I know a man who has had a rough life from day one. When he was born in 1971, he weighed just 3 lbs. 10 oz. At that time, he was the smallest baby born at that hospital in Flint, Michigan to survive. At the time of his birth, his father was in the US Army. It was in the Vietnam era, and a very unsettled time. His father was sent to Germany and as soon as he was big enough to leave the hospital and travel, he and his mother joined him there.
Because it was a militant time, his parents rebelled against the “establishment” and came home from the army with an addiction to drugs and alcohol. This led to a life of confusion and unsettledness as they moved around the country trying to find their way. It also led to abuse and sometimes neglect by those who were supposed to protect him. By the time he was 13, the abuse was so intense, his mother left his father in Florida and moved back with her family in Michigan. For many years, he had little or no contact with the man who was supposed to protect him and teach him to be a man.
Unfortunately, although his mom was not abusive and did genuinely love him, she was so messed up from her use of drugs and alcohol, she was barely able to care for him. These abuses had created severe mental and emotional damage in his mother’s life, including schizophrenia. He often needed to care for her rather than her caring for him. He dropped out of high school and soon, he and his girlfriend had a baby. They struggled from job to job just trying to keep food on the table. When this young man was just 26 years old, his mother died very suddenly. By this time, he was married and raising a young son with his wife.
When he was a small by, his grandparents would take him to church with them as often as they could. This was spotty at best since he did not always live near them. As a teen he was rebellious and unfocused. But as a young adult, he had an encounter with Jesus that changed his life. He had a true salvation experience and jumped into serving his Lord with both feet. He began leading worship in their small church and eventually led their youth group. As time went on, he was asked to serve as an assistant pastor on a voluntary basis. The pastor left suddenly a couple of years ago, and this man is now pastoring this small congregation.
With his growing faith, he learned about forgiveness and grace and worked at reconnecting with his father. This has been a slow process, but over the past year, he has seen a softening of his father’s heart and they established a texting/phone call relationship that was growing.
Last week, this young man was paining in the sanctuary of his small church and fell from the ladder, landing with his back on the end of a pew. Nothing was broken, but he is very sore. His father had surgery on his leg the same week, and on Thursday night, complications arose and at 6:15 on Friday morning, he died.
This is a true story that I know well because this young man is my nephew, the son of my oldest sister. His road has been difficult to say the least. But I tell you all this for one reason. When he called me on Friday to tell me his dad had died, these were his words, “Uncle Mike, God is so good. I feel his power and his presence in my life, and he is walking beside me through this time.”
How can someone who has had so much loss and pain in his life declare the goodness of God during another devastating event? By learning this important truth. As children of a sovereign God, we are never victims of our circumstances. We consistently share in the grace and peace of our Lord. This is what is means to be a true man of God. Our focus on our problems leads to fear and pain. God offers us peace and joy, despite Satan’s attacks.
This is why Job, after having lost everything in this life could say, “I know my Redeemer lives.” This allowed King David, who was running for his life from a rebellious son, to write, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” This is the reason the Apostles could sing hymns and praise God even while sitting in a jail cell for teaching about Jesus. This truth allows you and I to know God’s love, even when the world around seems to be in chaos.