I used to see God's love through the lens of my circumstances. If something good happened, I thought it was a token of God's love. I have to admit now that yes. It was his mercy.
God doesn't pay us according to what our sins deserve, but when my beloved grandmother passed, my confidence in God's love shook.
God doesn't pay us according to what our sins deserve, but when my beloved grandmother passed, my confidence in God's love shook.
When we heard my grandma was sick, we prayed, believed, fasted, and waited for God to work miracles.
I even prayed Lamentations 3: 21-24 with her on the way to the hospital.
I even prayed Lamentations 3: 21-24 with her on the way to the hospital.
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore, I will hope in him."
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore, I will hope in him."
I still remember my grandmother, with the little bit of breath she had left, said, "Amen," after I finished praying. I heard her voice shaking, yet she believed.
In spite of all our efforts, faith, and love, something tragic hit my family. My grandmother, the woman who prayed for us every day, the loving mother who took the bread out of her mouth to feed us, went to be with her Heavenly Father.
The inevitable questions bombarded me.
"Is God good?"
"Does he love me?"
"If he were with us, she wouldn't have gotten sick."
"Did he even hear my prayer?"
Those questions are not new to humanity; we can find them in John 11.
The story tells us about a family that loved God, and God loved them, yet they suffered.
Lazarus, Jesus' beloved, died.
They thought it was the end of his story, but four days later, Jesus resurrected him.
Here's what I notice in the story: Lazarus' sister, Mary, served, loved, and belived in God.
"Is God good?"
"Does he love me?"
"If he were with us, she wouldn't have gotten sick."
"Did he even hear my prayer?"
Those questions are not new to humanity; we can find them in John 11.
The story tells us about a family that loved God, and God loved them, yet they suffered.
Lazarus, Jesus' beloved, died.
They thought it was the end of his story, but four days later, Jesus resurrected him.
Here's what I notice in the story: Lazarus' sister, Mary, served, loved, and belived in God.
Mary believed Jesus was the Messiah and the resurrection. She's seen him perform miracles. So she was sure God would hear Jesus' prayers.
Even so, Lazarus died. To make matters worse, Jesus wasn't in a hurry to attend the funeral.
The Scripture says that Jesus deeply loved Mary and Lazarus. The son of God was even troubled when he saw Mary and heard about Lazarus, his beloved friend.
Even so, Lazarus got sick, and died.
Even so, Lazarus died. To make matters worse, Jesus wasn't in a hurry to attend the funeral.
The Scripture says that Jesus deeply loved Mary and Lazarus. The son of God was even troubled when he saw Mary and heard about Lazarus, his beloved friend.
Even so, Lazarus got sick, and died.
God shows us in this story that circumstances, even death, are not God's love metric system.
David said, "The life of men is like the grass." One day is here, and the next day it's gone. But, God's love endures forever."
Paul said, "Nothing can separate us from God's love. Not even death."
As I mentioned before, death is not God's love metric system. Lazarus died, but that didn't mean Jesus stopped loving him. On the contrary, it showed God had a plan; greater than we could ever imagine.
We can read in Scripture that Jesus answered all of Mary's questions. He also addresses the crowd's inquiries by saying that Lazarus' death was in their best interest. It would display God's glory, and many would believe.
I still don't understand the purpose of my grandmother's passing, but I can trust that God's love endures forever. God said that all things work together for my good.
Perhaps many would believe and draw closer to God through these circumstances, but in spite of all, I can always tell my soul, "Praise the Lord, oh my soul. His love endures forever."
If you are dealing with a loss right now, I want to pray that God may show you how high, how deep, and long his love for you is. His perfect love goes beyond our knowledge, or anything we can understand, even death.
Love,
Sofía.
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