God Drives the Bus

"Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. She said to Elijah, 'What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?' Then he cried out to the LORD, 'LORD my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?'"
1 Kings 17:17-18, 20 (NIV)

God's best gifts sometimes arrive wrapped in our worst nightmares.

Elijah, the widow, and her son have all they need. Food that never runs out, shelter, and security. Elijah's probably thinking, "Now this is the way God ought to do it." Then the widow's son becomes ill. He grows worse and worse. And finally, stops breathing.

The widow asks a reasonable question, "What have I done to deserve this?" She worshiped Baal—an angry, vindictive god who demanded child sacrifice. She was essentially saying, "So your God is just like my god?"

But the widow had done nothing to deserve this. She'd done everything right to protect her son. And notice—Elijah expressed his doubts, too. He cried out, "I don't get it. Why did You bring me here to cause heartache and hurt?"

"Why?" is the normal question in tragedy. It's a legitimate question. Sometimes God gives us the answer in this life. Sometimes we get it in the life to come. But what we always get is the assurance that God is in control.

I heard about a little boy, standing in the middle of a city block waiting. An old man said to him, "Son, the bus stops at the end of the next block." The boy replied, "It's going to stop for me right here." The man insisted he was wrong. Then the bus stopped right in front of the boy. As the boy boarded, he turned and said, "My dad is the bus driver."

God is always driving the bus. He knows what He's doing.

You might be asking “why” right now. Bring your question to God. Remember, your Father is driving the bus. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. You can trust that everything happening is in the providence of God.

Prayer: Father, when I'm standing in the middle of pain asking "why," help me remember You're driving the bus. You know what You're doing even when I don't understand. Give me faith to wait on You when answers don't come right away. I trust Your providence over my pain. In Jesus' Name, Amen.