WWJD By Dr. Richard Youngblood
Question: If you can’t always count on God to protect
and bless you, what advantage is there to believing in him?
I believe we CAN always count on our
Heavenly Father, but not in the way some may think. Is not a parent who refuses to give his/her
child everything the child wants actually protecting the child? Doesn’t a loving father discipline his
children to protect them from mistakes that can bring great suffering into
their lives? Do not wise parents bless
their children with opportunities to grow and learn in life by refusing to do
everything for them? The Bible says: “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as
they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in
his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). A former alcoholic told me that his parents
nearly killed him by rescuing and trying to protect him instead of allowing him
to face up to the evil of his addictive behavior. A loving God is always blessing and
protecting his children, even when they do not see or understand what he is
doing.
But more to the point of
your question is the idea that we should only serve God if we feel we have
something to gain by it. How do you feel
about a person who is your friend only as long as that friendship works to his
advantage? Our heavenly Father wants us
to trust him because he is God, even when we do not see some selfish advantage
for ourselves. Consider the following
biblical examples.
Three young Jewish men
chose to trust God even when they were threatened with death in a fiery
furnace. When Nebuchadnezzar, king of
the Babylonians, ordered them to bow before a great golden image, Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego responded: “O
Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace,
the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your
hand, O king. But EVEN IF HE DOES NOT,
we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the
image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18).
In the midst of his suffering, Job made a similar
statement. Although he did not
understand why God had allowed him to suffer so greatly, Job refused to turn
away from God. He said: “THOUGH HE SLAY
ME, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face” (Job 13:15).
Job knew the LORD is the only God and that God is always just in what he
does. Job was confident that he would
some day stand before God; therefore, he would not be a selfish, fair-weather
friend. He would trust and hope in God
no matter what came.
This kind of faith is
not some kind of blind faith that takes a leap in the dark. It is a faith based on the evidence that God
exists. It is a faith based on the
revelation of God in the Bible and in creation as a powerful, wise and good God
(Romans 1:18-21; Job 38-41). Job and the
three young men understood the limitation of their own knowledge. They knew that God alone can see all things
from the beginning to the end (Isaiah 46:9-10; cf. Ecclesiastes 3:11). They chose to serve God not because they
understood everything that happened to them in life or because they saw some
selfish advantage but just because he alone is God. This kind of faith does not develop
overnight. God our Heavenly Father will
work with those who are willing to learn and trust him until they too arrive at
this faith. It is a lifetime growing
process.
Finally, since the
coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died to save us, we have greater
reason than ever to trust God as our only God.
As the apostle Paul wrote: “He
who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all
things?” (Romans 8:32; read also Romans
8:31-39). [Send questions or comments to University
Church of Christ, 801 N. 12th,