I had the honor of attending the funeral of Toledo Police Officer Stalker this week. Just like at the funeral service for Officer Dia last year, Officer McClain’s funeral in Detroit the year before, and all the funeral services for fallen heroes over the years, the speakers were incredible.
Chief Kral was poised, strong and made a few things known. After Officer Dia’s sudden death, he prayed to God that he would never have to deliver another funeral address. He prayed to God another family wouldn’t have to deal with the overwhelming grief of losing their husband, father, son. But it happened again. Many would say God did not answer his prayers. God didn’t listen, doesn’t listen, maybe He isn’t real. But as Chief Kral eloquently said, God didn’t answer his prayers in the way he would have liked. Hearing this, I knew the Chief is enlightened by the power of God’s ultimate plan.
Do you feel that way sometimes? Like God isn’t listening? Have you had horrendous things happen to you even though you go to church, say some prayers, and are a good person? I suppose that has happened to all of us. Many, many times I prayed that God would protect my family from all sorts of evil things, including cancer. But on July 29, 2020, Evan was diagnosed with cancer. In those days and weeks that followed, which are pretty blurry now, I wondered if God had heard my prayers at all. Even though I have a pretty firm faith and believe undoubtedly that God exists, still, the overwhelming earthly, fleshly thoughts of doubt crept in. When faced with overwhelming grief and shock of this world, I think it is fairly common to question things.
A journey of faith in Jesus Christ is just that. We do not flip a switch one day and we become perfect in faith. Once we accept Jesus as our Savior, we don’t become angelic here in this world. We are still bombarded by evil from all sides. We are not perfect, but how wonderful to know we are accepted by a Father who is perfect and loves us unconditionally.
Very soon after Evan’s diagnosis, I was spending time reading Scripture and was led to John 9. Jesus was with His disciples and they came across a man blind from birth. The disciples asked Jesus if the man had sinned or if his parents had sinned causing the lifelong blindness. Jesus said, “because he is blind, you will see God work a miracle through him”. John 9:3. We took great comfort in this text. It became our motto, our go to scripture. While we endure Evan’s diagnosis and all the treatments, we know that there is a reason behind it all and that Evan, or we will be ultimately blessed by it.
Things beyond our control happen in this world. Lots of things. Many times we pray for one thing but God provides another. But rest assured, your prayers are being heard. When you pray to our Father, you must remember, He is the creator of the universe. He sees all, hears all, created all, knows all, and has a divine plan for each one of us. Knowing this, it is absolutely possible that even though tragedy occurs to us in this earthly, fallen world, God has a bigger, better plan for us. So, if our prayers seem to go unanswered, I feel so comforted in knowing that God is in control of my life and has a bigger plan than my small, limited mind can imagine.
Does this give the grieving parent comfort in the moment? Does this soothe the pain after receiving a cancer diagnosis? Maybe not, at least not in the moment. For some, I suppose that comfort never comes. But the only way to prepare your heart and mind for that day when bad news comes, is to have a relationship with God now. Rest assured, we all will receive horrible news in our lives. We will face a storm, every one of us. So, in preparation, know God today. Learn about Him, His gifts and His promises. God isn’t something you pull out of your pocket during tough times. Know Him and praise Him during the best times. This is not religion. Religion on this earth will most likely leave you empty. Wars have been waged over “religion”. I’m talking about a personal relationship with Jesus. It’s real and it’s possible.
Know God today, talk to Jesus now. Read the Scriptures today and know what is in the Bible. So when the storm comes, you will still feel His comfort and know in your heart that His plan is bigger than yours. We cannot imagine living the nightmare of childhood cancer without knowing God has a plan. There is comfort in Him every day. On good days and on bad ones.
Blessings abound, but sometimes it is hard to see them.
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