the hand of God has been upon us all the time

"The hardest problem I have to handle as a Christian," pastor and author Ray C. Stedman once said, "is what to do when God does not do what I have been taught to expect him to do; when God gets out of line and does not act the way I think he ought. What do I do about that?"

Those of you reading this have endured more tragedy and pain than I can even imagine. Some of you have lost children. Some of you are facing a diagnosis you've always dreaded. Some of you have experienced a broken marriage and are facing life alone.
Why? There are no easy answers. The fact is, we may not know the purpose behind our pain until we see Jesus face to face. Even then, we aren't guaranteed any explanations. We are given only a promise: "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the older order of things has passed away" (Rev. 21:4).

Trials are real. Bad thing happen--to good people and bad people alike. And we who are Christians don't escape life, Paul says. We overcome life. "In al these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us" (Romans 8:37).

This promise anchors our all-too-shaky world to his unshakeable kingdom.

Love. That's a dependable anchor. The love Christ has for you is a love you can cling to, for it will hold you.

Today we suffer. Today we don't understand. But someday, in that eternal Tomorrow, that same Savior who weeps with us will wipe every tear from our eyes. He'll unbind our graveclothes of earthly flesh, and we'll be set free. Someday all the scattered, broken pieces will fall into place, and we will suddenly understand the hand of God has been upon us all the time. All the tragedy-all the darkness-will instantly be swallowed up by triumph."

--from Joanna Weaver's book, "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World."