What is this that God has done to us?
The way I normally feel entitled, you’d think I own faith & grace. Probably I am alone in this or there are others with me in the same WhatsApp group.
I have even extended this at times when sharing the good news to others; the belief that only believers are entitled to good things. That poverty, shame, sorrow, infertility, accident etc al; name them should be apportioned only to the unbelievers, atheists, compromises and known sinners.
Well, when I didn’t succeed enough because I hadn’t worked hard enough; I loaded it unto God; why me God? What is this that God has done to me? Probably, it’s God who did me that way. Well, my entitlement robbed me of gratitude of the other good and great things Christ has done for me! Instead of ‘thank you’ I rushed to ‘what is this that God has done to me?’. Praise the Lord, oh my soul! And all that is within me praise his holy name and forget not all his benefits!
After my fourth four beeming with hope; I thought he (God) had it all figured out. Of course, I had my own desire while God had his own plan. Then boom! The KCSE results were released. And boy; It was terrible & hurtful. The days when cut-off point & the Joint Admission Board (JAB) ruled the streets and wielded power. For two straight days, it was a nightmare. I felt entitled; how could God do me this way Bwana? Kwani which faith had I been telling the other students to have that didn’t even work for me. After all, the Jesus standard is a mustard seed, you mean I couldn’t afford such a tiny piece of faith? My friend Machogu Joseph is a witness of the nightmare we went through. God must have ‘washed me live live!’ I see myself a fool today that my desire caused me to under estimate the divine plan for my cause.
I read in the Bible, about the sons of Jacob who sold their brother Joseph one touch. Now, it came to pass that a famine struck the land after some years after. When famine ravaged the land, they had to buy grains from Egypt. It was during that time, especially after encountering Joseph; who they saw as “rough” against them, that (we read in Genesis 42) one among them found the same amount of money he had used to purchase grains restored to the mouth of his sack. And oh boy, instead of celebrating like some of us do when we aren’t charged for a serviced: they all realised the “terrible” mistake or trouble that had visited them.
We read in Genesis 42:28 that their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, what is this that God has done to us?
Can God really “do his people bad” or “dirty” (the street slang)?
Does God con or betray? Why does a good God allow bad things on his people? Should bad things happen only to bad people.
In Luke 13; Jesus is told about a group of Galileans who had gone to the temple to offer a sacrifice but ended up being slaughtered by Pontius Pilate. Instead; Jesus reminds the people who told him of the Galilean tragedy about another recent tragedy where the tower of Siloam fell and consumed eighteen people. They may have told Jesus about the tragedy hoping that since he was God he would take sides or act in vengeance. He may have been told about the unfortunate happening in the temple either to blame God for his inaction in the hour of need of persons whose mistake was offering sacrifices in the temple in worship.
Here are two current events—the massacre on the temple mount and the collapse of the tower of Siloam, yet same lessons are drawn from each. Whatever the motivation of those who informed Jesus of the unfortunate happening, his response was sobering; “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no!” (Luke 13:2-3).
Here is the thing;
Everything in God’s own plan works for our good as his children. Romans 8:28 affirms this. He says in Jeremiah 29:11; ‘For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’
How then can the one who has good plans for us do us dirty?
Furthermore; even when we are going through the terrible, he promises in Isaiah 43:3; “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” He doesn’t let you bare the burden and the brunt solo.
He affirms his promise to us; “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).