For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. – Jesus (Matthew 5:45 ESV)
On our vacation trip, we witnessed this marvelous image somewhere in Arizona. There is rain and sun originating from one sky. I imagine many are scrambling to stay dry while others, miles away, are basking in the sunlight. One sky, two perspectives, on source, one God.
Then on our way home, we saw this.
Rain on the right, rain on the left, smoke from a wildfire in the middle. We prayed the rainclouds would hover over the fire, but as far as we could tell, it never did.
Many questions arise regarding the sovereignty of God. He is powerful enough to create rain, enough rain to flood the entire earth, and certainly enough to douse a fire that is but a tiny candle beneath His feet. Yet he does not. Not this time. We believe He's powerful. We believe He's good. We know He's good because these rain clouds are healing someones parched land. We don't know what good, if any, this fire is accomplishing. So far in the distance, we are unable to know if someone is losing their home, their memories. We don't know if a farmer is losing his crop, his business. We also don't know if this fire is sweeping away an unknown pestilence which brings longer term grief.
We're confident this fire-ravaged land was once the recipient of healing rainwater and sunlight and perhaps the rain soaked land itself once experienced flames. In this life we may never know what God is accomplishing with this rain and fire. For eternity, the echoes of "where were you?" might ring as an incessant salve to our souls. But denying His supreme sovereignty on this side, without the benefit of His vision, is not an option. Thankfully, mercifully, I don't have to choose between his sovereignty and His love. I don't have to choose how God's will is accomplished. It's God's choice. His alone.
Grace Breaks 