Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I met with the Master of all Creation before the sun showed itself in the morning sky and we had a long talk about Life. It doesn’t serve any Good Purpose at all to question the Hand of God when we know underneath the pain that His Will is always Perfect. So, I cast all my cares at the foot of the Cross this morning and I spent time in His Word to reinforce my Belief about the God who “gives and takes away.” Bad things DO happen to good people – and good things happen to the “bad” – these are mysteries we don’t have the capacity to understand on this side of Heaven…that’s where Faith comes in. The same God who paints a beautiful picture each morning from the front porch is the God who allows pain and suffering FOR HIS purpose. Isn’t that the way you look at the Journey of Life too?

There’s a good reason the Bible mentions “fear” 365 times and there’s a good reason we’re referred to as sheep. When trials come our way we’re all inclined to fear, and when we do we can scatter like fearful sheep with no direction at all OR we can cling to the Shepherd like never before. It’s not a sin to be fearful – God knows it’s human nature – but the depth of our Faith will either be Refined through our Circumstances or we can choose to shake our fists at heaven and give God a good lecture on fairness instead. There was nothing “fair” about Jesus Christ being beaten and flogged and hung on a cross to die like a common thief…but it was God’s Perfect Will. Mary and Martha were convinced that if Jesus had come to help Lazarus when he was sick, he wouldn’t have died at all. It didn’t seem fair that Jesus would delay returning to town when He heard about His sick friend, and it didn’t seem fair that He would “let him die” when He had the Power to Heal. But Jesus knew that God’s Perfect Will was for Lazarus to die so that Jesus could “prove” His Power to the world by raising him from the dead instead. We don’t know the mind of our God, we just Trust His Perfect Will through it all. That’s what Faith looks like.

Plenty of “bad” things are happening to good people these days and it’s impossible to make sense of the world. The Church in America is beginning to experience persecution and things don’t look so good for this “one nation under God.” Some people have found comfort in worldly experts even though we read, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” It could be fear that’s causing the sheep to scramble around America looking for answers OR it could be that some people can’t accept that a Good God sometimes allows “bad things” to happen to fulfill His Perfect Will. He’s a God who “gives and takes away” – we either Trust Him completely OR we can choose to shake our fists toward Heaven and accuse the God of all Creation of being unfair. It’s not easy to understand when we’re middle of the storm, BUT “All things (really do) work together FOR GOOD for those who LOVE HIM and are called ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.” There is nothing to fear with Him on the Throne and nothing too big to endure…IF we Trust Him through it all.

It’s not a perfect day in Virginia but it’s a Good One – one that I choose to walk through with complete Trust in my Father’s Perfect Will. He’s a good God. He loves me more than anybody else does. He sent His son to die for me. “He sought me and bought me, with His redeeming blood.” He chose me before the foundations of the earth. He wants what’s best for me. He called me out of darkness and into the Light. He has gifted me to do His Work. He has called me to feed His sheep. After all that He’s done for me, how could I not Trust His Perfect Will over my Life?

How about you?