Last night, a young man died. I know you’re probably thinking, “a young man dies EVERY night.” Tis true, but this time I knew about it. I didn’t know the young man, nor do I know his family. I was brought into this story by a simple request for prayer from someone who does have a personal relationship with this family.
He was just a teen, a Pastor’s son, fatally injured in an automobile crash. I was just one of many who were asked to pray and stand in faith for a miraculous recovery and continuance of this young man’s life. I did just that. I remember cautiously navigating the hills and curves of a signature Tennessee road and asking the Lord, if it be His will, to spare this young man’s life and make him a living testimony. This morning I found that the Lord had other plans and exercised His sovereignty in a way that, I can only imagine, this family was simply not ready for.
I was told that a large number of family, friends, and church members gathered and travailed in prayer over this young man at the hospital. Because of the presence of this group (really it was the presence of the Lord) other patients on the hall began requesting prayer on their own behalves. Can you imagine the scene? These people are gathered with the common goal, to stand fast in prayer and faith for the manifested, miraculous, glorious healing of this one young man. They were gathered to seek the Lord for His supernatural intervention, because they know He is capable. They didn’t come to pray over other patients. But I’m sure they did.
In the meantime, the Father had already decided He would take this young man home. So what if that’s what it was all for? A tragic accident, a teen on life support, a hospital prayer vigil…. What if the Lord allowed this dreadful occurrence that would leave this family grieving the sudden loss of their loved one, just so some family, somewhere down the hall could rejoice over the healing of their loved one? Would God do that?
Today, my sister and I chatted a bit about this. Later on, completely unaware that the death of a stranger would touch me this way, I began to ask myself, “What if God took this young man’s life so that someone else’s life might be saved?” What if He takes my life or your life so that someone else may come to know Him or receive healing on earth? Do we understand that our lives are not our own? Do we fully understand that God is sovereign? Do we understand what that means? Often, we’re not very happy with the sovereign side of God unless, of course, His sovereignty equals some blessing for us.
I found out that this young man was an organ donor. WOW! What if God took him so that someone could receive that heart, kidney, or liver transplant they’ve been waiting for and praying for? Would God do that? Sure He would. If it will cause someone to know Him or magnify and glorify His name, sure He would! Think about it….He already did. God traded the life of His only son for your life and for my life. He sent Him to die so that we could live. He did it way back then, and He will do it again.
So what does this have to do with wisdom, virtue, or rubies? Well, isn’t there some wisdom to be found in a story like this? To know wisdom is to know God. To know God is to first understand that He is sovereign. Even Jesus, when He was in the garden preparing to face the cross, would have been pretty geeked if the Father had offered another way to write this redemption story. Jesus even asked for another way. Check it out in the 26th chapter of the book of Matthew. Yet Jesus ended his petition for a “cross alternative” with the words, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Matthew 26:39 NASB
Wisdom accepts that God is sovereign. We may not always understand this concept; Lord knows, I don’t always understand it. But I try to accept it. I try to remember that my life is not my own. And at the end of every prayer I try to remember to pray as Jesus prayed, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” The Lord reminded me that I spoke a variation of those same words at the end of my prayer for this young man. With that revelation I simply whispered, “Wow Lord. I sure did.”