WHICH SHOULD GOD CHOOSE? - The Warrior's Journey®
Discipline

WHICH SHOULD GOD CHOOSE?

. Photo by is licensed under CC By 2.0

Tragedy unfolded on June 15, 2020 at a hospital in Rajasthan, India when a 40-year-old man died from having his ventilator unplugged. The man had been admitted for respiratory problems and placed in the isolation ward until he could be tested for Covid-19. 

Comfort Over Life?

However, to prevent the spread of the virus to other patients, the hospital had turned off the air conditioning unit in the isolation ward. This made it uncomfortably warm for the man. To relieve his discomfort, his family brought a portable air-cooling unit to his room. But there was a problem. With so many monitoring machines and ventilators in use, there was no place to plug in the AC unit. Thus, the family made a decision. Since the man was so miserably hot, they unplugged one of the machines to make room for the AC unit. Unbeknownst to the family, they had unplugged the man’s ventilator.

Now, if the ventilator had suddenly stopped and the man ceased breathing, the family would have panicked. They would have quickly re-plugged the ventilator. However, after being unplugged, the ventilator continued to function under battery power.

Assured that all was well, the family left the man to enjoy the cooler air. But within a few hours the batteries ran low, and the ventilator stopped. The man died and hospital personnel were unable to resuscitate him. Without realizing it or meaning to do so, his family had chosen his comfort over his life.

Preparation for Heaven

Much like the story here, God must often be faced with these types of decisions in our lives too. Yes, He wants to give us the desires of our hearts.

U.S. Army Capt. Julissa Myers, Paratrooper assigned to the 173rd Brigade Support Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, puts the finishing touches to her face paint camouflage in preparation a blank-fire exercise as part of Lipizzaner V at Pocek Range in Postonja, Slovenia, Mar. 12, 2019.

Yes, He especially longs to relieve our pain and discomfort. But there is a problem. If God gives us everything our hearts and bodies yearn for, those things may drag us downward. If God always relieves our pain, He will remove a powerful growth medium from our lives. For it is clear in Scripture that tribulation brings about good in our lives (Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-3).

So, God is faced with a choice. Does He indulge our demands, or does he delay or even deny them? Does He relieve our suffering or does He allow the pain to do its redemptive work within us. Fortunately, God opts to take those measures which will prepare us for eternity in heaven with Him. He chooses to secure our eternal salvation over bringing us immediate but short-lived pleasure. Though it grieves Him deeply, God will allow us to suffer when it achieves an eternal good in our lives.

Of course, in the midst of our suffering and denial, we cannot perceive any good coming from God’s choices for us. “All discipline at the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful. Yet for those who’ve been trained by it, discipline eventually produces the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:11).

If God must decide between your temporary comfort and your eternal salvation, which do you want Him to choose?  Hopefully, you have the good sense and spiritual maturity to pray, “Father, not my will but Yours be done.”

 

PRAYER

Dear Father in heaven, open my eyes to see the good that You are bringing about through all the suffering and privation in my life. Remind me of Your holy Son, Jesus Christ, who for the joys that awaited Him in heaven endured the cross and is now triumphantly enthroned at Your right hand. Help me to make it my ambition to be pleasing to You, that I may make the most of this fleeting life to prepare for heaven’s eternal glory and joy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.


Photo's:
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/contractsurfaces/8071620672/

(Information from: https://www.odditycentral.com/news/hospitalized-man-dies-after-family-allegedly-unplugs-ventilator-to-switch-on-air-cooler.html)
The content of this article comes from “The Warrior’s Bible” (2014) and is copyrighted by Life Publishers International. Used with permission.

Let's Talk

100% Confidential | Warrior-to-warrior

We respond within 24 hours and can provide community support, resources, and referrals.