Klara, a devout Catholic and loving mother of two, was engrossed in a book when a knock at the door brought the news every parent dreads: “Your son has been in an accident.” In the waiting room, her heels clicked as she paced, time dragging like molasses running uphill. The doctor approached, his somber face speaking to her soul. “Your son is not going to make it, ma’am. You need to say your goodbyes.” Klara dropped to her knees beside her pale eight-year-old boy. Tears streaming, she cried out to God in anguish: “Father, save him! Take my life instead!” God spoke to Klara: “You don’t understand what you ask, Klara.” Without hesitation, she replied, “I do, Lord—take my life! I give it willingly!”
Years later, the Lord called Klara home when she died of breast cancer. Her son, however, survived and lived to be a healthy man for 56 years. That son was Adolf Hitler, who died on April 30, 1945.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” —Isaiah 55:8-9
Our intentions may be noble and pure, but we don’t always understand God’s plan—this life remains a mystery. Bad things happen to good people, and justice doesn’t always prevail in this world. Life isn’t always fair, and things rarely unfold as we hope. Yet, a day will come when the pains of this world will cease. Until then, we must trust that the God of the universe knows what He’s doing and lay aside our worries. As Garth Brooks sang, “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” I’ve learned that God always answers our prayers—just not always with the answer we want. The challenge is to remain thankful, even in the storm.