A
horrible murder was committed last year in the city of Berlin, where
I live. A young, Christian girl was on a walk and spending time with
her Lord when she was accosted by a stranger who attempted to rape
her and then murdered her. Of course news of this sort is hard to
deal with. Young Christian girls wonder if the same could happen to
them. We may believe that simply being a Christian will protect us
from evil acts. Our world view is rattled and we all feel a sense of
discomfort when bad things happen to Christians. When things like a
young person dying of cancer or a husband cheating on his wife and
leaving her for another woman happens, many of us start to walk in
fear wondering how we can prevent something bad happening to us.
We
live in a fallen world and evil is part of the reality that results
from man having free will. I believe that even though evil is alive
and well on planet earth, God is still fully in control of all events
happening on earth. God is not wringing His hands wondering what to
do about evil. Nor is He choosing people to receive evil. God is in
control and on one can go over His head or do anything that He isn't
aware of and ultimately in charge of.
Isaiah
14:24; 26-27 has this to say about the sovereignty of God, “The
Lord Almighty has sworn, 'Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will stand. This is the plan determined
for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations.
For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand
is stretched out and who can turn it back?”
Granted,
these verses are talking about a specific prophetic word that God
would destroy the Assyrians but they also express who God is and that
no man can thwart or upset His plans. In the same way that He planned
certain events to happen on earth He also has plans for His sons and
daughters. Once we enter into a covenant relationship with Him,
nothing that the enemy throws at us can thwart His plans and purposes
for our lives. That doesn't mean that we are safe from evil. It does
mean that if evil comes, He is aware and He has permitted it to come
to us.
The
stoning of Stephen in the book of Acts is a good example. Jesus could
have prevented the stoning but He did not. It didn't happen because
Stephen didn't have enough faith or was backslidden. The bible says
that Stephen was a man full of God's grace and power – Acts 6:8. He
was so full of the Holy Spirit that, “None of them could stand
against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke,” Acts
6:10.
The
Jewish leaders were so enraged at Stephen that they physically drug
his body out of the Temple; dragged him out of the city and stoned
him. Many of us are so well aware of this story (and its good ending)
that we don't take time to think what it must have felt like to be
stoned to death. Stoning is still legal in many countries and is
meant to be a slow and torturous death. I imagine hateful words being
flung at Stephen and evil eyes glaring as the rocks were thrown. Was
God sleeping? Did evil have more power than God? Of course not.
Just
before they drug him out of the Temple and stoned him, the Lord
opened up heaven for Stephen. He was shown the glory of God and he
was allowed to see Jesus standing in the place of honor at God's
right hand. (Acts 7:55-56). I have heard it said that the Lord Jesus
stood up from his throne to applaud Stephen! What a beautiful idea.
I
believe that when the first stone was flung at Stephen, Jesus was
with him, holding him and shielding him. Before Stephen died he
prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” I believe that Stephen
was looking right into the eyes of Jesus and that Jesus indeed
received his spirit and brought him into his reward.
It
is so glorious that we are given this story in the New Testament. I
believe that we cannot doubt that this is the way that the Lord is
with any saint who is persecuted or has an evil act done to them. The
Lord is “near to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits
are crushed.” Psalm 34:18.
I
firmly believe that He was with the young girl who was murdered in
Berlin, in the same way that He was with Stephen. I learned that in
the court hearing, it was brought out that she had written in her
diary about “Open Heavens.” The court wanted to know what that
meant. Of course we will not know until we find out in eternity but I
firmly believe the Lord was preparing her to face evil and that He
fought through her (amazing the rape was unsuccessful) and that He
shielded her from pain and carried her to her home in heaven. A good friend of mine happened to randomly meet
this girl the day before her murder. They bumped into each other on
the street and my friend suddenly had a prophetic word, which she told to the young girl. She said, "You will see dead people resurrected." The very next
day, she was in heaven, indeed seeing resurrected people!
We
cannot presume to understand all that God permits. We should not
dictate what God should allow but simply trust in His complete
control and love. Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that in ALL
THINGS (even evil) God WORKS FOR THE GOOD of those who love Him, who
have been called according to His purpose.” There is no guarantee
given in the New Testament for protection from evil but there is a
guarantee that He will love us; be with us and carry us through this
life to heaven. Romans 8:35 goes on to say, “Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? Shall TROUBLE (we will have many troubles in
this life); or HARDSHIP or PERSECUTION (saints down through the ages
have been burned at the stake; raped; robbed and tortured) or FAMINE
or NAKEDNESS or DANGER or SWORD? As it is written; 'For your sake we
face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be
slaughtered.' No, in ALL THESE THINGS (what things? The Evil that
happens to us because we live in a fallen world) we are MORE THAN
CONQUERERS through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither
death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor
the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything
else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the LOVE OF
GOD that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39.
The
great good that came out of Stephen's stoning was Paul's conversion!
The book of Acts says that after they killed Stephen, they laid their
clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. It also records that
Saul was there at the scene, giving approval to his death, Acts
7:58b; 8:1. I believe that it was Stephen's death that planted the
seed for Saul's conversion. I can't prove it but I believe that every
time innocent blood falls to the ground, life springs up.
After
his conversion, Saul's name was changed to Paul and one day he wrote
a letter to his young friend Timothy and said, “Jesus came into the
world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst,” 1 Timothy 1:15.
He goes on to say in vs.16, so brilliantly, “But for that very
reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ
Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those
who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” Hallelujah!
What a God we serve! God used the evil of Stephen's stoning to show
the rest of humanity that He is a God who forgives even the vilest of
sins, such as murder.
The
book of Job is such a perfect story of God's control and sovereignty.
Job says to God at the end of all his suffering and loss, “I know
that You can do anything, and no one can stop you. Surely I spoke of
things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. My
ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I
despise myself and repent in dust and ashes,” Job 42:1;3b; 5-6.
The
Lord's tangible, protecting love comes when we need it. We don't
always need a felt sense of His love and presence because we “LIVE
BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT,” 2 Corinthians 5:7. However, when we
need a felt sense of His power, love or protection against physical
pain – He is there.
I
love to read autobiographies of saints because they tell those
stories. I think of Corrie Ten Boom suffering in a concentration camp
and her famous quote, “There is no pit that is so deep that God's
love is not deeper still.” And Amy Carmichael, missionary to India,
was bed-ridden for the last 30 years of her life. If she had not been
bed-ridden she may not have written the stories and poems that have
given strength to thousands.
And
this quote by John Bunyan who suffered years in prison for his faith,
“Therefore,
I bind these lies and slanderous accusations to my person as an
ornament; it belongs to my Christian profession to be vilified,
slandered, reproached and reviled, and since all this is nothing but
that, as God and my conscience testify, I rejoice in being reproached
for Christ's sake."
“Therefore,
since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same
attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.”
I Peter 4:1
In
his book “One
Hundred Prison Meditations,” Richard
Wurmbrand, who spent 14 years in prison as a Romanian pastor, wrote,
“I
have accepted this proposal. Christians are meant to have the same
vocation as their King, that of cross-bearers. It is this conscience
of a high calling and of partnership with Jesus which brings gladness
in tribulations, which makes Christians enter prisons for their faith
with the joy of a bridegroom entering the bridal room.”
Let
us not be afraid. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for
your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Oh how
tenderly, I can hear Jesus saying, “Little flock.” He is
directing our eyes heavenward. Look up! We should set our sights on
“things above, not on earthly things,” Colossians 3:2. Jesus is
preparing a wonderful place for us to live eternally. He will wipe
away every tear from our eyes and there will be ever lasting joy!
Sorrow and sighing will flee away!
Our
God is not out of control. He is in charge. Each one of our days has
been written in His book and He knows the perfect time to take us to
His eternal home. “All the days ordained for me were written in
your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your
thoughts O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand,” Psalm 139:16-17.
