Carest Thou Not?/Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Mark 4:35-38
Trials aren’t a sign of God’s apathy; they are a sign of His presence.
It was a cool September morning. The birds were singing, people were hurrying off to work, and another Tuesday was beginning. Life was running like clockwork. But no one imagined what would happen that day.
It began with a strayed plane that accidentally hit a building in New York City. It was too big to be a private aircraft, yet what was a commercial airliner doing around downtown New York? Police and firefighters rushed into the building. Coughing, battered people ran out of the building. Yet as sudden as the first plane crashed, another one crashed into the other tower. This obviously was not an accident. A full-scale attack had begun. What else would happen? Where else would the planes crash? What was happening?
In all, four planes crashed that day—two into the Twin Towers of New York City, one into the Pentagon, and one into a field in Pennsylvania. After the tragedy was over and the clean-up began, people tried piecing together their lives once again. Why had this happened? Are we safe? What would happen next? But perhaps some of the most heart-wrenching questions were: Is there a God? If so, why did He allow this to happen? Does He not care about us?
Many people after the horrendous attacks of September 11, 2001, asked these questions. They questioned God’s compassion and omnipotence. Perhaps you heard these questions like I did. Perhaps you had unsaved loved ones question the compassion of the God you had been telling them about.
Sadly, many people see tragedies such as September 11th as proof that God is not present or does not care. Notice another instance of this in our verses today. The disciples had just listened to Christ teach and were now on their way across the Sea of Galilee. Suddenly, a storm came upon them. This wasn’t an ordinary storm. This was a storm that threatened to rip their ship in half and claim all their lives. They turned to Christ, but He was sleeping, seemingly unconcerned about their plight. It was then that they asked, "Carest thou not that we perish?"
It is in our human nature to question why things happen to us. We want to know why we face difficulty, hoping that an explanation might lessen our pain or lighten our load. We want to know why us-why did God allow this to happen to us of all people? We want to know if God even cares.
It is during the darkest of times that God works in the greatest of ways. Ironically enough, our trials are what bring us to the very heart of God. It is through our weakness that God draws us to Him. Trials aren’t a sign of God’s apathy; they are a sign of His presence.
Are you facing a trial in your life right now? Is there something that has you questioning God? Perhaps you’ve wondered about God’s omnipotence, His care, or even His existence. Questioning is a very human characteristic we all possess. Yet don’t allow those questions to turn you away from God, but to draw you close to the heart of God. Allow God to work in your trial, and trust that through it all, whatever comes, He is working.
