Our language gives us away, perhaps more than we would care to think. The terrible winds of this past weekend will be considered by insurance companies and many others as an act of God. The beautiful Spring days we may now enjoy will be considered by many to be good luck. Can the Lord catch a break? Maybe He will if we adjust our perspective.
Part of that perspective adjustment will come as we try to balance the sovereignty and mercy of God. For more than 50 years, this wonderfully beautiful, majestic blue spruce had stood in the front yard of the property where we now live. In this windstorm, it came crashing down across the roof over the two bedrooms where we were sleeping. An act of God? Well, God did not intervene to keep it standing. Apparently, had this tree survived the windstorm with a compromised root system, it would have stood over our house like a sword of Damocles, ready to fall at any moment and maybe not in as favorable direction. God’s mercy? So, I’m alive to write this blog, and though a little sad, we are all well. Is this an act of God’s mercy? If the falling of the tree is God’s act, so is our well-being.
Matthew 5:45b He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (NIV)
The bad and the good both come, and we don’t call the bad, good. Nevertheless, truly good acts of God come through our bad experiences. In our case, these acts of God followed the tree falling.
God spared us and the house.
A neighbor knocked on our door and offered to cut the tree and take it safely off our roof.
Two of his close friends joined him, all having tree service experience, and insisted on doing it free of charge.
Our family came as one, and worked very hard in carrying branches (some quite heavy) to organized piles.
A man just came by, stopped, and has been hauling the debris away for a very reasonable price.
I believe those are also acts of the God who loves us.
Taking the words of Job, Matt Redman, wrote the very powerful song “Blessed Be Your Name.”(1)
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21 NIV)
Indeed, ALL are acts of God, directly, or by permitting, or through others! For those in Christ, who know the love of God through Him, we rest in the assurance that “…in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV).
Tim Kelley
(1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8okACq1TowQ