The abduction of young girls is rare in Pakistan, but it is common for Pakistani police to look the other way when crimes are committed against Christians, especially when offered a bribe. This is allegedly the situation in Nadia's kidnapping, and local police have been slow to pursue the case.
A certificate was delivered to Nadia's home saying she had married Maqsood. The certificate explained, by virtue of her marriage, Nadia had officially converted from her Christian faith to Islam. Nadia is only a teenager, however. Facing anger and loss, Nadia's parents still don't say anything against Maqsood. Instead, they trust that God is powerful enough to do what is needed to bring Nadia back.
Trust is something someone can never fully understand until it is all someone has. Nadia's parents know what it is to trust. They do not necessarily trust that Nadia will indeed one day return. Instead, they have full confidence that God is able to bring her back safely. The difference is enormous. If they were to trust in a particular outcome, their trust could be shaken if it did not come to pass. But they are choosing to place their trust in God's unfailing power and ability to bring it to pass. If God in his wisdom decides not to permit her return, they will trust him all the more.
We can learn a lot about why we can trust God from the story of Job. In the midst of great trouble, Job had to trust the Lord. I can only imagine the fear he experienced as one horrible event happened after another. If you remember the story of Job, then you know that he lost everything. And by “everything,” I mean everything that was of any importance to him. Job lost everything. At the end of his story, as he repents and sings great praise to God, Job proclaims, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). Job suffered greatly, and, I imagine, he was very confused. His friends didn’t do a good job of comforting him; Job even called them “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2). But Job turned to God and was convinced of the wisdom of God, even in the midst of great pain and confusion.
We get a glimpse of Job’s view of God when he says, “His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?” (Job 9:4 NIV), and, “With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding” (Job 12:13). Job isn’t thinking about how he feels at the moment or even his current circumstances, though there is no problem with considering those things. Instead, Job realizes that in order to minister to his own heart he must remember the character of God, who God is, and why he can be trusted. Job doesn’t ignore his pain, but he does remember his King. And what did God do? He restored Job and his fortunes. He gave him twice as much livestock as he had previously possessed and gave him more children: seven sons and three daughters. Job was restored to his family and friends.
God doesn’t do anything in his sovereign will that isn’t both wise and loving. If God is for you, who can be against you? We don’t trust God simply because someone tells us to. We trust God because he is God. He is holy and awesome and righteous in every way. We can trust God because we don’t serve a God who is only sovereign and wise. He is also infinitely loving. Do you trust God only so far, depending on the outcome? Or do you trust him despite any outcome?
