Often on FB I see people posting about Gods favor and his plan. People will say everything happens for a reason; will work out for good; not to worry about tomorrow.
One girl I went to school with has been posting lately in despair for prayer and help. Seems her marriage has issues from a mentally ill husband and they are losing their home. She posted that she felt God does have chosen people and she isn't one. She often goes on long pity pots about her life. The typical responses are God is working a plan for her, pray for miracles, etc. She refused to take action to move, sell their home and now she is being evicted in the morning and didn't start packing until today. She said she claimed her house and believed in a miracle...IMO, she is wanting someone to bail them out. Course many post God is working his perfect plan out.
This brings me to a more serious story. A wonderful dedicated believing couple I know is having it brutally hard. The husband had a severe stroke at 48, basically leaving him disabled and needing around the clock care. This was about 18 months ago, very little improvement. Course they lost his income, she was a stay at home mother that schooled her kids at home. They basically lost everything and now live in a small apt that the church pays for. Worse, a few months ago the mother was dx with cancer and now told less than a year to live. She is struggling to find care for her husband and teenage daughters. We have started a fundraising campaign for them. On her FB page it's much the same, God is working a plan, pray for healing, etc. She confided to my wife her faith is all but broken. How do you explain to her this is Gods plan or will?
I think my belief is God doesn't have some perfect plan. Bad things happen everyday to Christians, they suffer severe crimes, disasters, disease and often it never gets better and we die like all others. Christians die in 3rd world nations by the thousands from mere starvation. This seems to contradict that God will supply all our needs, protect us, heal us....and a plan for us. IMO, Gods plan is he gives us tools to deal with the harshness of lifes issues, seldom fixes them.
One girl I went to school with has been posting lately in despair for prayer and help. Seems her marriage has issues from a mentally ill husband and they are losing their home. She posted that she felt God does have chosen people and she isn't one. She often goes on long pity pots about her life. The typical responses are God is working a plan for her, pray for miracles, etc. She refused to take action to move, sell their home and now she is being evicted in the morning and didn't start packing until today. She said she claimed her house and believed in a miracle...IMO, she is wanting someone to bail them out. Course many post God is working his perfect plan out.
This brings me to a more serious story. A wonderful dedicated believing couple I know is having it brutally hard. The husband had a severe stroke at 48, basically leaving him disabled and needing around the clock care. This was about 18 months ago, very little improvement. Course they lost his income, she was a stay at home mother that schooled her kids at home. They basically lost everything and now live in a small apt that the church pays for. Worse, a few months ago the mother was dx with cancer and now told less than a year to live. She is struggling to find care for her husband and teenage daughters. We have started a fundraising campaign for them. On her FB page it's much the same, God is working a plan, pray for healing, etc. She confided to my wife her faith is all but broken. How do you explain to her this is Gods plan or will?
I think my belief is God doesn't have some perfect plan. Bad things happen everyday to Christians, they suffer severe crimes, disasters, disease and often it never gets better and we die like all others. Christians die in 3rd world nations by the thousands from mere starvation. This seems to contradict that God will supply all our needs, protect us, heal us....and a plan for us. IMO, Gods plan is he gives us tools to deal with the harshness of lifes issues, seldom fixes them.