All Things For Good

9:1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him" (John 9:1-3).

For God's glory; that is why this man was born blind. Christians love to quote verses like this or Romans 8:28 that tell us all things work for good for those who belong to Christ. These verses are stored in our memories and cherished but they are much harder to live out.

This morning our three year old is scheduled for an MRI in the hip area. A few weeks ago he was in serious pain and could hardly walk. The doctors believe he has what is called Perthes disease; a condition where blood flow does not reach the joint and the bone begins to die. We will not know for sure until the MRI results are seen.

If he is diagnosed with this condition, we have a long road ahead. He will more than likely be placed in a device with a cast on each leg and a bar in between to separate his legs. Consequently, he would be confined to a wheelchair for a time. Many children who have this condition are unable to participate in many normal activities and some have the need for major surgery at very young ages. My wife told me of a twelve year old who just had a complete hip replacement.



We are not sure yet if Camdyn has Perthes, of course we are hoping he doesn't. Whatever our lot, our Lord has taught us to say "It is well with my soul." We are placing absolute confidence in the absolute sovereignty of our God. That is not to say that we are numb to the situation, that is not the case at all. We are literally nauseated at the thought of what might be. It hurts to see a child who is not old enough to understand be placed under testing that frightens him. We feel helpless when his eyes look to us for help when the hospital staff are poking and prodding him and there is nothing for us to do. It must seem to him that his own parents are betraying him at times.

I wonder how many times Christians feel this way toward their Heavenly Father. We doubt our King's decree and feel betrayed when trouble comes. We place our trust in our ability and not in His loving care. We squirm to find a way out instead of looking to His eternal purpose in our pain because like a young child, sometimes we just do not understand.

But our God is in the Heavens. He makes His throne there. He rules over kings and nations. He controls the wind and rain. He is God over the smallest detail of life. He gives us every breath and keeps every beat of our hearts. He brings good and calamity, for He alone is God. It is He who works all things after the counsel of His own will. And it is He who has promised to work all things for good that enter our lives. We do not know what good may come from our situation. Perhaps like the blind man, Camdyn will be diagnosed so that God will be glorified. We would much rather him have a physical infirmity or handicap that the works of God might be manifest in him. God may glorify himself in using this to keep Camdyn from future pride in his adolescent and adult years. God may use this to help us to weep with those who weep when we see parents hurting over their children. God may use this to help us love the Giver more than the gift of our son that He has given to us.

We do not know God's purpose, but we do know that nothing can enter our lives that are not ultimately for our good and for His glory. We pray with our Lord this morning, "Oh God, if you will, let this pass from us, but nevertheless, thy will be done."