Why Does God Allow Flat Tires?

We’ve all been there.  The scenario is familiar.  We’ve got an incredibly busy day planned.  It’s a brutal schedule but if everything goes just right, it will be a real day of accomplishment.  You’re looking forward to that great feeling of satisfaction at getting so much done – and then – a flat tire!  Oh man! You look at that thing and feel like it looks… deflated. 

You pray, perhaps with a little exasperation, God! Didn’t you know that this was going to be a really productive day?  Didn’t you want me to be successful?  Are you really going to be that mean – to let this stupid flat interrupt my entire plan? 

In reality the disruption may not be a flat.  It could be bad weather, traffic jams, illness, mechanical failures, family emergencies, or a thousand other things that keep us from functioning through the appointments and chores of the day.  Also in reality, we too often get very angry at the Lord for these kinds of interruptions.  Many of us can “lose our religion” in the middle of traffic, or having a long wait in a doctor’s office. 

But the next time something like this happens to you – AND IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN – stop and think about God’s love and His plan for your life.  It might even be a good time to pray and thank the Lord for being in control of the circumstances that seem to move our lives in unseen ways along unseen paths. 

We shouldn’t allow our plans to interfere with God’s direction for our lives.  He knows what He’s doing.  Proverbs 16:9 says, “The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.”  So, when our precious plans are interrupted, we can stop and thank God for the three gracious words in the middle of this verse, “But the Lord.”  At that moment in time, God has a better idea of what you should be doing.  And, after all, He is God. 

Today is September 11^th – you may have read of the scores of examples where God interfered with people’s plans and ultimately saved their lives.  The woman who forgot her lunch and went back for it, the man who stopped at a drug store because his new shoes gave him a blister, the flat tire, the broken down car – all were late to work and missed the tragedy.  There’s a great chance that many of these folks were upset that their plans were messed up by seemingly trivial events.  “But the Lord” had other plans for them.   

These miracles of interruption in no way diminish the pain of the families and friends of those who did not survive the terror of that day.  If anything they drive home the need for each of us to be ready to submit to God’s direction – no matter where it takes us.  We know of some believers in Christ who had divine appointments in the stairwells and offices… appointments which God had scheduled to over-ride whatever plans they might have made for that day.

 

When I was new in my faith in Jesus, I was riding to a ministry appointment with a pastor friend and we had to pull off the road because of a flat tire.  I clearly remember starting to get upset that we were going to be late.  But, I observed that my friend was calm, cool, and relaxed as he started to cheerfully change that tire.  I asked him why he wasn’t mad about the delay.  His answer set my mind on a completely new train of thought.  He said, “God is in control of my life and, as far as I know, by delaying us here with this tire He has saved our lives by keeping us from some terrible accident that could have happened up ahead.”  Then my friend quoted a verse I’ve since memorized and often consider when “irritating stuff” happens to my plans… And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28  

From that day on – even on September 11^th, I realize that my job is to love God, study His purposes in my life, and listen for His call.  His job is to cause everything to work together for good.  

So the next time you’re interrupted in your plan for the day, don’t get angry and sit fuming at the circumstance.  Think of God’s love, God’s mercy, and God’s grace.  Rejoice that He’s in control, knows what He’s doing, and works everything out for good.   

Obviously on this day of remembrance, not everything that happens is good.  Families can have sad, sad circumstances of loss and pain – in and of itself not good.  But from the sorrow lives are focused, changed, and in some cases enhanced with purpose – all of which can work out for the ultimate good.  And can, in the hearts of Christians, give glory to a loving, merciful, sovereign, and mighty God. 

“I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.”                       Job 42:2  

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and 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. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.                                2 Corinthians 1:3–5  

Think about it….

 

 

Sometimes A Whisper Is Enough

The Whisper 

Once upon a time there was a young Indian boy who dreamed, as most boys do, of being a man. When he became a man of the tribe he knew he would have respect and honor and be offered opportunities to do great feats for the benefit of his tribe.  

The only thing standing in his way of becoming a man was the “test of manhood.”  During this much-anticipated and feared test the young boy would be blindfolded, have his hands bound and then be taken into the deep forest. There the youngster would be left sitting on a stump with his eyes still covered and hands still tied. To pass the test, he must sit through the night braving the unknown, the unseen and perhaps dangerous beasts of the forest. If he survived the night he could return to the tribal elders; they would then declare him a true man and true brave.  

Well, the time came for the young boy to be tested. His father bound his eyes and hands and took him to his destiny. They went around and around, through bushes, around trees, across streams. The boy didn’t know where he was or even how far they’d come. Just before the father left him he leaned over and whispered into the boy’s ear, “Son, be strong, be brave, and don’t give in to your fear.”  Then, he was alone. The night sounds were terrifying. All night his imagination ran wild. What terrible thing was creeping upon him?  How could he survive the worst?  Yet he sat in his fear like a stone. He had never felt so alone, so abandoned. He heard the panther and bear nearby. He could feel the eyes of the hungry wolves surrounding him. A number of times he thought he must cry out. Becoming a man wasn’t that important!  He could go back to being a boy. All he had to do was tear the blindfold from his eyes and wiggle loose from his bindings. He could do it. Then he’d be safe from all the surrounding dangers. But, he thought of his family and their shame if he showed his cowardice. So, he stayed all the way through the night.  

When he felt the sun on his face in the morning he knew, although he had been left and could have been so easily killed by all the animals of the night, he’d made it. He had passed the test. He felt lucky, fortunate to have survived, and a little proud of his own courage. It was time. He took his blindfold off and looked around. There, just a few feet away, was his father standing with bow ready and arrows at hand. His father looked at him and said, “I’m proud of you son, you are a brave man.”  The boy became angry and cried out, “Didn’t you think I could make it on my own?  Didn’t you believe in me?”  The father smiled and exclaimed, “You I trusted, but I love you and I was not going to leave you defenseless before all these dangers. You were brave. But I was here all night keeping guard.” 

This story illustrates that even when it seems we’ve been left all alone out in the darkness of the trials of life, our loving Father is standing nearby on guard for our safety. Even though He loves us, He wants us to go through the dark experience of seemingly being all alone and seemingly being unable to move. He allows our imaginations to run into paralyzing, disheartening fear. Sometimes the encouraging word He gives us is only at the beginning of our trial. He whispers in our ears, “Be strong, be courageous, and do not despair!”    [“The Whisper” is taken as an excerpt from the book, Unemployed: Life in the Wilderness by Len M. Allen]

1 Chronicles 28:20   

Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.   

Joshua 1:7

“Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.”  

Philippians 4:11–13

… I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 

 

Think about it….

 

 

 

 

Life Is A Test... BUT...

My wife and I enjoy playing the board game Scrabble.  It’s a challenge for me because I’m such a lousy speller, but we have some friends who enjoy playing with an “open” official Scrabble dictionary.  If you want to play a word but you’re not sure of the spelling you can look it up before you place the tiles on the board.  I’ve been thinking that life is just like playing Scrabble.  You are faced with a set of circumstances (the layout of the board), you only have a few resources to face those circumstances (the letter tiles), and you have to make some decisions about what to do (to play a word).  You want to do the best you can but if you do something wrong like placing the tiles in the wrong place or misspelling a word you can really be set back.  Sounds like my life.  I face my circumstances:  have to choose from my available resources and make decisions I hope will count for something. 

Life is like that.  Life is a test… BUT… God has given His permission for it to be an “open-book” test.  Before we make a decision, before we make a move, before we potentially make a big mistake, God says we can open the book and follow His instructions to make the right decision.   

In school, I loved open-book tests.  You could read a question then go look for the correct answer.  Well, I’ve been thinking that God has given us this fantastic book called the Bible…AND life’s an open-book test. I can go find the right answer… it’s great! 

I love Psalms 119:97-104.  These are some of my favorite verses about the function of God’s Word in my life: 

Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.

Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me.

I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.

I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.

I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.

I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me.

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.  

Now, I’m not the smartest guy in the fight for righteous living.  I may not know all the scripture I need to stand against my opponent and make the godly choice… BUT… I do have an open-book. 

And just like when Jesus was tempted in His wilderness, I can say, “…It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ” - Matthew 4:4  

I want to be able to go find the “word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” but to do that I need to have the book open and be studying it.  An open-book test won’t do you much good unless you have the book open! 

I was recently reading about life on the internet – now, THAT is scary! I came across a very interesting anonymous quote that likened life to the Emergency Broadcast System message we hear on radio stations every so often… “BEEEEEP… this is only a test.”  The quote went like this, “This life is a test. It is only a test. Had this been an actual life, you would have received further instructions as to what to do and where to go.”  Obviously the person giving this quote was frustrated with his or her decision making options.  Many people have the feeling this life is a test but they think they’re left on their own without any directions.  It struck me as I read the quote – I have good news.  This life IS a test and it IS our actual life.  BUT we HAVE received instructions on what to do and where to go.  God’s word is the instruction book.  AND, life is an open-book test.  Is that great news?

 

Think about it….