I once heard a Christian say - Times are tough, but thank God things aren't worse. And I had to ask myself - Is that the way God wants us to cope with the stuff of life?

What do you think? Who is in control - God or Satan? Why do bad things happen? But more importantly, who is responsible? Does God allow the Devil to do His dirty work? Or is Satan an out of control rouge angel who God is having a hard time keeping up with? What is the Jesus way to cope with trouble in our lives? Should we thank God things aren't worse? Or is there a better way?

I believe the following tells us who is in control:

quote:

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1 John 4:4 "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."

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__________________________
In His Love, Mercy & Grace

Daryl

Now that we know who the greater power is and that He is also in control, why is it that it often seems that He is not in control?

__________________________
In His Love, Mercy & Grace

Daryl

When it seems like God is not in control the fault rests with our perception of what it looks like when God is in control. If I'm reading Job correctly, or the story of Jesus, God is in control even (or especially) when things are apparently out of control. Does that make sense?

If God is not in control when bad things happen to good people - then who is? the Devil? I hope not. If God is ever not in control then Satan's accusations about Him would be true. Right? And since that can't be true, then we are correct in believing that God is in control when He allows bad things to happen.

How do you understand Eph 5:20 and 1 Thes 5:18? In the KJV.

A Big Western "Howdy" to Mike!

May I politely suggest that you may have used the wrong word in your first question?

You said: "Is that the way God wants us to COPE with the stuff of life?"

Does God even want us to "cope?"

Is "cope" the Word He would use?

I see God as using words like "overcome."

In other words; it has been my personal experience that God has not always removed some mountain of difficulty; but rather, has given me the wherewithal to climb to the top of the mountain, and down to the green valley on the other side.

(yes, sometimes the grass is greener on the other side)

Also, on this same note; God sometimes sees fit to have us become stronger "grow in grace," (2 Pet.3:18), by the very storm we are caught in...like the eagle, when riding on the stormy winds of the mountain passes near Calgary - he harnesses the strength of the storm to soar to the calm expanses above.

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eageles."

"Coping" sounds like something Freud would use, and I certainly don't mean anything personal; but he did a lot of cocaine. Perhaps that is why he "coped."

Am I making any sense yet?

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"...you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Jude 3

DavidTBattler

David, thank you for those encouraging words. Does that mean I should stop using cocaine if I really want to experience the power of God during the tuff times? Ha!

Isn't there a song that says something about turning stumbling blocks into stepping stones? Sort of goes along with your wind on eagle wings. Thank you Jesus.

So, are we supposed to thank God "for" or "in" the tuff times? or both? If I'm reading Eph 5:20 and 1 Thes 5:18 correctly it would seem that both is the best answer.

Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always FOR all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

1 Thes 5:18 IN every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

I forgot to comment on those two verses Mike..

I have had some experiences for which I could only thank God for, years after the fact.

Those are the times when in order to apply these two verses; I had to think of something else to be thankful for, in the midst of whatever I was going through.

For instance; when I was seriously burned over 40% of my body; would God really expect me to me thankful for that, at the time I was experiencing the worst of it?

I don't think so...

Years later tho, I was able to look back and say, "Thankyou Jesus for that experience...things really do work for good..."

I think when we are in a really drastic trial, God expects us to come to Him just as we are; emotions and all. He doesn't want a phoney "holy roller," coming to him and saying "everything is just lovely Lord! Thankyou for these burns! I am enjoying them very much! Praise God from whom the blessings flow!"

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"...you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Jude 3

DavidTBattler

Yes, God is definitely in control

Giving thanks for everything is easily said from those references, but not so easily done. I am not saying not done, just not so easily done.

How easy is it to give thanks for the untimely death of a loved one, such as in the deaths surrounding September 11th?

Maybe the Insurance Companies are correct when they say their policy doesn't include acts of God in the sense that God being in control permits them to happen.

__________________________
In His Love, Mercy & Grace

Daryl

[This message has been edited by Daryl Fawcett (edited November 20, 2001).]

While it is true it is difficult to praise and thank God "for" all things while in the midst of some terrible trajedy, nevertheless it is apparently God's goal for us. Thus it would seem that we should strive to make it a habit to respond in accordance with the Bible promises whhen confronted with tuff times.

Obviously this divine response to difficult situations can be a reality in our lives only as we stay connected to Jesus, as we keep our eyes on Jesus, and as we trust Jesus to fulfill His promises in our daily experiences.

You might remember from previous posts in other threads where I talked about losing my daughter at the tender age of 10 to a head injury sustained during a fall. It was 7 years ago this month. It is probably the most challenging trial I have to live with. Yet through it all God has blessed me with peace and pain.

I know that when I get to heaven and my daughter and I will watch the rerun together that both of us will agree that considering how everyone and everything was touched by her untimely passing that Jesus made the best decision regarding her life by not intervening to send His angels to bear her up in their hands.

If it makes sense to Jesus now, and it will make sense to me then, then by the grace of God I can by faith make of sense of it today! even though I can't explain it right now. But that's the beauty of faith. Thank you Jesus.

But make no mistake, with my peace of mind comes the gift of pain. My heart often hurts. I miss my precious baby girl terribly. I have come to realize that peace and pain are maternal twins. They are rarely ever seen apart.

But in spite of this I can thank God for allowing my daughter to go to her rest, knowing that His pain is a million times more acute than mine. He was the One who allowed it to happen knowing that it was within His power to prevent her death.

Also I am comforted with the truth knowing that my daughters death wasn't the result of Satan's capricious, unregulated evil plot to just kill my baby. No, no!! God is in control - not Satan, not mankind, not death, not sin. Jesus allowed my sweet baby to die prematurely for reasons that makes sense to Him. And that soothes my aching soul.

I was tooling around in the old posts and found this.

It helps to gain insights as to why people see God as having absolute control when people go through pain.

As I had a daughter raped then killed: I can understand your pain, MM....

Yet and still, I cannot see that Satan is a partner with God, a tool of God's or a reluctant servant even.

I know that Satan killed my daughter, not God. Jesus is not responsible, as my daughter was not young, not saved, and not interested. She spurned God's protection and therefore walked outside of the "Castle" of His protection.

Accidental and young deaths? Ask Sister White about her young son.
Ask hundreds of saved folks who died victims of war, plagues and starvation...hopefully they do not tell themselves that He is responsible.

[ July 12, 2005, 08:37 PM: Message edited by: Phil N. D'blanc ]