Difficult financial circumstances necessitated a move to a more affordable, older house for a young Christian widow and her two small children. Moving day was ushered in with an unexpected cold snap that kept temperatures hovering just above freezing. Trying to turn on the furnace, she was shocked to find that gas to the house had been shut off.
Calling the utility company, she was informed that her account had been closed because the gas bill had not been paid. Checking further, she found that the bill had been sent to the wrong address, and in the confusion of moving, she had forgotten about contacting the company. Also, she did not realize that her phone answering machine was not working, so she did not get the message which the company had left when it called informing her of the problem.
Worse yet, there was a strict and inflexible policy of refusing to turn gas on until the furnace had been inspected by company workmen.
Being in a strange, new place, the young mother had no other option than to move into a motel while waiting for the inspection. She found herself angry and asking the Lord why all this had happened.
On the day of the inspection, a pale-faced, sober-looking workman approached her. In a shaky voice he said, “Lady, you and your kids are fortunate to be alive. We discovered a big hole in the furnace heat exchanger. If it had been turned on, carbon monoxide would have leaked directly into your home.”
Perhaps no believer passes through this pilgrim life-journey without learning (many, many times) this very same lesson: “All things work together for good to them that love God.”
Gideon is one of many recorded in the Bible (for our learning) who asked God, “Why?” “Gideon said... Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us?” (Judg. 6:1313And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. (Judges 6:13)). Yet the Lord’s loving answer is so encouraging and beautiful: “The Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?” (vs. 14). Gideon didn’t seem to receive a direct answer to his “Why?” He received something much better God’s promise of victory and His personal presence with him.
“Why” is found over twenty times in Job most often asked by dear Job himself. Yet in the end, having seen himself as God desired (Job 42:56), we find that “the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:1010And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10)).
Ed.