Proverbs Chapter 19: Verse 3 (NIV)
A person’s own folly leads to their ruin,
yet their heart rages against the Lord.
Proverbs Chapter 3: Verse 5 (NIV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
Psalm 131: Verses 1-2 (NIV)
My heart is not proud, Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
The verse in Proverbs Chapter 19 leapt out at me today. Sometimes its true that we can get ourselves into difficult situations through our own decisions and actions, yet we sometimes still manage to blame God. At other times, however, we come across terrible situations that are not of our making, such as the awful situation in Southport this week that led to the deaths of three wee girls and serious injury to others. Does that mean we should blame God for this? Some people will, and many more will be asking why it was allowed to happen.
How then should I react as a Christian in such situations? There are no easy answers and neither should I try and use platitudes to try and explain things. I once heard a very wise man say that if he came across things like this that he didn’t understand, he committed them to God and left them there. He didn’t feel that it was his place to try and understand. This is very wise advice, I think. The verse in Proverbs 3 cautions us to trust the Lord and not lean on our own understanding. David also offers us further advice on what we should do when we feel overwhelmed by such things – we should not dwell on things that we don’t understand, and we should draw close to God to calm our spirit, as an infant finds comfort in the arms of its mother. Not always easy to put into practice but something which I find to be very helpful.
Dear Lord,
Thank You that even in the midst of really awful situations, there is wisdom and consolation in Your word. Help me to follow its counsel and I ask for Your comfort and peace for all those who struggle with such situations. May they know that You are not to blame. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.