Brothers and sisters, let us pray for this brother and sister in Christ, Dale and Leilani Neumann.  These precious people are personal friends of mine.  No matter what error they have made, let us hold them up in prayer.  And especially the remaining, exceptionally kind and godly children who have been placed with a relative.  Let's not judge them harshly.  Let's just lift them before the throne of God, and ask Him to somehow bring beauty from ashes.  We can ask ourselves...do we believe God can make a mistake?

Here I leave you with a quote from a favorite book of mine, The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life, written by Hannah Whitall Smith

One of the greatest obstacles to an unwavering experience in the interior life is the difficulty of seeing God in everything.  People say, "I can easily submit to things that come from God; but I cannot submit to man, and most of my trials and crosses come through human instrumentality."  Or they say, "It is all well enough to talk of trusting; but when I commit a matter to God, man is sure to come in and disarrange it all;  and while I have no difficulty in trusting God, I do see serious difficulties in the way of trusting men."

This is no imaginary trouble, but is of vital importance; and if it cannot be met, it does really make the life of faith an impossible and visionary theory.  For nearly everything in life comes to us through human instrumentalities, and most of our trials are the result of somebody's failure, or ignorance, or carelessness, or sin.  We know God cannot be the author of these things; and yet, unless He is the agent in the matter, how can we say to Him about it, "Thy will be done"?

Besides, what good is there in trusting our affairs to God, if after all man is to be allowed to come in and disarrange them;  and how is it possible to live by faith, if human agencies, in which it would be wrong and foolish to trust, are to have a prevailing influence in moulding our lives?

Moreover, things in which we can see God's hand always have a sweetness in them that consoles while it wounds; but the trials inflicted by man are full of nothing but bitterness.

What is needed, then, is to see God in everything, and to receive everything directly from His hands, with no intervention of second causes; and it is to just this that we must be brought before we can know an abiding experience of entire abandonment and perfect trust.  Our abandonment must be to God, not to man; and our trust must be in Him, not in any arm of flesh, or we shall fail at the first trial.

The question here confronts us at once, "But is God in everything, and have we any warrant from the Scripture for receiving everything from His hands without regarding the second causes that may have been instrumental in bringing them about?"  I answer to this, unhesitatingly, Yes.  To the children of God, everything comes directly from their Father's hand, no matter who or what may have been the apparent agents.  There are no "second causes" for them. 

The whole teaching of Scripture asserts and implies this.  Not a sparrow falls to the ground without our Father.  The very hairs of our head are all numbered.  We are not to be careful about anything, because our Father cares for us.  We are not to avenge ourselves, because our Father has charged Himself with our defense.  We are not to fear, for the Lord is on our side.  No one can be against us, because He is for us.  We shall not want, for he is our Shepherd.  When we pass through the rivers they shall not overflow us, and when we walk through the fire we shall not be burned, because He will be with us.  He shuts the mouths of lions, that they cannot hurt us.  "He delivereth and rescueth."  " He changeth the times and the seasons; He removeth kings and setteth up kings."  A man's heart is in His hand, and, "as the rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever He will."  He ruleth over all the kingdoms of the heathen; and in His hand there is power and might, "so that none is able to withstand" Him.  "He ruleth the raging of the sea; when the waves thereof arise, He stilleth them."  He "bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught; He maketh the devices of the people of no effect."  "Whatsoever the Lord pleaseth, that doeth He, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and all deep places."  "Lo, these are parts of his ways:  but how little a portion is heard of Him?  But the thunder of His power who can understand?"  "Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not neither is weary?  There is no searching of His understanding."
To my own mind, these scriptures, and many others like them, settle forever the question as to the power of "second causes" in the life of the children of God.  Second causes must all be under the control of our Father, and not one of them can touch us except with His knowledge and by His permission.  It may be the sin of man that originates the action, and therefore the thing itself cannot be said to be the will of God; but by the time it reaches us it has become God's will for us, and must be accepted as directly from His hands.  No man or company of men, no power in earth or heaven, can touch that soul which is abiding in Christ, without first passing through His encircling presence, and receiving the seal of His permission.  If God be for us, it matters not who may be against us; nothing can disturb or harm us, except He shall see that it is best for us, and shall stand aside to let it pass.

In Christs love,
Sheri