Why are you letting them do this to me?
The anguish in my child’s voice as she cried out to me just about broke my heart. I was the one who had brought her to this place. I was the one who had told her she needed to submit to the treatment. It was my fault she was there and she was in pain. It took tremendous self-control to restrain myself from intervening, from stopping the hurt. But that would have meant stopping the cure. The treatment was both unpleasant and necessary.
This was one of those parenting moments that gave me a crystal clear glimpse of the Father’s heart. How did He allow His Son to endure the Cross? Maybe the Lord had to restrain Himself from intervening. I can only imagine the great pain it cost Him to ask His Son to go through something so impossible. But if He made such a big ask of Jesus, why should I be surprised when He makes a big ask of me?
Unlike me, God doesn’t wring His hands and wonder if He’s doing the right thing. He knows. Although we might struggle with what He allows us to experience, we can be certain there is joy on the other side of it (Hebrews 12:2). Not because our circumstances guarantee it or even give us any reason to hope, but because our God is who He is – “the God of compassion and mercy! [He is] slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). If this is who God is, then what is there to fear when we seek help from Him?
All that we experience, both joys and troubles, has passed through the capable, steady hands of God. Through the filter of His loving-kindness. We might look at a situation and ask, How can THIS be kind? Why are you letting THIS happen to me? But the thing isn’t outside of God’s control. It’s not beyond the boundaries of His sovereignty.
God has always been prepared for what we’re facing, and He also can see down the road to use every circumstance to prepare us for what lies ahead. There’s a source of strength in difficulties that too often we overlook, and it’s God Himself. His character. Everything about Him. He showed us how far He was willing to go when He sent His Son to die on our behalf. He let Jesus endure the Cross because He loves US. Our healing came at great cost. We are precious to Him indeed.
We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28, emphasis added