Joy and Sadness

While enjoying one of our favorite rites of passage here in the West (a weeks vacation at the beach in the middle of a beautiful summer) I received a reality check....an email update on our dear friend and servant of Christ, Aisatu.

Dear friends and family,
    We are sad to tell you that our precious Aisatu went to be with Jesus
this morning at 7:00.  We are glad to tell you that she is not in pain any
more and that she is praising her Lord and Saviour with her daughter and her
granddaughter that  passed before her.  She will be buried on the Jericho
Property with her family. She left behind 3 children who are all in their
20's.  Thank you for your continued prayers

I can't help but wonder, in this instance in particular, "why".  God knows how much the people of Gabu and Buruntuma and countless other villages in Guinea Bissau need a person like Aisatu working as His hands and feet.  But again, I have to reiterate the feelings I had last week when my grandmother passed; God is sovereign and His will is perfect.  We rejoice when someone we love goes home to be with Him.  Yes, we miss them and may even think, in our own finite, narrow perspective, that they could be more effective here on earth sharing the Gospel to the lost than in heaven.  But when the shock of death wears off, we as believers can hold fast to the rock solid promise that God is in control and His name WILL be glorified in all things.  How awesome it is to know that and to believe that and to be able to share that with others.  God's name will be glorified in all things.