One of my daughter’s teachers had a grandchild named Micah enter the world last week, only to pass away one day later. His mother wrote the following: “Born August 29th, went to be in the arms of our Creator August 30th. He is deeply loved by Tyler and I and our families. Our sweet little boy has and will continue to make an impact on many people’s lives. After Micah passed, he was able to further the lives of two other infants. He will always be in our hearts, be loved, and be our first most precious child.”
Back in early July, Micah’s mom shared these words: “Our precious little boy Micah is due in September. He is growing and his heart is beating strong, and we are excited to meet him. However, God has bigger plans for our little boy. During an ultrasound, the doctors. have seen some severe complications and believe our little boy’s chance of survival is low. We are immensely saddened by this news, but we know that our God does miracles and this is part of His amazing plan. We continue to pray for our son, and to pray for a miracle. We ask that you continue to pray for him and us as well.”
These parents have suffered one of the greatest tragedies that moms and dads can face in this world. And yet, they have the faith and trust and perspective to understand that God worked through these circumstances and even provided blessings in the face of unbelievably dark times. How can we follow the example of this family?
This Sunday, we will launch a new sermon series called, Finding Favor, based on the book of that name by Brian Jones. If you look in the Bible’s concordance, you might be surprised to realize that the word favor is all over the Bible. Even if you’ve been a Christian and have been involved in church for a long time, the idea of God’s favor might be completely new to you.
What this family experienced in losing their baby boy, and what you may have faced in situations in your own life, can be understood as God’s favor. God, in His favor, wants to do something in every area of our lives, even the tragic and terrible circumstances that befall us. This doesn’t mean good things or even great things, but insanely great things, not just in one area, but in every facet of our lives. The question for us is: Do we believe this?
Troy Burns