Finding a Way to Yes

Other than a younger sibling, can you think of anyone God may have sent to torment you?

Now the spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.  And Saul's servants said to him, "See now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord now command the servants who attend you to look for someone who is skillful in playing the lyre; and when the evil spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will feel better." - 1 Samuel 16:14-16

Back in Samuel's day, it was common for people to see God as the source of all good and evil in the world.  What good fell upon us was from God, and what trials and tribulations came were also His doing.

We tend not to think that way today, preferring to see God as totally one-sided, a source of good combatting evil and righting wrongs, like a superhero.

But God is not limited in the ways he can bring help to us, is He?

If He chooses to send a spirit to torment us so that we will have incentive to seek a change in our lives, is that a bad thing?

Do the ends justify the means, or do the means matter?

Whenever Jesus encountered someone inhabited by demons, He would command the spirits to leave, and they listened to Him.

I find it odd that the leaders of the faith would accuse Jesus of being in league with the Devil when they believed God commanded and even sent evil spirits into the world to torment us when we needed to learn a lesson.

So, it is possible to believe, then, that God will resort to whatever means He sees fit to get me to listen.

It is my choice, then, to be attentive and listen when the voice is a whisper, rather than wait for it to be a shout or worse.

I was speaking with a woman yesterday who told me she has cancer, and she has more than one kind.

She told me this because I asked her if she would like to be able to go back to work.  She has been homeless for about 14 years.

Her first response was negative.  She admitted to having no hope for the future, having resigned herself to her fate.  She didn't believe she was capable of working again, even if it was what she wanted.

Yet, as we spoke, she thought of all the jobs she had in the past, and she told me she was quite capable and smart.

So, she pondered, and she said it might not be a bad thing to be able to make a few dollars.

I told her she should think about what she could do and how she would do it, given she has no home and no resources.

Now Samuel might have believed that God would dispense diseases and destroy lives to teach a lesson, and I don't prescribe to that view at all.

I do believe that He will use whatever means possible to help us overcome these things, if we let Him in.

And our job as instruments of His grace is to let Him use us.

I believe that is what motivated me to ask her the question, not knowing what I could do to help, not having a plan, not seeing a solution, and not being sure of anything.

It is as Jesus told his disciples, love one another.

Sometimes I might fail to ask a question, thinking I know the answer.  But if I ask and hear No, it may be the first step in finding a way to Yes.

Maybe our job as disciples and followers of Christ is a lot simpler than we tend to make it.  In all we do, do not be afraid.  Just ask.

More to come...