Tuesday morning a
As this woman, four months pregnant, was kneeling in prayer, she was brutally assaulted by a man who was apparently robbing the church. She was viciously beaten and stabbed. The attacker only fled when she convinced him that other church members would soon arrive.
Then he stole her purse and her car, and the stolen car led to his quick arrest.
Now you’d think if God was going to protect anyone from violence it would be a pregnant woman kneeling in prayer inside a church. Right?
And now if there was anyone with the right to doubt God it would be this woman, right?
And yet her faith is strong. The
So the question is, how can her faith in God be strong when God didn’t protect her?
I think it’s because God gives special grace in such situations. Yes, He allows them to happen, for reasons I don’t know. But then He pours in a special grace.
It’s hard to understand unless you’ve been there.
Many years ago my habit was to drive to a neighboring town to pick up a little old lady for church. One dark Wednesday night I did this, with my little daughter in the back seat. If there was ever a moment blessed by God, it should be this one. Here I was, a devout Christian, taking my daughter to church on a Wednesday night, and to top it off we picked up a widow who couldn’t drive herself. God must have been smiling.
Then out of nowhere a large deer slammed into the side of my car, its head smashing into my driver’s side window. Witnesses said the deer was running full steam across the highway when it hit me.
It was like a shotgun of glass to my face. They took us to the emergency room, and everyone was okay except me. I had shards of glass in my eyes.
They flushed out my eyes for a long time with jets of blue liquid. They spoke about my vision is sober tones, and scheduled an emergency appointment with an eye specialist first thing in the morning.
As my wife drove me home from the hospital that night, I just sat there, slumped down in the passenger seat with my head against the window. What a night. What about my eyes? Would there be permanent damage? Would I ever see clearly again?
Now you’d think I might get bitter with God, or at least question Him. But I didn’t. For some reason, I didn’t. Something welled up inside me that said, “Lord, even if my eyes are permanently damaged, I will serve You.”
I don’t know where that reaction came from. All I can say is that it was a special grace.
And by the way, my eyes did heal, thank you God!
From the outside looking in, you can only imagine what it’s like, and we usually imagine the worst.
I once knew a man who was a street fighter. He was a little guy, and I think he made up for it by picking a fight every chance he got.
Well he became a Christian, and he was in my Bible study group. One day he said, “I have a question. I know a guy who used to witness to people out on the street. One night he was out there talking to people about Jesus and a couple of drunks came along and beat him up. Why would God let that happen? It makes me mad just to think about it.”
I answered with a question. “Do you think it made that Christian mad? Do you think he was bitter about getting beat up?”
This new Christian thought for a second and said, “No, I don’t think so.”
I said, “I don’t think so either.”
Why not? Because of that special grace.
I had a guy from church call me one time when he found out his wife was cheating on him. He was totally devastated. But as the situation unfolded I saw God work such a special grace in that man – a grace far beyond his normal character. Many times I just shook my head and said, “Lord, you are doing something amazing in the heart of that man.”
I love this phrase found in Hebrews 4:16, “…grace to help in time of need.”
God allows us to go through times of great need. Devastating things happen. I don’t know why, and I wish they didn’t, but they do.
But something wonderful happens as we call out to God in these times. He gives us a special grace. A “grace to help in time of need.”
(As heard on Wave 94.1 FM)
The reaction to this woman’s attack has been interesting. Christians understand her willingness to forgive. Others are aghast at anything short of extreme punishment for her attacker.
This special grace that God gives His people reminds me of something Adrian Rogers said once. Ponder this:
“We have no right to be believed so long as we can be explained.”
This special grace is simply unexplainable.
Read more about the woman’s story here:
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007710030319
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200771003023
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