn’t blame You for
the things that happen around us. We pray that we would be positive in all things.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
It is good to remember the true cause of things happening.
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