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"Will God Protect My Kids?" – What Am I Supposed to Say
by C Michael PattonMarch 17th, 2008
3 Comments
One of my best friends that I grew up with asked me a very hard question about God. I want to share this with you.
Let me back up first so you can see the context from which this question was sprung on me—and it was “sprung” on me.
My friend was not a Christian, but he was seriously considering it. He was one of my wild friends that I hung with in my crazy days. I reconnected with him a few years ago. He was married with kids and so was I. After our reconnect, which involved uncomfortable retellings of our former days of sin along with some (compromising?) laughter about such, we spent the next year talking about Christ. We would talked on the phone about once a week. Often it would be for hours late into the night. The conversations usually ended when he was too drunk to talk anymore!
During these talks, he would present his objections and questions and we would discuss the possible answers. Often he would put his wife on speaker phone to ask and listen along. I sent him a couple of books that really helped him overcome some of his misleadings concerning the nature of Christianity. Primarily he saw Christianity as a legalistic set of “do’s and dont’s.” He had never even come in contact with the idea of grace. Our conversations culminated in his reading of Chuck Swindoll’s Grace Awakening (a book that every Christian should read). He was refreshed. Hurdle #1, successful.
In the backdrop of our conversations was his supposed perception that Christianity is naive and has no place for the serious intellect reasonings. We talked much about this and I sent him a copy of Letters to a Skeptic. His objections were slowly losing their hope in his retention of unbelief. It was incredible to see the slow transformation. Hurdle #2, successful.
But then he asked “the” question that I did not expect.
It was the day of my sister’s funeral. He came to my parent’s house along with many other guests. He sat by the side of the house, timidly lurking about, not really knowing what to say. When we finally talked (it was the first time that I had seen him since our reconnect), our conversation led to Christ. He mentioned my sermon at the funeral and seemed very appreciative. But there seemed to be something desperate in his thoughts, something that was personal and apologetically selfish.
“Look, Michael,” he said, as if all our conversation until this point was just a deterring prelude to something more, “I get it!”
“Get what?” I responded.
“I get it. Call me whatever you want—a believer, Christian, or whatever . . . I get it. I believe.”
Then there was some silence. I knew there was something more.
He continued, “But I am scared.”
“Scared of what,” I said.
“You love Jesus and have been doing so much for him.,” he said. ”Yet look at what has happened to you. Look at what happened to your sister. Look at the pain of your family, especially your mom. Your mom has always been into Jesus.”
After another period of silence he asked, “Will God protect my kids?”
I did not know how to respond. I did not expect this.
“Yes, of course he will protect your kids. God did not hurt my sister. God wanted my sister to live, but she decided to take her own life. God was not in control of this.”
I almost wanted to say this, but it would not have been the truth. God was in control. God could have protected her. But he did not. My theology did not provide me with the opportunity for such an easy answer.
I finally responded, “I don’t know if God will protect your kids in the way that you desire. I really don’t. I am sorry.”
I had no guarantees for my friend. There were no prenuptial agreements that he could have had God sign. Loved ones of Christians do die. What was I supposed to say?
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3 Comments
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In response to “Will God protect my Kids ?” – What am I supposed to say. I think the problems we have with understanding God’s promises of His protection stem from our narrow ideas of what really is important. At first glance, it appears that the promises of His protection could not possbily be true when we see what goes on around us. We read consider the lillies of the field …. His eye is on the sparrow … don’t worry about what you will eat or wear … But literally as we speak there are innocent children starving to death ( I thought it said don’t worry about what you will eat ? ) and there are people being slaughtered ( I thought the bible said in Psalms He would defeat our enemies, … mount up with wings like eagles, etc ?), and there are people killing themselves ( I thought the bible said we get a healthy mind in II Tim 1:7). He obviously did not mean that He would always protect us physically, as while Jesus was alive John the Baptist got his head cut off (some things about the middle east haven’t changed much). The key is in Matt 10:28 (fear not those who can destroy the body, but fear the one who can destroy your soul). He promises that the Christian soul will be protected and saved, which is what is really important. We have a hard time understanding this as we are focused on the body and don’t think broadly enough. We have to remember that our feeble minds cannot possibly understand what God knows about the overlap between the physical world and the spiritual world, so it bothers us when we see apparent inconsistencies where He sometimes certainly protects us physically and other times He certainly does not protect us physically. So, yes, He did forgive and protect your sisters soul , and yes He will comfort your family, and yes He will protect your friends children in the most significant meaning of the word protection.
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My daughter is in a situation with her 4 1/2 year old daughter. Long story short & to get to her question, my granddaughter is now living with her father. Bluntly, he is an evil man. The situation my granddaughter is in now is one where she fears her dad, & is in an emotional & mental unhealthy house. She is an acceptional child & has great faith in God, so she is holding on! Her father has told her that he is like God & knows everything she does, so she is scared to tell what is happening in the home. My daughter who is a dedicated Christian is doing great! Our faith in God is seeing us through. But today she ask why she is in this situation if God says he will protect the children!?! I tried to explain it, but I didn’t have answers. I understand better after reading Cary’s comments. Thank you! and pray for my granddaughter!
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God is alive and he knows everything that happen to us. God does not do evil,is an holy lord. God said I will mercy on who I will have mercy on and compassion on who I will have compassion on. No man can question the supremacy of God when it comes to decision. The bible says you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. God is holy and they that serve him must be holy. The most important weapon of a christian is FAITH even in time of trouble.God will protect your kids because bible says, the earth is of the lord and the fulness thereof. What you need to ask God is for his protection to be guaranty upon your your kids in faith. There could be temptation and trials but the end will always be better than the begining. Trust in the Lord forever. God loves you.
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