Point of Inspiration: Devotionals for Personal and Corporate Worship
Robert D. Pace
Years ago, a pastor lost his wife and children in a fire. For weeks, the pastor was overwhelmed with grief. But Christ, acquainted with suffering, showed compassion. It happened as the pastor observed the construction of a church. A stonemason, skilled with hammer and chisel, pounded on a rock. Chunks of granite broke away as the craftsman mastered his project. Eventually, the rock formed a perfect triangle, which represented the Trinity. The architect had designed it to appear at the pinnacle of the church. And when it was raised into place, God conveyed His message to the bereaved pastor: that stone, battered on earth, had been shaped for a higher place!
We too suffer tragedy and loss. Death pierces the soul; loss crushes the heart; injustice injures the mind; and chunks of life split away. Despite the battering, Isaiah says “All this comes from the Lord Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom” (28:29). Yes, God shapes us with purposed pain! While this riddle remains inscrutable, Christians do know this: we aren’t alone in the process. Jesus appeared in human flesh and the Bible says “it pleased the Lord to bruise His Son” (53:10) . . . Yea, even the “Rock of our Salvation”! So take heart, battered one, God is shaping you for a higher place, and you will not be disappointed! “All things work together for good to them that love the Lord” (Romans 8:28).