Are you sure?
This bookmark will be removed from all folders and any saved notes will be permanently removed.
Good that’s never wasted
With the sudden fall of the government in Afghanistan, a fundamental and troubling question has come to mind for many veterans of the US military’s role in that country and in Iraq: Can all the good we accomplished in our missions there be wasted or lost? The temptation to be angry, to despair, or to be frustrated, can feel overwhelming at times. How can the Word of God help to navigate these waters?
The Bible has many accounts of individuals dealing with similar questions. For example, in the book of Isaiah it’s written: “Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain.” But the writer goes on to say that the only one judging the value of his work is God: “yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God” (49:4).
At one point the prophet Elijah became so dejected and despondent in his ministry that he requested of God to die in humiliation because he thought all his hard work in the service of God had been wasted. But Elijah was given compelling proof of the divine all-power. God then told him that not only wasn’t he alone, but there were also thousands remaining who hadn’t bowed down to the false god, Baal, and who remained servants of the one God. So Elijah’s good work wasn’t in vain (see I Kings, chap. 19).
Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.
