Message Outline
Sid Galloway, B.S., MDiv,
Director- Biblical Family Soulcare;
Church planter - Family Bible Church
sidjr@soulcare.org                         www.soulcare.org
3823 Coventry St., Slidell, LA 70458

Our son, Michael's, personal Q&A. (A seven year old with Tetrology)
     "Dad, why did God choose me to have all these heart surgeries?"

Empirical Science can only address the "What" & "How" of suffering.
     * Even quantum physics, string, chaos, & information theories
        can only speculate as to "Why".

"Why", can only be answered by God, who sees the ultimate "big picture".
     Our Creator, transcends the limits of space and time.

Biblical faith is rational, not blind
     (Hebrews 11:1; Isaiah 41:21-22; 44:7; 48:1-5; 53:1-12).
     It's a diagnosis derived from sufficient evidence:
     100's of prophetic proofs beyond a reasonable doubt.

Biblical characters who wrestled with "Why?". (Three examples)
     Enosh = sick Gen 4:26 YHWH;
     Job's God-esteem 42:5-6;
     Paul's Thorn 2 Cor 12:7-10; 1 Tim 1:15

Michael's Biblical answers satisfy the humbled soul.
(Out of the mouths of babes, Psa 8:2)
Exodus 3; 20; 33; John 11:4; 17:3; 2 Cor 1:2-3;
Jam 1:2-8; Rom 5:1-11; 8:28-29; 2 Cor 10:13

1. "To know how much we need Him"
     (To love God with all our heart, soul, .....)
     Sovereignty. Stress squeezes sin nature to the surface. Messiah. Hypotasso....

2. "To tell people at the hospital about Him"
     (To love our neighbor as we love ourselves....)
     To reveal God's character, to comfort, encourage, parakaleo ......

** Michael's decision of faith:
One night after Mike's fifth heart surgery, he called me in to talk.
He knew that the surgery didn't go well, and that he would be having more difficulty.

He said: "Dad, I need to do something I've never done before."
I asked what it was, and he said, "It starts with an 'S', Dad, but I can't remember what it is".
He thought real hard and then he remembered,
"Oh yeah, it's surrender. I've never let Jesus be my boss, Dad.
I've always been my own boss. Will you show me how to surrender to Him, Dad?"

The Lord in His sovereign plan has used Michael's weak physical heart, to bring about the healing of his spiritual heart! God is so good!!

- The Power of Suffering by John MacArthur, D.D.
     (Stronger faith through the Refiner's fire)
- How To Profit From Our Afflictions by Curtis Crenshaw, M.Th.
     (Update of T. Boston's 17th c. classic)
- Spiritual Depression by Martin Lloyd-Jones, M.D.
     (Its cause and cure)
- The Practice of Praise by C.H. Spurgeon
     (Why, how, when, and what to praise)
- The Journal of Biblical Counseling ed., David Powlison, Ph.D.
     (Practical theology applied to real life)
- The Journal of Biblical Ethics in Medicine ed., Franklin E. Payne, M.D.
     (Food for thoughtful discernment)
- Biblical Healing for Modern Medicine by Franklin E. Payne, M.D.
     (The medical field in Scripture's light)
- Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell,
     see also - More Than A Carpenter
- Faith Founded On Fact by John Warwick Montgomery, Ph.D., Th.D.
     (Evidence examined)
* The End of Science: Facing the Limits of Knowledge
   in the Twilight of the Scientific Age
     by John Horgan (A survey of efforts toward a unified theory)