The Bible is filled with God’s promises. According to Dr. Everett Storm, God made 7,487 promises to man in the Bible. Dr. Storm counted them all when he was reading the Bible for the 27th time! And yes, many of those promises include God’s protection. Isaiah 43:2 says “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fires, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Psalm 121:7 tells us “The lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life”. So, why then, as a friend of mine recently questioned, do we see our children suffering from addiction and depression if God promises to keep us from harm? First off, let me say that I believe in God’s promises 100%. What I don’t necessarily believe is that our idea of protection and keeping us from harm equals God’s meaning. As humans, none of us wants to experience pain. Yet, God often uses our pain for good. Second, I haven’t counted but I bet there are more than 7,487 promises in the Bible that we will experience suffering. This suffering is not because God doesn’t love us. It is because we live in a fallen world where we have free will to fall into temptation and sin and where Satan is real.
Depression and addiction are also very real. I know, I suffer from both. On days when every thought is dreary and I just want to crawl under the covers – I pray. When giving up drinking was THE HARDEST thing I had ever done – I prayed. Now, when I feel stressed and anxious and think that a glass of wine would do wonders to calm my nerves – I pray. Whether it’s depression, addiction, illness or some other trial, God does not enjoy seeing us suffer. I don’t think His idea of protecting us from harm doesn’t mean we won’t suffer at all, but that He will see us through the pain and He has the ability to use it to strengthen us if we let Him. Yes, we need to let Him by surrendering to Him, believing in Him, trusting Him and living for Him. He is offering His protection, but we have to be willing to receive it. God’s protection doesn’t mean every day will be free from suffering, but it does mean if we can get through the sadness, pain, grief or anxiety we have to endure at that moment (whether it’s a brief fleeting moment, or a very long period) something better will come. And our strength to get through these times come from God – through prayer, being open to receiving the Holy Spirit, reading scripture and admitting that we can not get through this time without Him. Satan will always be there tempting us to believe the worst and undermine what we know is right. He is the complete opposite of God. Satan enjoys watching us suffer. Luckily, as God’s beloved, we have the ability to “put on the Armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10-18) thereby being able to stand up against Satan. (Oooh, this verse is so important I’m going to make it the one I reflect on this coming week!)
I hope what I’ve said will in some way help those currently “walking through the fires”. It won’t really help my friend who asked me the question, though. She is in pain knowing her child is suffering and she is rightly questioning why God would allow it. To you, my friend, I say God loves your child so very much and He is watching over that child. Right now your precious one is “walking through the fires” and as much as it hurts, it very well may be part of God’s plan. The best thing you can do is keep praying, continue to love unconditionally and lean on others who have experienced similar situations. God hears your payers. I know He heard all of my mother’s. There are many children who succumb to depression and addiction. I will pray that yours is not one of them.
Love, Melissa
Melissa Pillone Speaks 