When it doesn't make sense

Sometimes, life just doesn't make sense. My daughter (Jena) is feeling that way today. She is a medic and this morning they got a call for a man, younger than her dad. Just as she does every day, she puts into motion whatever she can humanly do to save the patient. She immediately begins CPR, administering life saving drugs while her partner is working just as hard, attempting to open air ways and to stabilize this man. Because they are so intensely fighting for this man, the fireman drive them to the ER. Carried into the hospital, Jena rides on the cot with the patient, still working on him. She's thinking he's going to come back, she's praying with all her might that he does. Once they get into the shock room, doctors stand back, letting her continue. For 48 minutes she had stayed over this man, praying, administering life saving drugs and compressions, doing all that she has been trained to do. But he didn't come back. A family is now without a father, a husband. A son is now gone, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker.

Jena is left with the thoughts that ramble and run through a mind when the situation doesn't make sense, "Why didn't you save him, God?" There are no answers as to why God chose not to allow this man's heart to beat again. There is no one on the earth that can soothe her and her partner's helpless feeling and certainly no soothing balm that will adequately help the immense loss this man's loved ones are about to face. Humans did all they could so save this man. Prayers were fervently prayed. But this time, the answer was no. I pray that he knew Jesus as his Savior. I pray that he is in the presence of His precious Jesus and so glad that that medic who tried with all of her might, was not able to bring him back. I pray that heaven is rejoicing that another child has come home. He no longer has to strive, worry, know fear, sorrow and tears. He has been set free from the bondage of sin and despair.

So many times we question when God doesn't do what we think he should. We've lost a child, our marriage has broken up, we lose our home, cancer comes back, our child destroys his life with drugs, another miscarriage, orphans lie naked and starving on the street...heart breaking times when life doesn't make sense. God indeed is heartbroken over what breaks our heart. He is not some distant God who desires to give you only sorrow and pain. There is another entity at work here - there is an enemy of God who has, since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden caused ONLY intense grief for mankind. Satan is the father of lies, he seeks to destroy and kill. We are all doomed to death because we all have sinned. We are all powerless, in our pathetic attempts to help ourselves. We cannot resuscitate our deadened hearts.

There will come a day, when Satan is defeated and precious one, we are growing ever so close to that day! Until that day, however, we still have defeat over the power of Satan and the power of death! The cross of Jesus Christ is the only hope we have and where we find our victory. Christ bore our sins, he removed the finality of death. He took our penalty upon himself so that, when we accept this most wondrous gift, we stand before a Holy God, the Father of Christ, as pure! That is a miracle! We are no longer defeated by death! We are no longer defeated by the lies of the enemy!

That doesn't mean that life will come without sorrow and immense pain. Christ warned us that we would, in the WORLD have tribulation - the WORLD is full of pain, sorrow and death, but Christ goes on to say that HE HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD....that means that our hope is in him, not in this world, not in all that we know in relationships, the pursuit of career, possessions, health or even family....all those are good things....but within those things - you will know pain. Christ is the only one who brings complete hope, complete peace and complete healing. Does it mean we won't ever know soul-splitting sorrow ---no! But, we do have the confidence in knowing that God cares! He cared so much about us that he sent his son here - to this vile and evil world to die for us! I wouldn't send my youngest son, Luke to the most disgusting and sinful place in the world, but God did - because that's how much he loves you!

We won't have answers to all of our hard times until we get to heaven. Sometimes we see why God allowed some things and sometimes we don't. All we can do then is to fall at his feet and weep, knowing he is there, standing over us, never leaving us. He too, feels the heartbreak of sin that has overtaken the world. He knows how helpless we feel when a man, so young dies. He doesn't expect us to simply shrug it off or become calloused to the pain. It is OK to grieve, lament and yes, even question why. For a time, for a season, grieve, asking God to wash over you. Allow him to help you move away from mistrust to trust. Ask him to reveal himself to you. His love for you, in the times of questioning doesn't change, press into him, closer, closer still. He so longs to lavish you with his love.

I promise you, God has not left you nor forsaken you! I promise you he will bring you comfort even when you don't understand. He promises you that he has overcome the world....there will come a day when there are no more tears.

Let us keep this man's family in our prayers, that God would bring supernatural peace and comfort. While we are at it, pray for the first responders who deal with life and death every day and find so often, they are left, questioning.