Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
I was reading a story about a couple who were traveling through an old town on the southwest coast of England when they came across a little church on a windswept hillside where the section of the front lawn was set apart for a cemetery, and it was filled with old, uneven tombstones, many dating back several centuries. One tombstone bore the name of an entire family. Judging from the dates, it seemed the mother had died three weeks after giving birth. The child’s name, John, also appeared, having died before he turned one. Lastly came the father’s name indicating he had not lived much more than a year after his son’s death. Etched beneath their names, in letters that could barely be made out, was this simple perspective: “We cannot, Lord, Thy purpose see, but all is well that’s done by Thee.” Here was a little family that didn’t last very long, but apparently they responded to some tough circumstances with a resilient faith in God. They believed and trusted that God knew what He was doing, even in the midst of death and overwhelming situations. This story reminds me that I am not alone and that He is still good, and that His pleasing and perfect will is always being done, and that “all is well,” no matter what is occurring. It reminds me that if I want to learn how to think the way God thinks, I have to see myself and my circumstances as God sees me.
Acts 17:28 says, “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” We are to look at everything that is occurring in our life in relation to Him; we are to abide in awareness of Him, continually pushing God to the forefront of our lives. Oswald Chambers says, “The abiding awareness of the Christian life is to be God Himself, not just thoughts about Him. The total being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence of God. If we are obsessed by God, nothing else can get into our lives – not concerns, nor tribulation, or worries. To be obsessed by God is to have an effective barricade against all the assaults of the enemy.” We are to know beyond a shadow of doubt that everything that is occurring has been run through the fingers of God and that we are dwelling and abiding in His will at all times. Our “life should be hidden with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:3)
At times, it is extremely difficult and challenging to believe that our God represents absolute goodness, that He is compassionate and sovereign, and that He is ultimately in control of everything that happens. It is difficult to swallow especially in the midst of struggles and brokenness in this world, in the face of so much evil, atrocities, catastrophes, and amid such deep pain and sorrow, it’s easy to conclude that only a cruel God could be overseeing a world as fallen as this. However, Psalm 18:30 says, “As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD's Word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him.” So this very day, when I am struggling with His mysteries, with the death of my child and the pain and sorrow that consume me as a result, He allows me to express my doubt to Him, He doesn’t mind that I question Him; He understands my fears and my lack of faith in Him, and just like a young petulant child who is pouting and stomping around, He gently comes alongside me, and guides me through the day, shows me His endless compassion, grace and mercy, and in turn, I cling to Him, like a child clings to its mother, and He says to me, “all is well, all is well.” He calms my soul and quiets my spirit within me and it is there I find the inner peace and security I am looking for and I have an assurance and confidence that I am walking in His will. And I can honestly say, “We cannot, Lord, Thy purpose see, but all is well that’s done by Thee.”
– Melody
