Over the course of my books, I put my characters in some difficult spots. That’s good for the plot and good for the readers. However, then I have to come along and put some wise resolution for that character to discover, drawn on or hear from someone else to get them out of that pickle. I strive for a fresh insight, for practical wisdom, something useful not just holy-sounding. This is  where the writing gets very humbling because this is where God takes over.
In one situation, I had a character go back to Job. (I just finished reading Job, so it’s fresh in my mind.) The character said although the Lord restored all that Job had, God never took the pain of the loss away. Yesterday, it also occurred to me that the restoration took years. Job didn’t wake up the next morning *poof* with his seven new sons and three new daughters.
So here are two principles about pain or loss (I wish I’d thought of them, but they’re God’s)- Pain fades to the point where it doesn’t consume our lives, but it doesn’t necessarily ever go away. At least not in this life. Sometimes we put unrealistic expectations on ourselves or others about how and when we should be ‘over’ something. Each situation is unique and intensely personal. Grant yourself (or someone else) the grace to walk through it rather than add the pressure of ’should’. Truth is, God may doing things through the loss that we are completely unaware of- as was Job’s case. Job never knew the full story behind all his suffering.
Second, restoration takes time and it may mean traveling over some ground we’ve already covered. Job had done diapers and toddlers and loose teeth and adolescence with his kids, but he had to go through it all again. In the end, it’s worth it. The last chapter of Job says, “The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than the beginning.”

Pain, suffering and sorrow are a fact of life, but thank God through Jesus Christ, they are only a fact of THIS life. (John 16:33)

[We are travelling to a faraway land with no internet service - our house in Ohio- so here's a post I wrote a while back but never published. I'll be back Tuesday with a fresh study tip.]

When I read passages like Psalm 78, it is easy to berate Israel for their faithlessness to God after all He had done for them. However, if I’m honest it would be fairly easy to write a psalm like this of my own life. God has done great things, intervened on my behalf, providentially cared for me, and yet I’ve rebelled, been faithless, certainly provoked Him.

8 But He, being full of compassion, forgave their [my] iniquity,/ And did not destroy them [me]./

Yes, many a time He turned His anger away,/ And did not stir up all His wrath;

9 For He remembered that they were [I was] but flesh,/ A breath that passes away and does not come again.

Thank God He remembers my frailty.

I, like Israel:

did not keep the covenant

refused to walk in His law

forgot His works

sinned even more against Him

rebelled against Him in the wilderness

tested God

did not believe in God

did not trust His salvation

still sinned [after seeing His power manifest]

did not believe His wondrous works

sought Him

returned

earnestly sought for God

remembered that God was my rock, the Most High is my Redeemer

flattered Him with my tongue

lied to Him with my mouth

my heart was not steadfast

was not faithful in His covenant

grieved Him

limited Him

forgot His power

turned back

acted unfaithfully

turned to idols (the biggest one being myself)

But He is patient and gracious and receives me after I’ve learned these lessons… again.

When we read Scripture, it’s easy to get caught up in the major themes and miss some of the small details. Sometimes the little transition words are the most critical. Often they answer the question ‘why’ and give a little more insight into the passage as a whole. Consider these opening verses in Luke 15:

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him (2) And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” (3) So He spoke this parable to them, saying:

From there Jesus tells the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin and lost son. If you miss the ‘So’ in verse 3, you miss the purpose for the story. He was illustrating the grace of God in receiving sinners, in stark contrast to the contempt the religious establishment showed them. There is joy at the restoration of the broken fellowship. The Pharisees and scribes misread the heart of God.

Verses 6 and 9 have the little word ‘for’ telling us the reason for the joy. “I have found what was lost”. The restoration of the lost possessions is a metaphor for repentance. How much joy and glory it gives God when we come to agree with Him about where we stand!

Other ‘why’ words include because, therefore (and its twin, wherefore), and occasionally ’so’ is teamed up with ‘that’. Pay attention to them and you’ll gain added insight into God’s purposes and ways.

Luke 15 gives us three of Jesus’ most famous parables, the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son. The three stories are strung together by Jesus to emphasize a common theme- the restoration of the lost. I had the privilege to teach these to my Sunday school kids and my Wednesday night kids recently, but I had a flash of insight on the stories.

Is Jesus talking about the lost finding salvation or Christians who stray and are restored? The answer is both. The sheep and the coin represent the lost who come to Christ for the first time. They didn’t purposely get lost- they just were, and in each case, there is a search and an honest desire to return the lost items to their place. We are born with a sin nature. We don’t have to intentionally do anything to end up lost, and we’re powerless to prevent it. But God found us and restored us to our place, in a relationship with Him that was lost when Adam sinned.

Now the boy is a different situation. He is a son and he willfully chooses to walk away from his father. The father doesn’t search for him. He watches and waits, ready to receive him. The boy comes to himself, in humility recognizes what a mess he’s in (literally and figuratively), has a change of heart and wants restoration. That’s what the father was waiting for! The fact that the boy came home is all the evidence the father needs to restore him, not just to the family, but the line about ‘put a ring on his finger’ indicates the boy was once again made a joint heir with his elder brother. It was as if he had never left.

When we as believers walk away from God, He doesn’t search for us, but waits for that genuine change of heart. When we drag ourselves back in humility and repentance, our gracious Father takes us in His arms before we can finish our speech.

Grace is a risky business, after all, what’s to stop the boy from leaving again? Not a thing. The father loves the son and yearns for that relationship, that communion so deeply that to him, it’s a risk worth taking. Sometimes we are hesitant to extend grace because of that risk. We’re afraid. When we see others with the eyes of Christ, we will love more, and fear less.

Is there a relationship in your life in which  God is calling you to risk grace?