Believer's Chapel of Knox Prairie

Dusty Garrison, former voice for KVRP Sunday morning gospel music, gave an inspiring message on Sunday entitled, "Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?"

He began with the story from John 9 about the man born blind. Using this illustration, Dusty assured us that there was nothing wrong with asking questions about our afflictions. He suggested that maybe we were asking the wrong question. He confirmed that most scholars thought that Job was probably the first book in the Bible to be written and therefore the story of Job was one of the first stories to be talked about. Although Job suffered immensely and was tested greatly, he chose not to curse God for his troubles.

Dusty provided six reasons for suffering:
1. Develop Faith (James 1:2)
2. Learn Obedience (John 9: 15) - even Jesus learned obedience through suffering (Heb. 5:8)
3. Suffering Reveals Our True Character (Roms 5:3) Dusty told a story of the refiner's fire and how the silver was heated to the point where it would show the reflection of the refiner when it is completely refined (Malachi).
4. To Expose Hidden Sin (Luke 15 and Deut. 8)
5. Keep Down Pride. (John 9:24-25, II Cor. 12)
6. "Who to blame" is the wrong question -- the right question is "Do you believe?" which is what Jesus asked Martha after Lazarus died. He is asking that same question of us -- "DO YOU TRUST ME?"

Dusty closed by reminding us that God is in us; he is in our hurts. He encouraged us to let others help us when we were hurting. If we ask God "Do you even care that I am hurting?" God's answer to us is that He does care, He will always care, and there will be a day when He will wipe away all of our tears until then God will continue to ask us, "Do you trust Me?".

Also, it was really good to have Larry and Cindy Thompson in church on Sunday. They have certainly been missed the past few weeks.