For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen.For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever. 2 Cor. 4:17-18 NLT
Ever wonder what God is doing in your life? Ever complained bitterly against a situation causing you discomfort? Me, too! There is another way to live. It's called submission, born of faith!
I met a family yesterday whose faith and submission to God is inspiring. I don't think they would want to be labeled, 'inspiring,' so I hope they will forgive me. The lovely lady in this family lives in a world of sharply narrow focus. The luxuries that many of us regard as necessities, seem to be of little concern to her now. She is in advanced stages of ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. It is a neurological disease that steals away all motor function, but leaves one mentally alert. She can squint and move one hand imperceptibly. That's it. She communicates with a computer that scans letters and when the 'right' one is framed, she clicks it into a sentence- slowly forming her thoughts. We talked about hope, eternity, meaning of suffering, and such weighty matters. And we talked about submission. In my strong and healthy body, it is easy for me to talk of trusting God, living in His purposes even when I cannot discern them. For her, this is not theoretical stuff; it is the fabric of her life. And, though I think that she would prefer to be whole and healthy in body, she has embraced trust. Don't get me wrong. I am not romanticizing her suffering. It is terrible and crushing. What I am praising is the faith that she and her husband have chosen for this time because their trust is releasing that glory of which the opening line of this TFTD spoke. The Presence of God's Spirit is evident in their lives. Not bitterness, nor rage, nor hatred- but rather God's Presence in the middle of a time of great sorrow.
We do not always get to choose the situations in which we live. For reasons often obscured from our understanding, we get diseases like ALS and cancer. Even when we do our best, people we love turn on us and disappoint us. Some lie, others cheat. Terrorists set off bombs in the trains we ride. The corporation for which we work decides to move operations. The question rises: are we helpless pawns, bobbing along - virtually helpless - in the current of this thing called life? NO!
We have a choice of how we will live IN those situations - trusting God and working with Him for purposes inscrutable to us in this moment so that the beauty of His love becomes evident in us and to us; or to raging against the world and sinking into despair at the unfairness of it all. What will be your choice? Remember you don't have to make that choice by your own strength either. The Spirit is present, even in our times of sufferings to help to pray, as the Bible says, "The Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words." Romans 8:26 NLT
The Word is clear on this fact. No situation in our life is wasted or meaningless! Paul writes from prison about his confinement saying, "There’s a lot of suffering to be entered into in this world—the kind of suffering Christ takes on. I welcome the chance to take my share in the church’s part of that suffering. When I became a servant in this church, I experienced this suffering as a sheer gift, God’s way of helping me serve you, laying out the whole truth." Col 1:24-25 MSG
Are you struggling today?
Are you suffering in some way that is beyond your understanding?
Trust God!
Yes, weep, for grief does not indicate lack of faith.
Yes, pray, for we are invited to pray for release from the pain.
But above all, take that wonderful prayer of a man who wanted to trust God, but who found his faith so weak, and make it your prayer: “I do believe, but help me not to doubt!” Mark 9:24 NLT
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