Dear Friends,
On Sunday, we talked about how there are elements of God’s plan for our lives and for his church that go beyond our understanding. Events happen, we ask “why?” and no answer comes. God, the hymnwriter says, works in a mysterious way His wonders to perform. His ways are often not our ways.
It took John Piper more than 700 pages to examine the mysterious providence of God in the affairs of men. When his book came out four years ago, I had the opportunity, together with Dave and Ann Wilson, to interview him about the themes in his book. In the last of three podcast interviews with him, we talked about how we are to make sense of God’s providential care for us when the circumstances of our lives don’t make sense to us. All three interviews are available here (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=2e04434f88&e=fbb0a4052b).
In one of the interviews, we asked Dr. Piper how to make sense of God’s providence in the face of unexpected suffering and loss. Ann asked him what he would say to a friend of hers, a woman whose husband has ALS and who lost her 32 year old daughter to cancer. This woman had texted Ann and said “I don’t even know how to pray anymore.”
Dr. Piper explained that he would first want to minister to this woman’s real and valid emotional pain. He would seek to bring comfort and to bear her burden with her before he tried to offer any theological response to her pain.
But later, Piper said, when the time is right, he would seek to offer words of hope to this woman. “You can’t see it yet, how good will come from this,” he would tell her. “But I can give you, from the Bible, four or five places, where the kind of good that will come from this is taught—for your good, for the good of those around you. ‘This slight momentary affliction is working for you an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.’ Be patient and ask God to show you that.”
I’ve been thinking about that interview with Dr. Piper and the subject of God’s providence for the past couple of days.
Some of you know already that on Monday morning, as our Roots students and their adult leaders were on their way to their Street Reach location, the rental minivan carrying students and leaders was on the receiving end of a three car wreck just a short distance from their destination. The driver who caused the wreck fled the scene. The airbags in the minivan deployed. Ben Friesen, who was in the second row of the van and whose arm was elevated holding onto the strap handle, had his arm broken in four places between the shoulder and the elbow. He’ll have surgery tomorrow morning. Everyone else in the van was understandably shaken up, but was okay.
Tragically, the driver of the second car was pronounced dead at the scene.
Has our caravan of students and leaders left for their project 30 seconds earlier on Monday, they would have missed the whole thing. Apparently, that was not God’s plan for our group. This is one of those times when we have to tell ourselves that God works in a mysterious way This may be one of those events we go through in life where we will never understand the “why?”
After taking time on Monday to process all they have been through, and wondering if they needed to simply pack up and come home in light of their experience, the students and leaders decided they wanted to stay and complete what they came to Memphis to do.
We’ll hear more from the team on Sunday about what this week has meant to them and how they have seen God at work. I’m getting some encouraging reports back, along with some pictures of their interaction with the kids they’re ministering to.
We prayed on Sunday for this trip and for their safety. God heard our prayer and protected their lives. Please pray for Ben’s surgery tomorrow and for a full and complete recovery.
And please continue to pray for the students and the leaders, and for their last two days in Memphis. Here’s a look at what’s happening in the lives of dozens of kids!
We have three events on the July calendar for you to take note of.
First for the NxtGen group of college aged students and young adults, the second of three lunchtime get togethers to discuss the book Knowing God will take place right after church on Sunday, July 21. If you have questions, look for Pastor Cole Perkins or Pat Howell. They can fill you in.
Students have two special events coming up in July. A movie night at church on Saturday, July 20. And a day at Magic Springs on Saturday, July 27.
Finally in July, we’ll cool off together at a family pool and pizza party on Tuesday night, July 30. Everyone’s invited.
We’ll wrap up this week with some pictures of our baptisms last Sunday. It was a very special morning!
This week, we’ll turn to Revelation 11. The Apostle John is told there to measure a new temple. Two witnesses step forward with miraculous power at their disposal. The Beast comes from the bottomless pit and goes to war with the witnesses. They die, but they come back to life and are taken up into heaven. Then there’s an earthquake and 7000 people die.
What’s this all about? We’ll dive in to find out on Sunday.
See you in church.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Pastor Bob
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