A Passion for God (5 of 7)
Michael White
Psalm 63
Though Horatio Stafford was a successful lawyer and businessman he was no stranger to suffering in his life.
He had a wife, anna, and 5 children.
In 1871 his young son tragically died of pneumonia and later that year most of his business was lost in a horrific fire.
But the worst was yet to come.
2 years later amidst all the stress of grieving over the loss of his son and trying to rebuild his business he sent his wife and daughters on a vacation to London, where he planned on meeting them shortly thereafter.
However, as fate would have it on the fourth day of their voyage, their ship collided with another and all four of his daughters drowned. Only his wife survived.
Unfortunately, this kind of tragedy isn't unique. Suffering occurs ubiquitously regardless of time or culture.
I was reminded of this just a few weeks ago when Jamison and Kathryn Pals and their three children, having just completed seminary, were en route to their final leg of missionary training before shipping off to be missionaries in Japan, tragically died when a semi truck smashed into their minivan, killing all 5 of them instantly.
How do you respond when tragedy strikes? What do you do when you hear that awful news? How do you go on living a normal life?
Suffering lays us bare and exposes our deepest emotions.
It reveals who we are, what we value, and what we think about life.
It's incredibly polarizing .It will either cause you to run to God or to run from him. You will never be the same.
King David experienced suffering. The Psalm title tells us that it was written while he was in the wilderness of Judah. It was a dry barren place, the only place where he could hide.
His own son, Absolom who had gained a following and created a rebellion, betrayed him. David was forced to flee and now an army was searching for him to end his life violently.
And so David finds himself in a cave feari ...
Michael White
Psalm 63
Though Horatio Stafford was a successful lawyer and businessman he was no stranger to suffering in his life.
He had a wife, anna, and 5 children.
In 1871 his young son tragically died of pneumonia and later that year most of his business was lost in a horrific fire.
But the worst was yet to come.
2 years later amidst all the stress of grieving over the loss of his son and trying to rebuild his business he sent his wife and daughters on a vacation to London, where he planned on meeting them shortly thereafter.
However, as fate would have it on the fourth day of their voyage, their ship collided with another and all four of his daughters drowned. Only his wife survived.
Unfortunately, this kind of tragedy isn't unique. Suffering occurs ubiquitously regardless of time or culture.
I was reminded of this just a few weeks ago when Jamison and Kathryn Pals and their three children, having just completed seminary, were en route to their final leg of missionary training before shipping off to be missionaries in Japan, tragically died when a semi truck smashed into their minivan, killing all 5 of them instantly.
How do you respond when tragedy strikes? What do you do when you hear that awful news? How do you go on living a normal life?
Suffering lays us bare and exposes our deepest emotions.
It reveals who we are, what we value, and what we think about life.
It's incredibly polarizing .It will either cause you to run to God or to run from him. You will never be the same.
King David experienced suffering. The Psalm title tells us that it was written while he was in the wilderness of Judah. It was a dry barren place, the only place where he could hide.
His own son, Absolom who had gained a following and created a rebellion, betrayed him. David was forced to flee and now an army was searching for him to end his life violently.
And so David finds himself in a cave feari ...
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