Where Is God When Life Crashes In?

“As [the mob was] stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

“And Saul approved of his execution.

“And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.” [1]

You’ve been saving to buy a new vehicle. The old car is really showing its age and it is obvious that it won’t make it much longer. Suddenly, the CRA hits you with an unexpected tax bill. You thought you had dotted all your i’s and crossed all your t’s, but the auditors aren’t backing down as they emphasise that you will need to come up with what is a massive amount of money to get them off your back. One thing is obvious, you won’t be replacing that old clunker anytime soon. At such a time, you may have felt as if life was crashing in. You will be making some adjustments to your life.

Or perhaps the situation is more dire because it involves the life of someone you love. Perhaps a loved one was hospitalised, and suddenly, without any warning you received a phone call from the hospital informing you that you must to come quickly because your loved one isn’t expected to live beyond the night. I think any of us can see that such a situation fits with the description of life crashing in on us. Your mind races, but you know you are going to have to adjust to a new reality.

Or how about that visit you make to the family physician to have her check out that nagging pain you’ve tried to ignore for some months. After examining you, she says, “I wish you had seen me sooner.” That coupled with the worried look on her face as she writes out the requisition for a battery of tests and her suggestion that you need to see a specialist as soon as possible alerts you that this is probably not a minor problem as you hoped. When you press her for details, she hedges, but because you’ve built up a good relationship over the years, she at last cautions you that while she can’t be one hundred percent certain, she is concerned about what she is seeing. Talk about life crashing in! At that moment, you wonder if there will even be a tomorrow for you or your family.

Life certainly crashed in on one of the first deacons. Stephen proved to be an exemplary choice to serve the congregation in Jerusalem, testifying to the grace of God and standing firm for the cause of Christ. There was a price to pay for this courageous stand, and ultimately, life came crashing down for Stephen. I believe that anyone familiar with this story will agree that this was bad for Stephen, but we often forget that with his martyrdom life came crashing down on all who dared followed the Saviour. Tragically, the New Beginnings Baptist Church of Jerusalem was unprepared for the persecution that was unleashed against these gentle, harmless saints.

Here is the question that nags at us when life is crashing in: Where is God? Where is the God Who loves us when we are battered and bruised, and our world is crashing about us? Where is God when life crashes in? If you haven’t asked this question, there will come a day when the question will force itself to the forefront of your mind. Studying the response of the first congregation after the death of one of the first deacons may provide us with answers to that hard question, that question that quietly nags at us. Where is God when life crashes in?

DYING WITH DIGNITY — “As [the mob was] stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep” [ACTS 7:59-60].

I have no idea how you will die. I know neither the circumstances of your death nor your emotional response to the visit you will receive from the death angel. I do know that when that day comes, and that day inevitably comes for each of us, that we can die with dignity. I don’t mean that we will necessarily be calm and serene, though I suspect that each of us hopes that can be the case. I do know that we can die with confidence that we will be ushered into the presence of Christ the Lord because we have already settled the issue through faith in the Risen Son of God. Confidence in God will calm the soul when everything in us is crying out for Him to intervene.