Coping with Stressful Days

Day 220: Matthew 14

Matthew 14 presents a stressful day in the life of Jesus, and I think we can learn a lot about how Jesus reacts in relation to these events. Jesus learns that John the Baptist has been killed by Herod. His disciples come and tell him the news of his horrific death at the head of Herod's daughter. When Jesus learns of John's death, he goes off in a boat, hoping to be alone. But the people follow him, so Jesus has compassion and heals them. Then, they get hungry, and next is the story of Jesus feeding all of them. After they are all satisfied, Jesus goes away by himself to pray. The disciples meanwhile are in a boat and a storm comes. Jesus walks out to them on the water, and Peter gets out of the boat and attempts to walk to Jesus. He has faith to get out of the boat, but he starts sinking because he doubts. Jesus then gets into the boat with them and the storm grows calm. They go to the other side of lake and there news of him spreads.

What can we learn from Jesus in the midst of stress in our own lives?

1. Jesus shows us that even in the midst of terrible trials in our own lives, sometimes we must deal with the immediate concerns of those around us. Although Jesus wanted to be alone and reflect on the day, people were demanding his attention, and he has compassion and heals them. He responds to the need, regardless of what he personally was going through at the time. Daily, we are dealing with our own struggles. Some days we face things that we need time to process and deal with, but our families or friends or parents or children or churches or house--or whatever--demands our immediate attention. And it's OK to give it to them. To put our needs aside for a bit and to do what needs to be done.

2. Yet, when Jesus finds some time to be alone, he immediately goes away by himself to pray. After a sad and stressful day, Jesus goes to God and prays. We don't know what was said, but we do know that the next time we see him he is walking on the water to meet his disciples. Jesus was mourning the death of a friend--and doing much more than that, too, I'm sure--and so he went to the source of his strength. So often, I go to other people to talk about my problems before I go to God. But Jesus doesn't. He finds time to go by himself and pray. It wasn't that it was necessarily there--he could have filled up that time with other "more pressing" matters, but he carves out the time. He views it as that important, and so should we.

Jesus knows what it's like to be busy. And yet...he still takes the time to do important things like reconnecting to the Father. God can take care of all our problems--even if it's just being too busy--and he can help us. After we go to God, who knows, maybe we can even walk on water.

God Is Mighty to Save You

Day 161: Isaiah 62-66

Isaiah 63:1a: "It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save."

The Lord is "mighty to save." Wow. That's amazing to consider for a moment. God is mighty to save! Many of you know that this mantra has become the prayer of the Bizaillion/Ross families as they pray over Jenny. This song has touched me in so many ways, and I'm delighted to have found it in scripture today. Yes, the Lord is mighty to save.

These words "to save" are important for Christians because of salvation. Jesus has saved us, and he continues to save us every day. He sanctifies us and makes us new. He saves us from anything and everything that we need saving from--whether we know it or not.

And the word "mighty" shows God's great strength, and it also shows his character. He will do this with all his might. He will save all people because he is mighty to do so!

This verse is so encouraging, and I pray it brings you encouragement today. In your life, you can be confident that God is mighty to save!

Prayer and Eagles

Day 156: Isaiah 38-41

In Isaiah 38, Isaiah tells Hezekiah that he is going to die. Isaiah's message is from the Lord. Understandably so, Hezekiah becomes distraught and fervently prays to the Lord. The Lord hears Hezekiah, and grants him 15 more years of life. Prayer changes God's mind.

This story is interesting to me. I have been thinking about the meaning of prayer a lot lately. I even taught a Bible class on it Wednesday night at church. I've also witnessed miraculous happenings through prayer. Prayer is powerful. It can change God's mind, and it can form us. And here in the OT, we have such an example of prayer changing history.

One of my favorite passages in all of Scripture: 

Isaiah 40:28-31
  Do you not know?
       Have you not heard?
       The LORD is the everlasting God,
       the Creator of the ends of the earth.
       He will not grow tired or weary,
       and his understanding no one can fathom.
    He gives strength to the weary
       and increases the power of the weak.
    Even youths grow tired and weary,
       and young men stumble and fall;
    ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
       will renew their strength.
       They will soar on wings like eagles;
       they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint.

Let's pray so that we can soar on wings like eagles.

Isaiah's Admonitions to Trust!

Day 154: Isaiah 30-33

Our friend Jenny is doing even better this morning. Last night I went to sleep praying for her and her family. Things did not look good when I was going to bed, and many were fearful that this would be her last night. But no! God had other plans. He is working miracles up there, and thousands of people all over the world are praying for her. Thank you, God, for your miracles.

Isaiah reminds us of all the nations who turn away from God, of all the people who don't trust him at his word. These nations will be punished and destroyed and when God destroys all the earth, they will perish. Let's not be one of those people. Let's remain faithful and trusting, fervent in prayer and hopeful that God will restore the earth.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

Day 153: Isaiah 26-29

I am praying hard today. A college friend named Jenny Bizaillion, is not doing so well, and we are praying for her and her family. God, please work your miracle on her health so that she can come out of this. A lot of people are praying. Facebook is just amazing for stuff like this. Who knew that this is one of the results of this social networking tool. I bet the founders never envisioned stuff like this. But, wow. It's amazing. We're praying for you, Jenny and Dave and family.

The reading in Isaiah was so encouraging to me. Isaiah tells us to TRUST in the Lord, and that is just what we're doing with Jenny, and just what we do every day of our lives. God is in control, and He wants us to trust him. We will "keep in perfect peace" (26:3) and we will "worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem" (27:13). 

Praise the Lord for he is good. I will trust in you for all the days of my life. You will protect me. Although I will experience pain, I know that you are there for me. You are my comforter, my counselor.

Knowing God

Day 107: Psalm 16-18

Psalm 18 is about when God delivered David from all his enemies, including Saul. Two things strike me about this chapter.

1. David tells God "thank you." Saying thank you seems simple enough, but so often we are quick to judge and accuse God when things don't work out, and we neglect to tell God thanks when he is at work in our lives. But saying thank you requires noticing and then acknowledging that God had a role. That seems simple enough, but if we don't notice God's hands at work in our lives, then how can we do it?

2. David knows God. This psalm is very, very lengthy and is filled with praises to God, praises that are, once again, specific and exact. David's words show that he knows God--that he knows what he can do and who he is. I compare David's song here praising God, which could also be considered a prayer (songs are prayers, right?), to some of the prayers we say in church, and I notice a distinct difference: David is confident in his understanding of God in ways that we are not. His confidence allows him to speak to God about God's ways--praising his ways, giving him thanks, and admiring him for all of his ways--and to be confident that he knows God and that he does not speak falsely about God in his praise of God.

Why are we often not so confident in expressing praise about what God has done in our world--both at a local level and a global one? Maybe it's because we don't notice God at work when he's at work. Maybe we don't pray like David does because we don't want to speak ill about God, or to be so arrogant as to assume we know all about God and who he is. Or maybe it's something else. Regardless of the reason, I admire David's confidence, his ability to sing praises to God and speak about God in ways that show he knows God and thanks God for what he has done.

Maybe we can get to know God better by reading these psalms and putting ourselves in the position of the writer.

I Made It to Psalms!

Day 104: Psalm 1-5

Today I started reading the psalms. I've always liked the psalms, although I don't read them too often, but I like how past followers of the Lord put words to their expressions about God. They praise God. They offer lament to God. They ask why, and they ask for help. Many of these psalms are prayers to God, and others are songs to him. The difference between the two is minor. But the psalms are different than most of the rest of the Bible because they are poetry rather than prose, songs rather than narratives. They utilize a different form of expression, a different way of communicating with God. Reading the psalms can enhance our own prayer lives by showing us how others pray and talk to God.

The words that touched me tonight are:

1. "Blessed are those who do not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but who delight in the law of the LORD and meditate on his law day and night" (1:1-2). 

2. "But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the one who lifts my head high" (3:3). In the midst of fleeing from his son Absalom, David utters these words to God. David feels God's protection and knows that He gives him strength. This psalm was also made into a beautiful song that I really like.

3. "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety" (4:8).

4. "Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies— make your way straight before me" (5:8).

5.  "But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy" (5:11).

Prayers that Demand Justification

Day 97: Job 11-14

The next friend to speak to Job is Zophar. Zophar basically tells job to stop sinning and repent to God for God is merciful and will forgive him. He encourages Job to stop saying that he's innocent and just confess his sins to the Lord. But Job argues his innocence. I really appreciate Job. He talks to God as God, but he also approaches him with questions, asking God to justify his actions and make known to Job what is going on. Job's prayer/conversation with God shows us that there are many different ways we can talk to God, even when we ask him to explain himself. And God can take it.

Prepare, Praise, and Promise: Lessons from the Israelites

Day 91: Nehemiah 9-13

The Israelites are slaves in Assyria, and they have gathered together. They are fasting and wearing sackloth. During this time, they read aloud from the Book of Law, confess their sins, and worship the Lord. They also thank and praise God for all that he has done for them and their ancestors. They praise God for keeping his promise. They tell him that they love him, and they tell him why: "But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love." They also tell him he is just and faithful, forgiving and merciful. They remind themselves of all that God has done for them, and they make promises to God. They tell him they will stay faithful, they will give him the best they have to offer. They "will not neglect the house of God."

The Israelites impress me, and I can learn a lot by the way they interact with God. Their whole approach to communicating with God (some of which I mentioned above) can teach me about how I, too, can approach and interact with God. I'm always looking for ways to talk to God and ways to be in relationship with God, and the reading from today gives me several ideas.

1. Prepare: The Israelites approach God with humility.
They wear sackcloth and ashes. They fast in preparation for meeting God and for communing with him. They prepare. They don't just show up and talk. They spend a lot of time readying for meeting God. They recognize that they are unholy and that God alone is holy, and their countenances and actions reflect this understanding. They are humble, and they don't take God for granted.

2. Praise God with specifics.
The Israelites, like us, praise God. However, I notice one key difference between how they praise God and how we (oftentimes, unfortunately) praise God: they use specifics. The Israelites don't just say, "We love you God," or "God, you are so good" (over and over and over again); rather, they tell God why they love him, and they tell him why He is so good.

Being specific has several benefits: 1) It allows them to process what God has done. They can remind themselves about why they love God and what God has done for them. They can remember specific instances in their lives when God has acted--when he has shown them grace, forgiveness, mercy, love, etc. Then, they can thank God for what he has done--all the while remembering for what they are thanking God. They are thinking in specifics rather than generalities. 2) Being specific encourages reflection. This one kind of goes with the previous one, but it's a little different in that reflection breeds remembrance and appreciation. Remembrance of the actual events and circumstances in your life in which God acted, and appreciation for him and who he is in these instances in your life. 3) Being specific in prayer and praise reminds them who God is--his characteristics and his nature. As the Israelites re-tell their story to God in prayer, they also interweave the characteristics of God during these times, which becomes a form of praise to God.

3. Promise: The Israelites tell God what they are going to do as a result.
The Israelites promise God that they, too, will act. They will love the Lord, be faithful to Him, and sacrifice offerings to Him. They have prepared, they have praised God for the specific things he has done for them, and now they make promises to God about what they will do, how they will act, live, and behave.

Next time you are in church and you sing a "praise" song, remember back to the Israelites and how they approach God: they prepare, they praise with specifics, and they promise. Maybe this can be a model for you as to how you can talk to God. I know it helps me concretize something that often seems so abstract.

Finding Us

Day 81: 2 Chronicles 10-15

If you seek the Lord, you will be found by him.

I have heard this concept since I was a little kid. Seek the Lord and He will find you. However, in practice, this concept is one that is harder to implement. When I experienced low points in my life, I have found it very difficult to seek him. Not because I don't want to but because, for whatever reason, I have found it so hard to do. Maybe it was because I was depressed and didn't have the energy. Or maybe it was because I was caught in sin and felt ashamed to seek a holy God. Or maybe it was because I didn't want to be so vulnerable.

Whatever the case, it's hard to seek God when you most need him. Isn't that ironic? That when we most need him seeking him isn't the easiest, most natural thing to do? I wish it were easier during these hard times because the reward would surely outweigh the difficulties, but it's not. And maybe that's what makes that concept so amazing. That when you're finally ready to seek the Lord, it doesn't take much looking; He's already found you.

That gives me courage during the low points that inevitably come. Even when I don't know what to do to feel better or get out of the depths of despair, God is ready for me when I decide to seek Him. In fact, he's waiting in anticipation for me.

David's Words of Praise

Day 76: I Chronicles 14-16

David uses such beautiful words to describe the Lord. Tonight, I leave you with these words in which he tells the Israelites to praise God.

⁸ Give praise to the LORD, call on his name;
       make known among the nations what he has done.
    ⁹ Sing to him, sing praise to him;
       tell of all his wonderful acts.
    ¹⁰ Glory in his holy name;
       let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
    ¹¹ Look to the LORD and his strength;
       seek his face always.
    ¹² Remember the wonders he has done,
       his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
    ¹³ you his servants, the descendants of Israel,
       his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
    ¹⁴ He is the LORD our God;
       his judgments are in all the earth.
    ¹⁵ He remembers ^[c] his covenant forever,
       the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
    ¹⁶ the covenant he made with Abraham,
       the oath he swore to Isaac.
    ¹⁷ He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
       to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
    ¹⁸ "To you I will give the land of Canaan
       as the portion you will inherit."
    ¹⁹ When they were but few in number,
       few indeed, and strangers in it,
    ²⁰ they ^[d] wandered from nation to nation,
       from one kingdom to another.
    ²¹ He allowed no one to oppress them;
       for their sake he rebuked kings:
    ²² "Do not touch my anointed ones;
       do my prophets no harm."
    ²³ Sing to the LORD, all the earth;
       proclaim his salvation day after day.
    ²⁴ Declare his glory among the nations,
       his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
    ²⁵ For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
       he is to be feared above all gods.
    ²⁶ For all the gods of the nations are idols,
       but the LORD made the heavens.
    ²⁷ Splendor and majesty are before him;
       strength and joy are in his dwelling place.
    ²⁸ Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations,
       ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
    ²⁹ Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
       bring an offering and come before him.
       Worship the LORD in the splendor of his ^[e] holiness.
    ³⁰ Tremble before him, all the earth!
       The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
    ³¹ Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
       let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"
    ³² Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
       let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!
    ³³ Let the trees of the forest sing,
       let them sing for joy before the LORD,
       for he comes to judge the earth.
    ³⁴ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
       his love endures forever.
    ³⁵ Cry out, "Save us, God our Savior;
       gather us and deliver us from the nations,
       that we may give thanks to your holy name,
       and glory in your praise."
    ³⁶ Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
       from everlasting to everlasting.
       Then all the people said "Amen" and "Praise the LORD."

Praying David's Songs as an Avenue to a Deeper Prayer Life

Day 63: 2 Samuel 19-24

2 Samuel 22 offers a beautiful prayer of David. At this point, God has delivered David and Israel from the hand of Saul and other enemies and so David sings a song of praise to the Lord.

David opens the prayer in this way: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent people you save me." David's prayer continues to praise and honor God for all that God has done.

We can learn many things from David's prayer:
1. David retells all the things that the Lord has done for him. This re-telling of the numerous things God did for David helps David reflect on the goodness of the Lord. When we pray or sing songs to the Lord, we, too, are reflecting on what God has done in our live. We are verbally (and mentally) processing the wonderful things God has done for us.

2. David's successes--and ours too--are because of God's doing, not our own.

3. We can look to God to do what he can do--be our refuge and our strength. What have we to fear with God at the helm of our ship?

4. We can learn a lot about the character of God by the way David describes him.

5. We can pray this prayer/song of David, too. Sometimes it's difficult to know what to pray for or to know how to pray. 2 Samuel 22 offers a beautiful avenue into prayer, and I just prayed it myself. What a beautiful poem. Sometimes our prayers are either dry or cliche, and it helps to be reminded how prayers can be beautifully composed. Just look at many of the Psalms as examples.

May all of us continue to grow in our prayer lives with the Lord. 2 Samuel 22 offers a wonderful example of what to pray.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Day 54: I Samuel 8-12

I am the daughter of a politician. Growing up, my dad was a state district judge, and a few years ago, he retired from being a judge and became a U.S. Congressman. With both of these jobs, he has made numerous speeches over the years, especially based on his experiences serving on the bench. He even came and spoke to my freshman at Baylor one year.

I have heard him give dozens of speeches, and the one thing he emphasizes most is the importance of making the right choices, of having the wisdom to make good decisions. He tells stories of people who have not made such good choices and about others who have. All in all, the point he's trying to make is about the importance of thinking about your actions.

We make a lot of choices each day. Some of them are small like what time we will wake up or what we will cook for dinner. Others are not so small. These decisions may be moral and ethical ones such as whether we want to cheat out our employers in some way, or how we want to behave. Other big decisions involve career moves, relocation, and what to teach our children about God.

Decision-making can be stressful. Change can be stressful. But how we deal with these decisions when they come up is what matters.

In I Samuel, Israel asks for a king. They beg Samuel to go to the Lord and plead their case. Samuel then goes to God, even though he doesn't think they should have a king. Like Samuel, God does not want them to have a king either because he is their king. Nevertheless, he gives them what they wants.

This decision to have a king forever changes Israel and their history. I think it also changes the relationship that Israel has with God. What I think is important here, though, is Samuel's decision-making process: when he was presented with a decision--a life-changing one--he went to God to ask God what he wanted them to do. He asked God for advice, and he talked to God about the decision.

Too often I am confronted with decisions and so often I waste my time trying to make this decision myself. Sure, I try to be wise about my decisions: I seek counsel; I talk to others who are impacted by my decision; I make lists. But I often forget or neglect to go to God and ask him for wisdom to make the right decision. Instead of doing that last (or not at all), I should go to God first. Sit in his presence and pray for wisdom and guidance that he will lead me to make the decision that follows his will.

Confessions of a Distant Descendant

Day 44: Joshua 22-24

I have to confess something. I have been reading the Bible for several weeks now and although I have learned a lot about God--his nature and character--I don't feel that I have grown closer to Him. I don't quite understand why not because of how much I have learned about this, and I find this rather frustrating.

My reading so far has taught me a lot about several things: the church, values of God, God's commands and His will, the stories of God's people, sin, obedience, and discipline. However, I'm struck by how our modern notion of "a personal relationship with God" was not evident--or realized--with the vast majority of Israelites. Moses and Aaron had a relationship with God. Joshua and Caleb did, too. Adam and Eve. Cain. Jacob. Joseph. And a few others here and there.

In spite of these few mentioned "personal" relationships with God, the majority of Israelites are not reported to know God in this same way--personally. Rather, they knew him as a group. Israel was God's people. God knew Israel, and "Israel"--not individuals--knew God.

This concept is extremely different from today's widespread views that Christians can and should have a personal relationship with God and that Christians are saved individually through salvation and not as a whole. While I have some thoughts on both of those topics (which I'll save for later when we get to the NT), I mostly want to point out this difference.

I'm not sure from where the contrast originates, but I have a few ideas. It could be a difference between the old law and the new law--the old law that Moses handed to the Israelites and the new law that Jesus instigated. Or it could be a difference between cultures--the Israelite culture and an American culture that emphasizes the individual.

Regardless, the fact that I do not feel I have grown in "my personal relationship with God"--despite reading scripture every day and learning a lot about God in general--troubles me. I'm not sure where the answer lies or when in the Bible this concept of individual/personal relationship with God originates (or if it's in there at all or more the result of church tradition). But I am going to be watching out for it as I continue to read. I'm going to pay special attention to the contact that humans do have with God--in the OT and the NT--so that I can learn more about what this means and grow deeper in my relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

Growing closer to God is one of the reasons I'm doing this. I don't just want to know about God; I want to know Him, and I want Him to know me. I pray that God will continue to show me how to use my imagination to envision a different relationship with God than I have now and to see the possibilities that exist when what now seems distant comes nearer.

Delivered

Day 14: Exodus 1-4

The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for a long time. They must have been wondering where God was during this entire time. They groaned and cried out to God. God heard their pleas and remembered his covenant to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Over this past year, I have felt like the Israelites—-groaning and crying out to God, wondering when he was going to listen to my prayers. I prayed and prayed that God would lead us to a new job—and do so quickly—but he didn’t. Shane and I were both in very low emotional states—depressed, actually—-and for the first time we both got on depression medication (I feel a little awkward admitting that, even though I know it’s common.). I wondered when God was going to take care of us (Technically, I know He always was, but I still wondered where his hand was in all this and why he wasn’t answering our prayers for a new job).

Dreams lost.

Faith tested.

Souls scarred.

What comes next for the Israelites—-God calls Moses to delivery them from slavery in Egypt-—offers me hope. While I can’t see into my future, I do know that God is taking care of me. He has already provided us a new job. Now, I’m hopeful that he will start re-casting our dreams, firming our faith, and healing our souls. And just like the Israelites do at the end of Genesis 4, I, too, will believe in God and bow down and worship him.

Side Note: I’m learning more why these Bible stories (and the Old Testament) are important. They can guide us as we live our lives.

Are you there God? It's me, Kara.

Day 11: Genesis 40-41

After I wrote that post yesterday—in which I was obviously feeling a little crabby—I decided to talk to my husband and get his take on the OT and the purpose of all these stories. He gave me several good ideas about how to think about the stories. One of them is that if you know the stories, you can make connections in the rest of the Bible and see how God often parallels various stories and lives.

One of the things he said that resonated with me the most was that as I read the OT, I should consider what the reading is telling me about God. In a way I have been doing this. God’s absence, for instance, from so many of the stories I’m reading is one of the things that was frustrating me. I expect God to be present and active in much of the reading. I mean, this IS the Bible! But you know what? The same way God is conspicuously absent from places in the Bible is the same way it often seems in our own lives. God seems absent. Sometimes it seems as if He’s not acting at all, at least not in any obvious way. After thinking about the OT in this way, I realize that it’s nice to know that sometimes God appears absent in the Bible, too. We know he’s there, of course, but the extent to which he seems involved ebbs and flows. I find this fact comforting. If he were always mentioned with every single story, I might feel even more distant from God because it would seem that he never acts in the same way he did in the Bible.

I wish that God would speak to me like he spoke to people back then. I mean, Joseph was able to interpret dreams in the name of God and even predict the future through them. Jacob wrestled with God, and with each encounter with God, He grew and changed. Others encounter God and hear his voice. Why did God change the way He communicates with people? Why can't He speak to us like He did back then? I would really like to hear him talk to me is all. To hear him talk back. to have a conversation. To not wonder if he's listening but to really know that he is there and that he cares.

I realize that one of the ways he talks to me is through scripture, which is one of the reasons I'm reading the Bible now. This experience has led me to appreciate

I'm glad to be learning more about God and how he speaks to his people. I like to actually "hear" (read) his voice--what he has to say back then and think about how it applies to me now. I hope you will consider listening to his voice, too.

I don't get it

Day 5: Genesis 17-19

Sometimes I don’t understand the ways of the Lord. I don’t understand why God would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, an entire city? Sure, they were wicked. But aren’t we all? I just don’t understand where his compassion is. I don’t understand. And, to be honest, I don’t like that God did that. Yes, He’s God. But he also loves his people. Why such violence?

Abraham pleads with God not to destroy the city (the righteous and the wicked). God concedes to Abraham that if 10 righteous people can be found, He will not destroy the city. In the end, though, I guess God couldn’t locate even 10 righteous people because the city was destroyed. Lot’s wife was destroyed and probably a lot of other lives, too. Perhaps Lot and his daughters who had lost their wife/mom.

I’m not going to pretend to know why God did what He did. But I do wonder why he did that. What was the point? What is the point?