Joy Comes In The Morning...

"Wow" is about the only word I can use to acurately describe this week. That holds negative and postitive connontations. The negative tone to this stems from a week of seemingly hell as lives have been ripped completely apart, total devastation, and much loss of life. As the tornadoes have ripped through tearing up everything in their paths, I stand completely at a loss for words as I hear countless stories of saddness as people are at a loss at how to go from here. On the other hand, through all of this, I have also heard the testimonies of how the Lord protected some through most assuredly impossible circumstances. Yes, He is still true to His word that He can do the impossible!

This morning I woke up with hopes to read a Facebook page - Help FindWill Norton - with complete faith it would say not only that he was found, but miraculously found alive. As soon as I got on, there had been a post from his aunt around 1 am that they were grieving the loss as he had been found dead. Honestly, I sat with tears, and still do as I type this. To have heard the stories from his family and friends of the life he lived people he touched, and the fruit his life bore. His aunt said that as he was being tossed in the car and his father was literally holding onto him for "dear life", he was shouting out scriptures. The joy is knowing he is with the Lord, never again to feel the fear and pain he most certainly would have felt in that tornado. The family in their pain and suffering are urging others to come together to continue the search for those still missing, and helping those who have lost everything.

I saw the news release about his death and read a comment that had been posted underneath. It read "my prayers go out to his family, this is just so sad.......makes you wonder is there a God? And why?" Now, that seems like a completely contradictory statement - to be praying for someone and in the same breath question the exsistence of God? Yet, in times of grief and saddness, total loss and devastation, people do question if He is real, and why He let's these things happen.  I'm here to tell you - HE IS REAL!  As for 'why' He allows these things to happen, on a specific case to case, I honestly can't tell you - meaning, why Joplin, why specific people were killed, and others not, why animals were spared and people were not. We can sit here and say it is because of the fall of man, people's evil intent, etc. I'm not here to point that out. What I am trying to accomplish this morning is, through our Faith, those things don't matter. What does matter is number one, we learn from this - nothing is ever wasted as long as we can take wisdom from it and increase our Faith. Yes, the Lord is sovereign, but I also believe He is looking to see, just as in Job, if we will continue to praise Him and love Him. He is looking to see our Faith. It is something we can't allow to be taken from us. Our Faith says, it doesn't matter why - trust me; when I watch the videos and hear the people's stories - another of a woman who her husband covered her in their bathtub to protect her and intern lost his life, only having been at the beginning of their life together, married only 6 years, I want to know why him, why did the Lord allow him to be taken when they had their entire life together ahead??  - I have to step back and say, I don't know why. Will the Lord answer that for me and for his grieving wife, I'm not sure. I honestly don't think it makes a difference if you know the why- you are still in pain and the why doesn't bring them back. One thing that can be taken from this sad story - her husband loved her like Christ loved the church, laying his life down for her. That in itself speaks so greatly.

You may be sitting there saying how can I say that it doesn't matter when I am not personally going through what they are. Well, I sat for the longest time at the loss of our first and third children wondering "why this baby", "why me". I questioned the death of my mother, especially because I was believing wholeheartedly for her healing, for the Lord to be made glorious that she would come out of her coma, have complete restoration in her body, and be made whole. I have questioned the deaths of others at a time when I thought it was too early for them to go. Questioning it is what we do, but it doesn't change that it has happened. Our Faith is what carries us through. These times cause us to do one of two things - grow closer to the Lord, or back away from Him.  Today, what are you going through? - but most importantly, are you drawing closer to the Lord that He will draw close to you?  Is your Faith saying "no matter what, I praise you anyway"?

I am attaching a link, please listen - Today, I'm Trading My Sorrows - for My Joy Comes In The Morning!!
http://youtu.be/n9IyunZraZc