When Life Goes Awry - Martin Wiles

Take your son, your only son . . . and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you. Genesis22:2 NLT

Life is fickle.

When I think I’ve figured it out, I experience or witness something that makes no apparent sense, such as with Ed. He was a local pastor and good friend on his way to a church member’s house. They were off for a day of visiting. When Ed pulled up in the driveway, he was overcome with a bout of dizziness. Then a violent seizure grabbed him.

Ed’s friend immediately called 911. Five more seizures followed, the last so severe it dropped his heart rate, causing doctors to place him on a ventilator. Over a week later, Ed still lingered on the ventilator because of a swollen tongue and throat.

My wife and I spent hours with his family in the waiting room. Despite not knowing the outcome, I never heard them question God’s purpose. Life had gone awry, but they didn’t go awry with it—even when Ed had to retire from preaching and draw disability.

Abraham was in a similar senseless situation. He and his wife had waited years for God to deliver on His promise of a son. As a young man, God told Abraham to journey to a nearby mountain and sacrifice that same son. Abraham didn’t question God but obeyed. Of course, God intervened just as He did in Ed’s case—although perhaps not in the way Ed might want.

I, too, have experienced quite a few “life goes awry” episodes. Like Abraham and Ed’s family, I’ve learned to be content regardless of the situation. Knowing the character of the God I serve makes this easier—although it doesn’t always take away my questions. Perhaps He’ll answer those in the future—or maybe it won’t matter once I reach heaven. For now, I trust He’s a loving God who always has my best interests at heart. He’ll never do anything to harm me or destroy my trust in Him.

We can learn many vital spiritual lessons when life goes awry. How can you better let God teach and develop you when life appears to take a wrong turn. 

Tweetable: Where do you turn when life goes awry? 

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