Daily Devotion

“This heavy stroke was felt by the fond parents; but they were enabled to bear it with submission to the will of him who cannot err, and who makes all things … to unite their influence for good to them that love God.”

William Milne · William Milne, A Retrospect of the First Ten Years of the Protestant Mission to China (1820), on the death of the Medhursts' infant son

Scripture

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Reflection

Life's circumstances are like scattered puzzle pieces; individual fragments often seem meaningless, even sharp and jagged, pricking our hands. William Milne's account of how the Medhursts bore the loss of their infant son tells us that God is not the creator of suffering, but rather the unifier of the pieces. When we are heartbroken, we often only see the immediate blow, failing to see the hand that is harmonizing everything. "Mutual benefit" doesn't mean turning bad things into good, but rather that no matter how terrible the circumstances, they cannot hinder the ultimate fulfillment of God's good will. Submission is not a helpless surrender, but a surrender based on trust—believing that the artist who paints the whole picture of life will not make a mistake. This faith gives us the strength to anticipate the dawn even in the deepest darkness.