What do you say?

What do you say to someone who is questioning God? Not all the time, but sometimes. And different questions every time--like, IS there a God? Does He care about me?

Why do I ask this? A friend of mine has gone through some incredible challenges with her youngest daughter. About 11 months ago, when her daughter was 19 months old, she suffered a brain aneurysm. She almost died, but thanks to the thousands of prayers so many lifted up, she survived. She has been left severely impaired, though. She can laugh and cry, but not talk. She is unable to sit up on her own, roll over on her own, etc. The emotional toll on this family has been incredible. They spent 38 days in the PICU, months in rehab, and have had their entire life turned upside down.

So, how would you answer her? When she asks why this could happen to her child, how do you respond. Yes, we know in Romans that "All things work together for good to those who love Him"--and yes, they do love the Lord and serve the Lord. We also know that there is sin in this world and illness/disease is a result of sin in this world. We know that God is ultimately in control. And we know that God loves our children even more than we could possibly begin to love them.

But, those answers--as theologically sound as they are--don't always soothe the heart. What can you say? I gave those pat answers to her yesterday, followed by a "but I've never been challenged in that way before." I apologized to her today for not really listening to her heart.

So, I guess that these questions, "Why my child," "Why does she need to suffer like this?" "What good can come from this" may not be answered this side of Heaven. As a believer, I have confidence that someday I'll have all the answers to all the questions. In the meantime, for both myself and my friend, we have to rely on the fact that we know Who God is.

And, if you think about it: Please pray for this family. There are many specific ways: For improved rehabilitation for their daughter, for strength for the parents. Specifically, though, please pray that their house sells. They have a cute house not far from mine that is not functional to take care of their daughter. It has been on the market for many months with very little activity.