As I was doing some studying in the Word, looking at some of the parents in the Bible who had lost a child, I came across a scripture that just seemed to go totally against what I believe about God, and even what I have shared with others about God’s goodness, and how He doesn’t cause death.
I told Dave what I had just read and decided to put the podcast microphone between us to record our discussion and thoughts on this subject.
Warning: If your loss if fresh, or if your loss is an infant, there may be some triggers in here, because it is based on 2 Samuel 12:13-15 that says God struck King David’s child with an illness to cause him to die. This is something that goes against what we know about God being a loving Father and other scriptures, which can cause lots of pain and confusion in the death of our own child.
However, I felt it was important to share this conversation with our listeners, to let you know that I still grapple with things myself, and there are plenty of times that I just don’t have the answers I wish I had.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t trust God, which in itself also seems contradictory, doesn’t it?
The take-aways I hope you will find in this episode are:
- God is too big to be understood with our small, finite brains. If we could figure Him out, then He wouldn’t be big enough to be God.
- God IS love itself, which means it is impossible for Him to be or do evil. So, if I struggle in seeing Him that way, it means there is something about Him I don’t understand yet or am not seeing through His eyes.
- As a believer in Christ we are under the blood covenant of Jesus, which means all of your sins have been paid for. Your child did not die because of a past sin!
- God doesn’t promise that we are immune from the pain and suffering of this world, but He promises to be with us through those times, being everything we need, if we let Him.
- This is not our home. Nothing here is permanent. When it is our time to leave this earth and arrive in our eternal home, we will either understand the whys, or we just won’t care anymore because of how wonderful it all is.
Dave and I are not Biblical scholars and don’t have the theological answers to why it seems God contradicts Himself, but we do know that peace comes when we choose to trust Him, in spite of what doesn’t make sense from our limited view and painful circumstances.
We have chosen to stay in relationship with Him because we don’t know of any other way to make it through our time here on earth.
Dave Diehl is retired from a career of over thirty years in IT. 
He is the cofounder of GPS Hope, doing all of the unseen things like technical support, planning the itinerary, and driving the Hope Mobile. Dave wrote a chapter in Laura’s book When Tragedy Strikes, and ministers directly to grieving fathers around the nation at the GPS Hope & Healing conferences and retreats.
Links referred to in this podcast episode:
Birthdays:
Kyle Moroney was born on March 20 and is forever 23.
If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information.
The special song written for our children’s birthdays I Remember Well can be heard here.
Remember to Hold On Pain Eases; there is HOPE!
To have Laura come and minister at your event, contact us at office@gpshope.org.
Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope) is here to walk with parents through the darkness of child-loss, guiding them to a place of hope, light and purpose.
It is a safe place for anyone who has lost a child from this earth. There is no shame or judgment in where you are in this journey, including if you are struggling in your relationship with God or your faith has been completely shattered.
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