At the beginning of the 1900s a Scottish man longed to immigrate to the United States with his wife and nine children. Finally, after years of hard work and self-denial, the family had saved enough money to book passage on a ship to the U.S. Passports and other necessary papers were quickly completed, and the whole family excitedly waited for the day when they would start their voyage to a new life.
However, a few days before they were to sail, their youngest son was badly hurt in an attack by a stray dog he had been playing with. After stitching up his wounds, the doctor, due to fear of rabies, placed the family under a 14-day travel quarantine. So ended their dreams of going to America. On the day they were to have sailed, the father, angry at God as well as his boy, stood on the dock weeping as he watched the ship depart. He cursed his circumstances, reminding God how unjust all this was.
A few days later, tragic news spread throughout Scotland. Hundreds of lives had been lost when the mighty, unsinkable Titanic—the very ship he had booked passage on—had sunk in the Atlantic. Hearing this news at his work, the man ran home. Throwing his arms around his son and covering him with kisses and tears, he fell on his knees weeping and thanked God for His mercy to their family.
The blessed Lord Jesus Christ told His disciples, “What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter” (John 13:7). It is oftentimes the same in our lives with many things which perhaps cause questioning of His perfect love and wisdom. Yet He has promised “to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” Someday, during this life or in that bright day to come, all will be made plain—and then we shall glorify and praise Him for His perfect ways of love in every detail of our lives.
At the end of Job’s time of trials and testings, when his eyes were opened to the infinite perfection and greatness of Jehovah (and his own littleness), he said, “I know that Thou canst do everything . . . things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. . . . I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee” (Job 42:25).
Oh! for hearts to simply trust Him more—our blessed God and all wise and loving Father who has told us, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:89).
Ed.