Does God Care That People Suffer?

Suffering happens and dealing with it is difficult. Why does it happen? How can a good God let bad things happen? Does God even care that people suffer? God must not be as good as we thought, or is He? Taking into consideration the historicity and reliability of the Bible, the following areas can be observed.

OBSERVATIONS ABOUT PEOPLE IN GENERAL
The first area to establish is an understanding of people in general. We can observe various characteristics.

1. People are a part of creation. They are formed from the dust of the earth (Gen. 2:7). The living person is composed of non-living parts, such as atoms, chemicals, and minerals, and these things can be found in the “non-living” category of creation (i.e., water, land, rocks, etc.). “Proteins make up body structures like organs and tissue, as well as control chemical reactions and carry signals between cells” (Genomics). In relation with the rest of the world, they particularly belong to the “living” category (i.e., plants and animals), more specifically animals.

2. People are unique to creation. Out of all of the non-living parts and living creatures, it is observed that people stand out above them. Humans have a spiritual aspect to them, which encompasses mind, will, and emotion. Donovan Hall, author of “Natural Philosophy in the Context of a Science of Humanity,” confesses that man is not just a physical system but has material aspects. No other thing, living or not, possess such an aspect. Even the way they were created is different. While it is recorded that creation came into existence through the spoken word, humans were given more attention, being formed from the ground (Gen. 2).

3. People are formed, or created, by God. The Bible records, “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7). In contrast to the rest of creation, God gave special attention to the creation of humans being personally involved by carefully forming them himself. He then breathed His own breath into the man.

4. People are bearers of God’s image. No other part or creature in creation can claim such a statement. Evidences of man bearing God’s image can be found in scripture (Gen. 1:26-28). Like God (who is a spirit), men have a spirit. They also possess will and emotion, like God, and can think. Like God rules over everything, humans are rulers over this world. This is exerted in different ways. Some may be leaders of companies, governments, or countries, exercising power over both nature and people. Others may be pet owners or gardeners, exercising power over nature.

In summary, people are unique beings of creation that are formed by God and bear His image. This signifies the value they have compared to everything else. They are given more special attention and care in their creation and function above everything else in the world. It can be concluded, then, that because of these things, God cares about people (at least to some degree).

GOD’S OBSERVABLE INTERACTION WITH PEOPLE IN THE PAST
Now that the issue of people has been established, there are various observations that can be made in regard to God’s interaction with these people.

1. God instructed people. People sometimes accuse God of not telling them what He wants. However, God does make His desires clear, and He gives steps to “suffering prevention.” This can be seen in some of the following examples from the past.

(a) He instructed them about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God knew and understood the consequences that would result if Adam and Eve were to eat the fruit. In response to this, he took steps to instruct them accordingly, having their best interest in mind. He told them not to eat the fruit, indicating the consequences that would follow (Gen. 2:16-17).

(b) He instructed them through the Law of Moses. Various laws were given on how to live, addressing issues of cleanliness (i.e., how to handle dead things, disease, and circumcision), worship, and relationships (i.e., how to deal with neighbors, family, other nations) (Leviticus). While some people groups at the time were very dirty and adhered to questionable practices (i.e., child sacrifice), God took the time to show people (in particular, the Israelites) a better way to live so that they would not have to deal with the effects of uncleanliness, unnecessarily losing a loved one to sacrifice, etc.

2. God protected people. When people were in trouble or suffering, God did not simply sit by the wayside.

(a) He warned them of danger. The Joseph of the Old Testament was used as an instrument of God to interpret Pharaoh’s dream about a coming time of famine. Because of this, the people in the land of Egypt were able to make preparations and survive the seven years of famine (Gen. 41:14-36). God also warned Joseph, Jesus’ father, of the danger of King Herod’s baby killing, and so Joseph fled with his family to Egypt for safety (Matt. 2:13-15). The whole latter part of the Old Testament is God’s plea through the prophets for people to return to following Him, warning them that if they did not, enemies would plunder and enslave them.

(b) He provided them ways of escape. In the case of the Israelites’ exile, God orchestrated events as such so that the king of Persia had a dream, which made him send Ezra and others to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-4). Also, the man, Nehemiah, who was the cup-bearer to the king, received a message from God to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and was granted leave by the king to do so (Nehemiah 1-2). The apostle Peter was miraculously delivered from prison by the aid of an angel (Acts 12:6-17).

3. God became a person. As evidenced by scripture, the claims of Jesus, and the basis of His resurrection, it is observed that God became man in the person of Jesus Christ. What does this mean for Him, then, in regards to people and suffering?

(a) He witnessed all kinds of suffering. Jesus spent time with those who suffered from being social outcasts. The Pharisees were appalled by this and Jesus replied to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt. 9:12-13). He came in contact with people who suffered physically from hunger (John 6), crippled (John 5), great sickness (John 4:46-54), and other ailments.

(b) He responded to suffering. In Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” he teaches about the necessity to take care of the poor (Matt. 6). He healed people suffering from various ailments such as blindness (Matt. 20:34, Mark 10:46-52), demonization (Mark 51-20), a blood disease (Mark 5:29-34), and leprosy (Luke 17:11-19). In the case of the adulterous woman who was being threatened to be stoned, the scriptures say, “…and (Jesus) said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her’” (John 8:7). In response to this, people left one by one and the woman was left unharmed. He also comforted his disciples when they were emotionally troubled (John 14).

(c) He experienced himself different kinds of suffering. He was unjustly mocked by others (Mark 15:16-20). He was betrayed by a close friend (John 18). Jesus is recorded to have wept when going to visit the grave of his friend, Lazarus (John 11:33- 35). In addition to all of these examples, all four of the Gospels record the suffering that Jesus endured as he was dying on the cross. Luke includes reference to this in the book of Acts 1:3, “…He presented Himself alive after his suffering…” Dying on a cross was a punishment reserved for criminals, but Jesus was an innocent man.

In summary, there are various things that can be observed about God’s interaction with people in the past. He instructs them, which seems to be for their own good, to spare them from suffering. He protected them on the verge of trouble and in the midst of suffering. Finally, he became a man himself, which gave him a first-hand experience of suffering in the lives of people witnessed in others and himself. This demonstrates that God not only cares about people, but that he also cares about their suffering since he acted in the prevention of and easing of it (at least in the past).

GOD’S OBSERVABLE INTERACTION WITH PEOPLE IN THE PRESENT
In addition to the past, there are various observations that can be made from the present in regard to God’s interaction with people.

1. He instructs people through the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew that he would be leaving the earth, but he assured his disciples that God would send the Holy Spirit to teach them and remind them of the things Jesus had taught (John 14:26). This is the ministry of the Holy Spirit (the third person in the Trinity) today. The Holy Spirit also convicts people of sin and what is right (John 16:7-9). People testify to the work of the Holy Spirit in their life, how he leads, guides, and directs them towards right living. God will continue to work through the Holy Spirit to instruct people and remind them of what they should do, which is for their benefit.

2. He protects people. It is true that bad things do happen, but it is miraculous to see how people have been protected from harmful circumstances that could, and sometimes should, have happened.

(a) He holds the universe in His hands. God is constantly keeping a watchful eye over all of us. He does not sleep (Psalm 121:4)! It is amazing to think of how He has placed the heavens (Psalm 8:3). The psalmist himself wonders in awe, “What is man that you are mindful of him?” (in other words, “You are mindful of man, and I don’t know why since we seem so insignificant in comparison to the universe!”) (Psalm 8:4). There is a mathematical precision to every planet, sun, moon, and star. Were one of those out of whack, there would be great repercussions to the life on planet Earth, including people.

(b) He offers avenues for save haven in the midst of trouble. Many times this is seen through the help of other people. The Holocaust was a horrible time, and many people were killed in the genocide. However, in the midst of the horror, God used people to protect others. Andre Trocome, a French pastor, encouraged his congregation to hide Jews, and as a result, 3,000-5,000 Jews were kept safe from the Nazis (Wikipedia). Sometimes God uses miracles. In the case of the World Trade Center 9/11 bombings, there was a group of people that miraculously survived the collapse of the building. Sixteen people, who were in Stairwell B of the North Tower when it collapsed, were the only individuals that survived the collapse from inside the building (Fishman). There is no reason why these people should not have been killed based on their situation and the odds against them, but they were miraculously spared from death.

In summary, God continues to have observable interaction with people in the present. He makes a conscious effort to be involved in people’s lives, making known His desires through the Holy Spirit. He also protects people by controlling the universe and working miracles in the lives of those who are at the mercy of their surroundings. This shows that God cares about people and their suffering, even today.

CONCLUSIONS FROM THESE OBSERVATIONS
As a result of these observations, the following conclusions can be made:

1. God cares that people suffer because He understands suffering personally. He is not a God far off who cannot relate to us. He became a man and is personally acquainted with grief. Jesus is seen to be a very compassionate person, and so this experience of suffering did not leave him unaffected. He did things to counter-act the suffering of the people he encountered. He continues to do this and sympathizes with us in our weakness (Heb. 4:15).

2. God cares that people suffer because He comforts us. Paul the apostle writes in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” This is witnessed through two evidences.

(a) He comforts us Himself. This is often through the Holy Spirit. Another name for the Holy Spirit is “Comforter.” Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 28:20, “..and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” God’s presence is always with us, no matter what the circumstance. We are not alone.

(b) He comforts us through those who have suffered. Those who suffer do not do it in vain. While the over all reason for the suffering is usually unknown, a purpose does surface: comforting others. My sister, for example, lost her fiancé unexpectedly, and this was extremely painful for her. She, on the other hand, has had various opportunities to comfort others who have had the same thing happen to them, in particular a girl her age who lost her fiancé a month prior.

3. God cares that people suffer because He makes effort to use it for good. He could just let suffering continue along a downward spiral into the land of despair. Instead, He works with the pieces, using them to accomplish some kind of good.

(a) He uses suffering in general to point people back to Him. The first question people ask in the tragedy is, “Why, God?” Sometimes we wander away from Him, thinking that we in and of ourselves contain the power to handle our own lives. In times of suffering we are hit hard with the blatant reality that we all need God. God wants to be involved with our lives and comfort us. Suffering gives us a chance to re-evaluate our priorities and put them in the hands of Him who made us and has our best interest at heart.

(b) He uses suffering to accomplish things in people’s lives. There is a degree of sovereignty that God exerts in the midst of suffering. The apostle Paul used to persecute Christians to kill them. However, he encountered blindness as a result of seeing Jesus. This encounter and suffering changed his life forever, opening his eyes to his actions. He became a changed man, impacting the lives of millions of Christians through his writings throughout the centuries as a result. He also uses it to make us better people in the meantime (Rom. 5:3-5). My family of nine has never had much money. God has used this in my life to be more sensitive to others with this need, to be thankful for what I do have, and to look for opportunities to bless others.

(c) He uses His suffering to redeem mankind from sin, and ultimately, one day, suffering itself. God cares so much that people suffer that he was willing to suffer to the ultimate degree: death. Jesus then came back to life, conquering the power of death and sin. What this actual, physical death and resurrection does is make possible for mankind deliverance from an everlasting spiritual suffering because of the sinfulness of our lives. In turn, this opens the way for eternal life apart from suffering (Rev. 4:21). What hope this is in the midst of hard times (Romans 8:18)!

SUMMARY
Does God care that people suffer? Yes, He does. He cares about people as evidenced through their uniqueness among creation and in God’s sight. He cares about people that suffer because He instructs them for their good, to prevent certain suffering. He also protects and provides for people in the midst of suffering, even to the extent of giving ways of escape. When escape is not possible, He uses the suffering to be used for good both circumstantially and personally in developing character. The most exemplary way God’s concern for suffering humanity is seen is through His very own life and death through the person of Jesus Christ so that people would not have to suffer forever, and this gives people hope! If he did not care, would he act in such ways?

A Cry of the Soul

An inner war wages within
my soul, my mind
O Prince of Peace! Save me!

Day after day
through the night!
Is there no end?

Outside an indifferent countenance
Inside
fire blazing!
lightning!
waves crashing!
sinking
down
down
down
No one sees
No one knows
O Prince of Peace! Save me!

You alone hold the key to my heart.
You who search my soul
You know me

The days are short
How long, my Prince, will the pain last?
Lest my life pass by like a breeze
here for a moment, then

gone.

An inner war wages within
my soul, my mind
O Prince of Peace! Save me!

Avoid Guilt, Appreciate Grace

For me, the start of a new school year always initiates thoughts of reflection on the past year: my accomplishments, my failures, and what I could have done differently had I the chance to change things. It also motivates me to create a new set of goals, or resolutions, as I attempt to make the upcoming year better than the last. Think for a moment back to the beginning of last school year, or perhaps around New Years. What were some of the resolutions you had set up for yourself? How many of them actually came to fruition? Some of you may have a check mark next to a few goals signifying the accomplishing of the goal you had set for yourself. Others of you may identify with me: No matter how many goals I set, I somehow can never seem to get a handle on them. Days, months, and years go by with little change on my part. Why is it SO HARD to follow through? Even our best intentions in and of themselves are not enough to bring our goals to completion. Our actions need to line up with the intentions if anything is going to happen.

Likewise, in our struggle with sin we discover that no matter how much we want to do right, no matter how much we try to do good, we still seem to fall short because our actions prove our desires otherwise. This could be a source of much discouragement, but as we will see in Romans 7:14-25 this need not be the case. Because sin for a Christian is a fact of life, we must avoid guilt and appreciate grace.

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Romans 7:14-25 (New International Version)

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
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You’ve just read a very intimate passage where we see Paul’s personal experience with sin. Can you identify with anything he just said? I sure can, and it’s easy for me to beat myself up because of it. However, as I stated before, sin for a Christian is a fact of life, and because of this we must avoid guilt and appreciate grace. How exactly do we go about this? In the text we discover first of all that we must COPY PAUL’S CONFESSION OF SIN.

Verse 14 states, “For we know that the Law is good, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.” Paul makes a clear contrast between the nature of the Law and himself. In his mind there is no question what he is like, and he doesn’t hide from the truth. Instead, he accepts it when he says “I am of flesh”; it couldn’t be made clearer. Then, he continues in this acceptance when he says immediately following, “sold into bondage to sin.” Paul basically confesses twice in a row “I am a sinner.” So, by the end of this verse, there is no question of Paul’s understanding of who he is by nature.

But he doesn’t just stop at accepting the fact that he is a sinner, he continues on to prove how this is true. Verses 15-17 read, “For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.” In these verses we are able to sense the reality of the conflict between the spirit and the flesh. Paul says that he doesn’t understand what he’s doing. This doesn’t mean that he doesn’t know why, but rather that he cannot gather the depth of meaning of sin’s presence in himself; it points to the struggle within his own heart. It doesn’t make sense that he would do what he hates when he would really like to do something else. Obviously Paul knows what the law says, agrees with it, and wants to do it, but he still ends up not doing it.

Verse 17 concludes this saying it is because of sin that this struggle is happening. We all know that we sin. But how often to we recognize this truth? Are we actively aware of it, are we well-acquainted with it, are we familiar with it? Are we honest with ourselves? Groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or Overeaters Anonymous exist for people who struggle with certain issues. Though I’ve never personally attended something like this, the movies portray it going as such: a group of people sit around a table and begin introducing themselves, “Hi, my name is Jane and I’m an alcoholic.” For these people, the first step in dealing with a problem is admitting that they have a problem. Paul did this, and we must also. In this last week, what have been some of the specific sins you’ve struggled with? Let me encourage you not only to write these down, but pinpoint specific examples of how that sin has had a hold on your life so that you might have a clearer picture of what you struggle with.

Next in the passage, we see Paul expand on the concept of confessing his sin as he reveals his confusion with sin. We too must CONCUR WITH PAUL’S CONFUSION WITH SIN. After looking up the word “confusion” I found this definition, “disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably.” This confusion reminded me of a disease that is rampant in our country and other parts of the world called AIDS. The reason AIDS is so deadly is because the immune system basically shuts down leaving a person exposed to even the most harmless germ. Inside the body, we have these things called B-cells, T-cells and T-helper cells. T-helper cells activate the B & T cells to produce antibodies and attack the germ. But in AIDS, this process can’t happen because the T-helper cells are taken over by the AIDS virus, which means antibodies aren’t released and the virus can’t be attacked. In a sense, the body is now in a state of confusion because it is not behaving predictably.

Confusion is exactly what Paul was experiencing in verses 18-19, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.” There was disorder and tension inside him. Based on what Paul knew to be good and willingness to do so, it would be predictable that what would follow are good actions. But in reality, he fails to behave so. Do you ever find yourself telling yourself, “I’m so stupid! I can’t believe I did that again!”? I know I struggle to deal with the reality of my sinful actions. I get down on myself because I fail. I get mad at myself because I seem so double-minded or two-faced. This same confusion exists within my own self, “the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.” Do you see this same confusion happening within yourself?

Finally, we should KEEP TO PAUL’S CONCLUSION CONCERNING SIN. What good is it to know all of these things about our sin and not do anything about it? Verse 20 reveals the culprit: sin is what causes Paul to sin. Verses 21-23 seem to sum up the truth of the matter, “I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.” Paul, again, states what he’s been stating all along. He joyfully agrees with the law of God, but because of the evil, the sin, that resides in him, he ends up doing otherwise. Therefore, there is a constant tension between what he wants to do and what he doesn’t want to do.

In spite of this his next reaction is so natural, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” Isn’t it true that we also face a similar conclusion about ourselves? The guilt that stems from our failure to do good plagues us. We find ourselves looking for freedom from ourselves, our “body of this death.” But the passage doesn’t stop in this rut. There is an answer. Paul exclaims, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” This is the sigh of relief. What Jesus did on the cross, paid for the guilt and shame of our sin.

We don’t have to experience life in bondage because Christ set us free 2,000 years ago when he died and rose again. As Christians we hear this all the time, and it almost seems to not have as much impact on us. What would it be like to be Paul? That’s all he ever talked about! But does he dismiss the impact of Christ? No! He exclaims in thanksgiving his acceptance of grace through Christ. The rest of verse 25 reads, “So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.” So, after Paul accepts the grace through Christ, he seems to be saying, “So this is the way it is…I will struggle with sinning, even though I have decided to follow God.” He can live with himself in spite of his shortcomings because he fully appreciates the grace bestowed on him through Christ.

When you feel guilt creeping in on you, when it seems to be eating at you time and time again, what are you going to do about it? Will you ignore it and live life as if nothing’s wrong? Will you wallow in it thinking “Woe is me!”? These are the extreme options, neither of which Paul seems to be advocating as solely the proper response in this passage. Instead, we see that we should follow his example: 1) COPY PAUL’S CONFESSION OF SIN by accepting it to be true. 2) CONCUR WITH PAUL’S CONFUSION WITH SIN by realizing and understanding sin’s presence in us. 3) KEEP TO PAUL’S CONCLUSION CONCERNING SIN by living life in appreciation of grace in spite of sin.

Surprises

It had been a long hard day at work, and I didn't have much to look forward to as I left the parking lot. My house was a pig sty and I had no idea what I was going to make for dinner since I hadn't been "real" food shopping in almost 2 weeks. These are the days when you wish you had the "ex nihilo" power. Five course meal? Voila! Sadly, I was in the real world.

As I pulled into my garage, my mind began racing with thoughts of what I could possibly whip up to eat. I walked into the house and noticed something right off the bat. There were no longer any dirty dishes in the sink or on the counter. The dining room table was clear of the junk mail and clutter. The bed was made, the laundry was put away, and my husband was...(hold on to your seats!)...cleaning the bathroom! I couldn't believe my eyes. Was I dreaming?

My huband then began to show me all the things he had done in the 45 minutes he had been home, pointing out all the subtle details that he knew I surely would appreciate. All I could do was incessantly hug and kiss the man I so dearly call my husband and thank him for the biggest highlight of my week.

God knew I had to marry this man. It is the only way I keep any sanity!

P.S. He took me to McDonalds!

Jessica 1:1-11 (Confessions of a College Student)

On 11/10/2005 I wrote a poem and then I dissected it...

1)It's just another day.

2)Just another day of walking around like crazy trying to keep up with the segmented slots of pre-determined time.

3)Just another day being late to almost every one.

4)Just another day of trying to cram in 15 minutes worth of activity into a timeslot of 5 minutes.

5)Yes, it's just another day.

6)5:30pm seems to be my goal everyday. I made it, thank God.

7)But wait...all is not chaos.

8)Like a breath of fresh air, perfectly ordained moments of rest appear upon my planner, the kind that were not planned for but are equally or more so received.

9)Not that I rejoice over the sorrow of others, but were it not for their sorrow, my rest would not have come.

10)Not that it's about me, but the One who made me, and it is He who orchestrated this to be so.

11)So it shall be...and that's fine with me!

EXEGESIS:
vs. 1-6: Notice how the author repeats the theme of day and time. Each sentence seems to build on one another starting with "just another day" and escalating it from keeping up to being late to cramming things in. It appears to reflect somewhat of a Psalmatic rhythm. The theme is echoed with the phrase "just another day", and the main section is captioned by the phrase, emphasizing the author's point, "This is what my day is like every day." The three main verbs: walking, being, trying, express three different angles to her daily routine. Walking emphasizes the physical outpouring of her efforts, being is the emotional state of her efforts, and trying is the mental energy needed to supply both. The pericope finishes with the author feeling relieved that the day has finally come to an end.

vs. 7-11: An exclamation interrupts the tired author as a reminder that there is hope amongst the trivial portions of life. The familiar Pauline structure adds a flair of organization and logic to her poetic introduction. She realizes that she, in the midst of her busyness, finds rest. But this rest is not from her own strength in planning. No, someone, something caused a moment of rest to encroach upon her life, of which she is by no means unthankful for. Obviously, the cause was a physical situation. But to whom does she ascribe the ultimate cause? None other than the Lord of host, God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. She realizes, with a grateful heart, the source of her unplanned rest.

MODERN DAY TRANSLATION:
Man, sometimes my life is just NUTS! I'm always late to class! I love 5:30, cause by then, my "active" day of moving from one place to the next is OVER! (though my "work" is not over, a.k.a. studying). The nice thing, though, is that one of my classes was cancelled this week because my professor's grandfather passed away. Since my professor was doing the homily, he needed to be gone for 3 days. This gave me more time to work on a project that was supposed to be due this past Wednesday, but is now due on Monday. Hey...I can live with that!

APPLICATION:
God is sovereign over busy-bodies. No matter how much you try to plan your life, you can't plan everything. Sometimes the best moments are those that are unplanned. Any planned moment of rest cannot compare to those moments which are providentially prescribed and supplied by the Creator Himself. Next time you find yourself freaking out, take a step back, breathe, and let God pacify your spirit.