Maineville Lighthouse Church

From the Cove…

 

     There are often things that happen that make no sense to me, especially

when it comes to tragedies in someone’s life.  And even more so when that

person just doesn’t deserve it!  I have a personality that wants to analyze the

circumstances and figure out how and why something takes place.  Most of

the time, that works; it’s the law of actions and consequences.  So when I just

can’t understand the how and why, I find myself questioning God about it,

questioning what in the world He is doing.

     The month of January was a real trial for me.  During one week, it seemed that all I got was bad news…accidents, deaths, illnesses…unexpected and unexplained.  I know that, as Christians, we are supposed to trust in God and His plan, but that’s sometimes easier said than done.  I truly believe that God gave us His word through the Bible to help us in these situations and that He also gave us the fellowship of believers to support us in our faith.  Our Ladies’ Bible Study and Coffee Fellowship certainly verifies that to me on a regular basis as we share our joys and concerns.

     The choice of subjects for our studies has been a mystery to me since the very beginning.  So many times, I’ve planned and researched a particular study and then changed it at literally the last minute.  I’m never sure why this happens, but, somehow, the change turns out to be the right decision and is beneficial to one or more of our ladies.  The current study, “All About Eve,” fits the pattern and, this time, seems to be directed at me.

     When we go back to Genesis, this stands out to me: “In the beginning, God…”  After all, God is the creator and planner of the universe and our limited lives. He made a perfect world for mankind, a world without fear or pain or death. All that was required from Adam and Eve was to live happily there and obey His command to stay away from one tree in the garden.  It doesn’t seem like it should be so hard; they had everything, including the companionship of God, Himself.

     But what happened?  Satan, that fallen angel, entered the picture, determined to destroy what God had created.  And how did he plan to accomplish that?  Not by force or power, but by causing Eve to question God, by taking advantage of that little part of her that wanted to analyze and figure out for herself the how and why of God’s plan.  When Eve tried to lean on her own understanding instead of trusting God, sin entered the world.  If this could happen to the perfect woman with the perfect life, why am I surprised when it happens to me on a regular basis?

     I have to constantly remind myself that Satan is still determined to destroy what God loves most and that his plan of attack hasn’t changed over the centuries.  He hits us in the areas where we are most vulnerable and causes us to question what God is doing.  The problem is that questions can lead to doubt and doubt can weaken faith.  Does this make it any easier to understand the evil events we see all around us?  Maybe not, but it does remind me where the doubt comes from!  In line with that, my prayer for 2023 is that God grants me peace in not understanding.

Blessings,

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Dona

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“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

Proverbs 3:5