when things go wrong

St John Chrysostom talks to us today in A Year with the Church Fathers about trusting God in the bad times.

He says that we trust our doctor when they cut us and take our blood and cause us pain and suffering... because we know that they're doing it to help us, and to make our lives better.

In just such a way, says St John, should we trust God, the great physician, to work things for our good, even when they hurt. When we lose what's important to us. When we don't know how things are going to get better. When life takes us down dark and scary roads. We can trust God to work the pain and the loss for our good, to rid us of the sins that we can't get rid of ourselves. To make us better people.

We have a great example of just this thing happening right before our eyes in Houston right now. The rain has caused so much damage, so great a disaster. So many people have lost so much. But we see God at work... helping people to safety, finding a warm and dry place to land. People being God's hands and feet, taking their boats where Jesus in the form of "the least of these" needs help like they never thought they would.

All of the bickering and fault finding and anger between groups of people has been set aside for now, and neighbor is helping neighbor out of a tough place. God is helping us set aside our sin, and love each other.

God, please teach us to trust You, especially when it hurts.