I had the pleasure of being the caterer for the marriage of Todd Adams and Mary Winther (now Mary Adams) this past Saturday. They had both lost their spouses to disease. Mike Winther having passed away from COVID roughly 5 years ago, and Todd’s wife Colleen passed away from cancer about 9 months ago. There were a good number of people from around the country who traveled to Colorado for this destination wedding. It was good too see friends of mine from all over. And it was equally good to see these two widowed people find each other through the providence of God. From the beginning, God said that we are made for relationship.
It was also fun and interesting to see the adult children of the the bride and groom give the “toast” speeches. The daughters of Mary both stated that Todd had already become a sort of “father figure” to them, and were thankful for his wisdom and counsel already in their lives. It is good good to be part of the body of Christ and the family of God. We know that He will bring about His plans and purposes for us all no matter what. God knew from eternity past that Mary and Todd would get together after their respective spouses passed away, and it will be for His purposes and to His glory in the end. Nothing can thwart His plans.
And that brings me to what I have been reading in 2 Chronicles. Things are going downhill fast for both Israel and Judah. The main focus in Chronicles is Judah, as the books speak mostly of their return after captivity. Israel is mentioned as they cross paths with Judah. One of these places is when Ahaziah was king of Judah and he did not do right in the Lord’s eyes. He died in battle, and then his mother Athaliah took over reigning in Judah and thinking she killed all of the heirs to the throne, thought she was in control. However, a daughter of king Jehoram hid the youngest son of Ahaziah, Joash, away for 6 years. God’s plans cannot be changed, and Joash was the one through whom our Lord Jesus would come, and so he was saved from the hands of Athaliah.
When Joash was 6 years old, he was placed on the throne and was counselled and advised by Jehoiada the priest. And while Jehoiada was alive, Joash was a good king. But after Jehoiada died, Joash took a hard turn toward disobedience to God. He even assassinated the son of Jehoiada, and for that, he also was killed.
Judah and Israel sure ended up in a huge mess, and both were eventually taken into captivity, just as God had warned them from the time He made them a nation at Mt. Sinai. The more the people, esp. the leaders of the people, think that they can manage on their own, the worse it gets. The more the people think they know better than God, the worse it gets at a faster pace. I look at our country, as well as the countries around the world, and I see how God has given the nations over to their own desires and paths to destruction.
But God is still in control. He always has been, and always will be. He has a plan and a purpose for all that happens. And we know that he is building up His people, His church for His purposes, and we also know that God is doing all things to His glory. We may not understand His ways and His thoughts, but we can always trust His hand. And we know that in the end, we who belong to Him will be in glory forever and ever. And there will be joy inexpressible and full of glory. And just as there are glimmers of hope in the books of Chronicles, I got to see some of that future glory and joy this past Saturday with the joining together of a bride and groom into a union that serves as an example of Christ and His church.
Amen
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