God did not promise days without pain, laughter
without sorrow, nor sun without rain, but He did
promise strength for the day, comfort for the
tears, and light for the way.
If we look upon events with some perspective,
though we cannot always see it at the time, we see
things always happen for our best interests. We
are always being guided in a way better than we
know ourselves.
Two years after the tragedies of 9/11/2001,
Robert Matthews of Norfolk, VA called a local
radio station to share a moving September 11
story that God is always in control.
To have God on our side doesn't mean
sailing on a boat with no storms, it
means having a boat that no storm
can sink! |
A few weeks before Sept. 11, my wife and I found
out we were going to have our first child. She
planned a trip out to California to visit her
sister. On our way to the airport, we prayed
that God would grant my wife a safe trip.
Shortly after I said 'amen,' we both heard a
loud pop and the car shook violently. We had
blown out a tire. I replaced the tire as quickly
as I could, but we still missed her flight. Both
of us were upset. We drove home.
I received a call from my father who was retired
NYFD. He asked what my wife's flight number was,
but I explained that we missed the flight.
My father informed me that her flight was the
one that crashed into the southern tower. I was
too shocked to speak. My father also had more
news for me; he was going to help. 'This is not
something I can't just sit by for; I have to do
something.'
I was concerned for his safety, of course, but
more, because he had never given his life to
Christ. After a brief debate, I knew his mind
was made up. Before he got off of the phone, he
said, 'take good care of my grandchild.' Those
were the last words I ever heard my father say;
he died while helping in the rescue effort.
My joy that my prayer of safety for my wife had
been answered quickly became anger. I was angry
at God, at my father, and at myself. I had gone
for nearly two years blaming God for taking my
father away. My son would never know his
grandfather, my father had never accepted
Christ, and I never got to say good-bye.
Then something happened. I was sitting at home
with my wife and my son, when there was a knock
on the door. I looked at my wife, but I could
tell she wasn't expecting anyone. I opened the
door to a couple with a small child.
The man looked at me and asked if my father's
name was Jake Matthews. I told him it was. He
quickly grabbed my hand and said, 'I never got
the chance to meet your father, but it is an
honor to meet his son.'
Every happening, great and small, is
a parable whereby God speaks to us,
and the art of life is
to get the message.—Malcolm
Muggeridge |
He explained to me that his wife had worked in
the World Trade Center and had been caught
inside after the attack. She was pregnant and
had been caught under debris. He then explained
that my father had been the one to find his wife
and free her. My eyes welled up with tears as I
thought of my father giving his life for people
like this. He then said, 'there is something
else you need to know.'
His wife then told me that as my father worked
to free her, she talked to him and led him to
Christ. I began sobbing at the news.
Now I know that when I get to Heaven, my father
will be standing beside Jesus to welcome me, and
that this family would be able to thank him
themselves.
When their baby boy was born, they named him
Jacob Matthew, in honor of the man who gave his
life so that a mother and baby could live.
God is always in control. We may not see the
reason behind things, and we may never know this
side of heaven, but God is ALWAYS in control.
There are certain weights in life we simply
cannot carry. Our Lord is asking us to set them
down and trust Him. What do you say, we take God
up on His offer? God doesn't call the qualified,
He qualifies the called.
By
Tim Pedrosa
I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die
to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't, and die to
find out there is.-Albert Camus |
Tim
|