George Washington at Valley Forge
During the brutal winter of 1777–1778, George Washington and the Continental Army were encamped at Valley Forge. His troops were freezing, starving, and discouraged. The American fight for freedom itself seemed close to failure. Washington faced a tough choice: continue the struggle despite the hardship, or quit and give up the fight.
Washington privately prayed, asking God for wisdom, strength, and guidance in the decision before him. He chose to stay and fight—trusting that God would sustain their efforts. The army endured the winter, came out stronger, and eventually won the victory in the American Revolutionary War.
No Robots, Please
God doesn’t want robots who are forced to obey Him – He wants a family, individuals who love Him freely. God doesn’t make us do the right thing or the wrong thing, He gives us the free will to choose
Washington freely chose a course of action, asked for God’s help, and acted in faith. His decision—made with God’s help—shaped history and shows how our choices and God’s guidance can work together.
But along with the freedom to make good choices comes the freedom to make terrible choices. It’s not really freedom if you don’t have the freedom to make the wrong choice.
And sometimes when people make terrible choices, other people get hurt and valuable things get destroyed. God allows people to do bad things, and that means sometimes those bad things happen to good people.
Three Things to Remember
First, you can’t blame God for the bad things people do—that’s on them, not God. The good will be rewarded and the bad will have to face consequences, now and/or in the time to come.
Second, God can and does shield His people, those who seek His divine protection from harm as they ask in faith. Everyone else is on their own, and if they live outside God’s promise of protection, it’s because they choose to be on their own.
There are times when people of faith will voluntarily go against human evil knowing that they may be harmed or even killed. Their reasons for doing that are between God and them.
There are also times when people of faith wander outside the King’s protection through disobedience, ignoring warnings, or plain old rebellion. Bad things can happen when that occurs.
Third, all suffering and evil will be redeemed by God in the future, so trust in the ultimate purpose and plan of God to make things right.
While it’s sometimes hard to understand why bad things happen and why good people suffer—whether by the evil things other people do or by natural disaster or disease—the things suffered now, no matter how long they last, will seem like a tiny mosquito bite compared to the marvelous eternity God has planned for us.
2 Corinthians 4:17
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory…
More Than Conquerors
God doesn’t force anyone to do the right thing any more than he forces anyone to believe on Jesus Christ as Savior. We each have complete free-will and we all live with the benefits, and the consequences of that amazing freedom, now and forever.
Romans 8:35-37
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Let’s use our free will to do some good—to do some conquering—through our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Child of God, husband, father, grandfather, rabblerouser, songwriter, pot stirrer, waiting for the King.