Wednesday, June 3, 2015

"...But Our God is Greater"

Theresa and I have been calling our friends in Mundri every few days to check in and see how they are doing. Each time we call we hear a bit more hope in their voice but then get stories of no food or supplies, a lot of soldiers, people who haven’t returned from the bush and generally a lot of fear. We then hear…

…But our God is greater.

Whoa.

And they mean it. They believe it. They trust it.

It has made me wonder if when they say ‘our’ in the statement if I really get the God they are talking about. Would I, after going through what they’ve gone through, say God is greater? Would my faith have been deepened because of my suffering or would it be shattered?

Do I know this God? The One who is greater than all my problems. Do I trust this God? The One who promises to make all things right. Is my faith deep enough to be satisfied in simply knowing that God rather than having Him give me all I want?

Uhh…(long pause of silence)

I think so. I want to.

My problem is I want to know this God without the suffering. I want to know the God who is greater than my suffering without actually having to experience it.

However, if I truly want to be transformed into the image of Christ I’m going to suffer…because He did.

And, when we suffer we see the depths of our faith. We see what we run to. We see where we run.

Our friends in Mundri have found through their experience of suffering the only truly safe place they can run is Christ. He is greater.

May I (we!) run to the person of Christ when suffering or grief or sadness comes and, after being real about the suffering that is taking place (not glossing over it as if it didn’t matter), say “but our God is greater!”


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