Free Grace Classics: Escape to Reality Greatest Hits, Volume 2 by Paul Ellis Page A

loves us warts and all. While we were sinners he died for
us and now he lives for us. What America and every other nation needs is a
revelation of God’s limitless love. They need to see Jesus.
     
    A word after
     
    Some days I get up and find my
whole day is mapped out for me by E2R readers. In December 2012, I received the
following message from a lady called Pat:
     
    I would
be curious to hear your thoughts on the recent school tragedy in Connecticut. Specifically,
where was God? The popular response to the question is that we have asked him
to leave our institutional systems like government, education, and so on. That
doesn’t sit well with me, but I’m still new to the grace teaching, and would
like to hear your thoughts.
     
    I’m not usually able to respond to
requests—there are so many of them—but something about this question stirred me
to write. So if you liked the article above, you can thank Pat.
    After it
came out a mother of school-age children asked me this follow-up question: “If
God can’t stop violent acts from happening, why bother praying for protection?”
To clarify, God certainly can stop things from happening. My point was that he
didn’t stop the Connecticut School shooting from happening. How do I know?
Because it happened.
    The mom
who asked this question then shared the following story:
     
    When my
daughter was in the 9th grade a boy was found in her school with a gun. He had
a list on him and my child’s name was on that list. Every day since then I’ve
prayed for the Lord to protect my kids and their schools from shootings. I’m
not saying that my prayers alone stopped this (maybe they did, I don’t know)
but all I know is that someone wanted to kill my child and they were stopped.
     
    And thank God they were! But what
lesson do we take from this?
    If you
are worried about your kids have the freedom to cast your cares upon the Lord.
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). But
don’t fall for the lie that your prayers are the only thing protecting your
children or that God won’t intervene unless you pray. Job felt this way and his
fears made him a superstitious man. Every time his kids went partying he felt
like he had to offer sacrifices in case they’d sinned (Job 1:5). This is a fearful
and faithless way to live.
    Fear for
our children can be a form of bondage. At some point we need to come to a place
of restful trust in the Lord. We have to choose to believe that he cares for
our kids even more than we do. It’s not easy. The world is a dangerous place
and our children are small. We have to strive to enter his rest and one way to
do that is to stand on his many wonderful promises to us (e.g., Isaiah 49:25,
54:13, Proverbs 12:7).
    If I
felt that my kids weren’t safe unless I prayed for their protection, I’d
never stop praying. I wouldn’t have a life. But I choose to believe God’s word.
Now when one of them goes out I’m likely to pray, “Thank you, Father that you
are watching over my kids even when I’m not. Thank you that you protect them
even when I can’t. Thank you that you care even when I forget to pray.”
    I don’t
beg God to do what he’s promised to do. Instead I remind myself of his word and
thank him for it. Job’s fear made him superstitious but God’s word can set you
free. It’s a totally different way to live.
     
     

13. Shipwrecked Faith
     
    Timothy,
my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made
about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on
to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered
shipwreck with regard to the faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander,
whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. (1 Timothy 1:18–20)
     
    What does it mean to shipwreck
your faith? Paul said this had happened to at least two people so I guess it
can happen to you. But how does it happen and