Would You?

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If you were working for a company for six years, and have been praying to God for a promotion and have been expecting it, but was never granted, would you still love God?

If you had been battling an illness, and have been praying to God for healing, but was never granted, would you still love God?

If your marriage was in trouble and you have been praying to God for a resolution but was not granted, would you still love Him?

If you and your spouse were trying to have a baby for quite a time and have been praying for one, God granted your request but only later you found out your baby had an abnormality, would you still love God?

Or if you and your spouse wanted to have a baby so bad and were petitioning to God for one, but He did not grant it, would you still love God?

If you were single and have been praying, asking God for a life partner, but instead He gave you a ‘no’ for an answer, having been reached the age 40, would you still love Him?

If you had a business you have worked hard for all your life, you have been asking God for an expansion of it, but instead at some point you experienced difficulty which resulted to bankruptcy, would you still love God?

If you earned enough millions in preparation for you retirement, and one day you received a report on the closure of the bank you deposited your retirement savings, and you realized that all the money you have worked for was gone just like that, would you still praise God?

If you had just completed your payment for your life insurance, and then one day that insurance company declared bankruptcy, would you still praise God?

If you had been applying for a US or Canadian visa and had been praying to God that this time it would be granted, but instead it was denied again, would you still praise God?

If your job was the only source to support your family, and one day you received a letter of dismissal, would you still worship God?

If your house was the only shelter you have for your family, then one day it caught fire and it burned down your house completely, would you be able to worship God?

If your only son went out on a youth camp with his friends, got into an accident, and died on the spot, would you still have faith in God?

If your only daughter was left at home while you were out attending a prayer meeting, and when you got back you saw her on the floor, raped and murdered, would You still have faith in God when He says all things work together for good?

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If you were newly wed, just got back from honeymoon, then two weeks later your husband died of a heart attack, would you still have faith in God’s promise to give you a hope and a future?

If your best friend, your companion ever since you were young, the person you trusted the most with your life’s secrets betrayed you and left you for some amount of money, would you still be able to obey God when He says, “Love her and pray for her.  Forgive her?”

If you had been falsely accused of murdering someone, and you had been put to jail, sentenced for life imprisonment, would you be able to say that God is just?

If one night you were praying in your room, declaring praises to God and worshiping Him, declaring that God is more than enough in your life and that when everything is stripped away and all that is left in your life is God, He is more than enough. Then a month later, your mom, who was the person closest to you, your only ally, your encourager, your supporter, your adviser, your teacher, your mentor, your prayer partner, someone who was dear to you, had a stroke. You were boldly praying to God for her healing, knowing that God could even raise someone from the dead like Lazarus. You were declaring in your prayer that your mom would just get up from her hospital bed and would stand on her feet completely healed, but God had chosen no to. Then the morning after, she was declared dead (this happened on my case). Would you still be confident to declare that God is more than enough? Would you still love God when He takes away someone dear to you? Would you still hold fast to His promise that He knows the plans He has for you?  Would you still believe that God loves you beyond circumstances? Would you still declare that God is good all the time?  Or would you choose to doubt His love and His goodness?

You know, it is not difficult to love a God who answers all your prayers and requests the way you want it.  It is easy to love a God when everything in our life is going well the way we planned it.  It is easy to say, “I love God,” “I praise You, God,” “I worship You, my God,” or “God is good,” when we see and experience goodness, beauty, abundance, and success according to our own measure. It is so easy to thank God when He grants our petitions and requests.  It is easy to conclude that God is a good God when we are not hurt.

But, you see, God is more than that.  He is beyond our finite minds.  If God were to heal you all the time, would you long for eternal life?

If God were to give you all the things you want, not having to experience lack, would you be able to appreciate His provisions and abundance of His grace?

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If you were all the time strong and capable of doing things, would you be able to experience His strength?

If you made no mistakes all the time, would you be able to receive God’s forgiveness?

If you never had experienced pain or frustration in your life, would you be able to know and believe that God’s grace is sufficient?

Had you not gotten to the end of your rope, you would have never clung to God.  Had you not gotten to the dead end, you would not have the chance to see God bringing down the wall.  Had the door not been shut, He would have never opened the window for you.  Had you not gotten down the dark pit, God would not have pulled you up.  Had you not gotten at your wits’ end, you would have never had the time to look up and call on God for help.

“God is not only interested in making us healthy, wealthy, and happy.  God wants so much for us than that.  He wants us to be wise, mature, obedient, bold, and committed.”

He loves us and he wants us for Himself.  He is good all the time.  And he can be counted on His promises.  He allows us to get hurt, but not to harm us.  He allows us to go through adversity, but never to abandon us.  He allows us to get lost in order for us to get love.  God has different ways in making things happen; most of the time, unthinkable; sometimes, impossible.  But in the end, He wants us to know Him in a deeper level.  He wants us to experience His love and goodness beyond whatever circumstances we may be.  He wants us to get purified, washing away, more often, painfully peeling away our own superficial knowledge of Him.  He wants us to be intimate with Him.  He wants us to be genuinely in love, passionate, faithful, committed, and dependent on Him.

If you went through pain, hurt, and tragedy in life, would you dare to question God? Would you curse Him? Would you hate Him? We do not have the right to question or judge God of His choices.  He does whatever pleases Him.  But, we have every reason to be grateful to God for He is worthy of our praise. No experience is ever wasted in God’s hands. He may allow bad things to happen to our lives, but never without a purpose.  And He makes all things beautiful in His time.  Ask Job.