AlsoBroken Posted June 17, 2023 Group: Junior Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 10 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 93 Content Per Day: 0.16 Reputation: 66 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/30/2022 Status: Offline Author Share Posted June 17, 2023 On 6/6/2023 at 12:28 AM, AlsoBroken said: Interesting replies. Why do most of you have such a compunction to preach or lecture though? Let’s say you’re the pastor of a church. One Sunday you get up and read Psalm 91, and the during your sermon you tell the amazing, glowing account of how your whole family narrowly missed a deadly car collision during your vacation. Praise God! Then as parishioners file out the door after the worship service, one man stops and says, “Pastor, my 8 yr. old son was killed in an auto accident 6 months ago. Why did God protect your children but not mine?” I’d like to hear ONLY your answer to this one simple question. In that pastor’s shoes, what is YOUR answer to this father? Any other answers to this question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
com7fy8 Posted June 17, 2023 Group: Senior Member Followers: 2 Topic Count: 41 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 873 Content Per Day: 0.45 Reputation: 520 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/05/2019 Status: Offline Share Posted June 17, 2023 6 hours ago, AlsoBroken said: Any other answers to this question? "I don't know. I am so sorry that happened to you. Thank you for telling me about this. I can see I might have hurt you by telling what happened with my family; I offer my apology, if I have caused you more pain and trouble. But yes of course I'm glad God had mercy on us." And I would go with whatever he had to say, by this point. "I understand," he might say. "I would be glad, too, if God spared my children." "Well, I appreciate your consideration and understanding; to me, this shows you could be a pretty honorable person. So, I can see you would be very concerned if this could happen to you while you have been honorable with God. And that could be part of your question about why this happened to you and not to me. Like I say, I don't know. So, it has been six months, you say? Has there been any way you have been helped, about this, including by people?" Well, if he had been attending my church, I would be very concerned that his situation did not come to my attention for six months!! And if he just showed up, this might mean he had not gotten help with other Christian people. So, I might take him as he is and see if we could help him . . . and his wife and anyone else. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
com7fy8 Posted June 17, 2023 Group: Senior Member Followers: 2 Topic Count: 41 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 873 Content Per Day: 0.45 Reputation: 520 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/05/2019 Status: Offline Share Posted June 17, 2023 There is a pastor who had a daughter die in a crash. This is how I understand what happened > He was called to the scene to identify his girl. At the scene, he sensed God's presence - - and an unspoken communication from God, that God was in control. A student had driven too fast and got her killed hitting a tree, and that bad driver lived, to go back to school and face the other students. One time, different students were hating on the guy whose bad driving got her killed; then the girl's brother went over and gave the guy a hug; that stopped the bad talking. And the pastor knew his daughter would want him to forgive the guy who killed her by driving so thoughtlessly. He then understood, that God was showing him that hard things can happen to people who are sure they are living for God. And that pastor had been presuming he was living right and therefore bad things would not happen to him; he took that tragedy to be intended to wake him up and now he should use what happened to him, to help people to not get into supposing they are immune to troubles because they are so sure they are trusting God. To me, he seemed to be making too much of a thing about how any of us might get hit by a major tragedy. Because I believe God does have perfect control of everything; He has His overall focus of conforming us to Jesus (Romans 8:29) and having us minister this to each other, and I don't think endless tragedies and suffering about them would fit with this purpose. And we do not see everyone constantly getting into major tragedies > none are by accident. Plus, a number of times people greatly help themselves into things, plus ones have been living for themselves so they are weak enough to suffer much more than they would if they were growing in Jesus and His strength > Ephesians 6:10. But it seems a lot of people avoid dealing with how we can prevent a lot of disasters and prevent any suffering which is helped by our spiritual weakness. People can suffer much more than necessary, because they have not gotten ready with Jesus for whatever He knows will really happen. So, only sympathizing with people does not help them to become deeply strong and creative for handling trouble the best way possible. Jesus does warn us of various horrible things guaranteed to happen, and He says to be ready and not let our hearts be troubled . . . right? I dare consider, then, that that pastor was in ministerial immaturity which had him unready, and he jumped right into overly correcting himself so he was giving too much ministerial attention to how to deal with major tragedies, and being overly attentive to the possibility of bad things happening to us. But yes we are Biblical to turn tragedies to our use, for helping others, using our experience to feel for others and to minister on to them however God has blessed us to go through things > this is what Jesus has been doing > Hebrews 4:15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBlade Posted June 21, 2023 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 69 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 2,238 Content Per Day: 1.35 Reputation: 1,143 Days Won: 0 Joined: 11/06/2019 Status: Offline Birthday: 03/25/1961 Share Posted June 21, 2023 On 6/6/2023 at 1:28 AM, AlsoBroken said: Interesting replies. Why do most of you have such a compunction to preach or lecture though? Let’s say you’re the pastor of a church. One Sunday you get up and read Psalm 91, and the during your sermon you tell the amazing, glowing account of how your whole family narrowly missed a deadly car collision during your vacation. Praise God! Then as parishioners file out the door after the worship service, one man stops and says, “Pastor, my 8 yr. old son was killed in an auto accident 6 months ago. Why did God protect your children but not mine?” I’d like to hear ONLY your answer to this one simple question. In that pastor’s shoes, what is YOUR answer to this father? I think this might be about me.. sorry went on so long. I try not to answer speculation. Now personal my Grandma had to take care of her grand son that hmm was very special yet you could take a watch apart and not knowing how he could put it back together. The school was out doing something I forget and there was this drop off about 300 feet. Someone's lunch dropped so Billy Joe went to get it feel and took them something like 3 hours to get him but it was to late. I could get more personal when my baby was 4. I hold to what God said and when something like this did hit us my words were "I will never blame you". Be like healing.. what you never say is death really is the greatest healing. Not here but with Him You just hold on no matter what you see hear of feel if God said it He will do it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backontrack Posted June 25, 2023 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 139 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 1,213 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 185 Days Won: 0 Joined: 03/10/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted June 25, 2023 I have a hard time believing God protects everyone seeing all the martyrs around the world who die every day for Christ. Just this week a school for Christian kids were hacked to death with machetes, why did God not protect them? Then we refer to the 12 disciples in which 11 were killed, plus Jon was beheaded if God did not protect them what makes us think he would protect all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sower Posted June 25, 2023 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 14 Topic Count: 32 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 5,275 Content Per Day: 0.97 Reputation: 5,899 Days Won: 1 Joined: 07/09/2009 Status: Offline Share Posted June 25, 2023 My understanding/belief concerning Abba, my heavenly Father. God is Light! Not even a shadow in His turning. God does not/can not lie. God's ways are NOT man's ways. All God's promises are true. Believe it! Or then just don't believe any scripture. Again, I have to remember, God's ways are not man's ways. If we pray according to HIS will he hears us. Promise. If we know he hears us, we have the petitions we ask of him. Promise. But, his keeping the promise will be his way, his method, His timing, not ours. He is the Father, we are the children. Often too simpleminded. (Myself 4 sure) God's ways are best, his looking/knowing all the future in ours and family's lives. His best blessings are not always agreeable to us and may hurt dearly, at first, yet God knows the end from the beginning. We do not. I am no pastor/shepherd, yet have heard/been asked the same/similar questions before, like asked here by the OP. Why me? Why my child, brother parent or friend? ***I do not know is my response. And express that God does know. Believe that. And try to empathize, console, and listen, lending a shoulder. *** Concerning the full armor of God, above all is the shield of faith. To quench the fiery darts, DOUBT being the biggie.. When asking, A clear conscience (no doubts) must always go with its convictions. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" Having past my three score and ten in years, I have expressed already to God that I accept the how and when of my death. I suspect I will probably whine and complain when it does come, and just letting God know (up front) I believe it will be his best time/method he chose for me. Ask Joni Eareckson Tada if she still wonders , why? A young Christian believer, then a paralyzed quadriplegic from youth, cancer and constant chronic pain, knowing and understanding later how God has blessed her with his best. She was chosen by God for HIS plan and purpose. She rose to His call. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding" Give it (hurt pain desire doubt trouble etc) to God, and He will point out our path. In His own time. I am the richest man I know. Blessed beyond measure. God's best blessings. God's ways are not man's. My best blessing hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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