By Katie Whitney
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.
Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements and to store his few possessions. But then one day, he returned home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky.
The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried.
Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island. It had come to rescue him.
"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.
"We saw your smoke signal," they replied." Author unknown.
Many times in life, things happen that make us doubt God, ask questions and wonder, how could God allow this? Starvation throughout the world; floods and storms that wipe out cities; diseases that take the lives of millions; wars that never seem to end; death of someone close to you.
Last summer, I was faced with the most challenging test of my faith yet. My 19-year-old brother Jonathan, who had suffered from severe asthma his entire life, died during the Summer Educational Program (SEP) in Orr, Minnesota. For days, through the tears, anger and grief, the only question that came to mind, was Why? Why Jon? How could God allow Jon to suffer his whole life with sickness, travel from doctor to doctor, only to let him die two months before his 20th birthday?
I knew there was supposed to be this great God up there who healed and watched over us, but all I could ask was: "Where were you, God? How could you let Jon die?"
Then I went to SEP for the first time with my family for Jon's memorial service. Part of me was numb, unable to cry, or accept that this was where Jon had died. And much of me was still asking, Why?
Slowly, over the next three days that I was there with my family, and then when I went back as a camper for the second session, I got answers. I heard countless stories about how Jon had changed people's lives. I heard about staff members who had re-bonded with their families. I heard about someone who told their siblings they loved them for the first time.
I heard about a prayer my brother said the morning he died. He asked God to use him in whatever way possible to impact the lives of campers.
I went to SEP expecting to grieve and bury and say good-bye to my brother. Instead, God renewed my faith in him, gave me peace and showed me that Jon's death was not in vain.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" reads Jeremiah 29:11. God has a plan for all of us. I know that now. He had a plan for Jon, too. And although at first it didn't make sense, and part of it still doesn't, slowly he shows us why. Someday I hope to get the full answer, but until then, we've got to have faith in God, because he does have a plan for all of us.
In Revelation 2:10, Jesus tells us, "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." Things will go wrong in our lives. And living in Satan's world, as we do, it's easy to lose hope and think God has forgotten us. But you've got to keep your faith in God. Because when your world falls apart, or something goes wrong, it is your faith in God that will keep you strong.
Copyright © Worldwide Church of God, 2000