The Father's Hand
God is our Father, and He knows our needs, has a purpose for our pain, and is working all things together for our good.
Charles E. Cowman preaches on the comforting truth that God, as our heavenly Father, knows and understands all things, even when we are faced with challenges and questions that seem unfair or difficult to comprehend. Through the story of a little girl's profound response to a tough question, he emphasizes the importance of trusting in God's sovereignty and believing that He works all things for our good. Cowman encourages the congregation to have unwavering faith in God as their Father, knowing that He sees what we cannot see and that there is a divine purpose behind every trial we face.
Text
"Your heavenly Father knoweth" (Matt. 6:32).
A visitor at a school for the deaf and dumb was writing questions on the blackboard for the children. By and by he wrote this sentence: "Why has God made me to hear and speak, and made you deaf and dumb?"
The awful sentence fell upon the little ones like a fierce blow in the face. They sat palsied before that dreadful "Why?" And then a little girl arose.
Her lip was trembling. Her eyes were swimming with tears. Straight to the board she walked, and, picking up the crayon, wrote with firm hand these precious words: "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight!" What a reply! It reaches up and lays hold of an eternal truth upon which the maturest believer as well as the youngest child of God may alike securely rest--the truth that God is your Father.
Do you mean that? Do you really and fully believe that? When you do, then your dove of faith will no longer wander in weary unrest, but will settle down forever in its eternal resting place of peace. "Your Father!"
I can still believe that a day comes for all of us, however far off it may be, when we shall understand; when these tragedies, that now blacken and darken the very air of heaven for us, will sink into their places in a scheme so august, so magnificent, so joyful, that we shall laugh for wonder and delight. --Arthur Christopher Bacon
No chance hath brought this ill to me;
'Tis God's own hand, so let it be,
He seeth what I cannot see.
There is a need-be for each pain,
And He one day will make it plain
That earthly loss is heavenly gain.
Like as a piece of tapestry
Viewed from the back appears to be
Naught but threads tangled hopelessly;
But in the front a picture f air
Rewards the worker for his care,
Proving his skill and patience rare.
Thou art the Workman, I the frame.
Lord, for the glory of Thy Name,
Perfect Thine image on the same.
--Selected
Sermon Outline
- I. God is our Father
- A. He knows our needs
- B. He is sovereign over all
- C. He has a purpose for our pain
- II. Understanding God's sovereignty
- A. It brings peace in the midst of pain
- B. It reveals God's goodness and love
- III. Trusting in God's goodness
- A. It leads to faith and trust
- B. It brings joy and peace in the midst of trials
Key Quotes
“Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight!” — Charles E. Cowman
“There is a need-be for each pain, / And He one day will make it plain / That earthly loss is heavenly gain.” — Charles E. Cowman
“Thou art the Workman, I the frame. / Lord, for the glory of Thy Name, / Perfect Thine image on the same.” — Charles E. Cowman
Application Points
- You can trust God's sovereignty by remembering that He knows your needs and has a purpose for your pain, which will be revealed in time.
- Finding peace in the midst of pain requires trusting in God's goodness and sovereignty.
- Pain and suffering can refine us like gold, making us more like Christ and bringing us closer to God.