In Our Weakness His Strength Is Made Perfect
I gave my life to The Lord several months ago and have been experiencing the work of the Holy Spirit ever since. He has been convicting me left and right of so many of my sins. This week I received a lesson in true trust and gratitude, and thought it might be worth sharing. So many of you have been inspiring me lately, so perhaps God will speak through me today to touch one of you.
On Wednesday night my 11-month-old baby Caleb, started throwing up as soon as we got home from church around 8 p.m. I was shocked and didn't know what was happening at first. Caleb was totally fine one minute and then suddenly vomiting repeatedly the next. As soon as I realized what was going on I held him and hugged him, trying to comfort him as much as possible. By the time I got him upstairs to change his wet shirt, it happened again. And again. I felt fear rising in me, especially after reading online about some warning signs that Caleb seemed to be exhibiting, so I turned to God in prayer. I prayed and prayed, knowing that He had Caleb in the palm of his hand and loves my baby so much more than I can even imagine. I told Him I was afraid, but that rather than rushing to the Emergency Room and acting frantically out of fear, I was going to wait on Him to tell me what to do. I continued to hold Caleb as he slept, comforted him when he woke up to throw up, and held him as he drifted back to sleep. We called the pediatrician but the nurse didn't feel we needed to take him anywhere. I sat up with my son all throughout the night, during which time the Holy Spirit began working on me. He was instructing me to give thanks. Normally I wouldn't feel thankful while my child was super sick, but The Lord calls us to thank Him in ALL things. It's easy for us to feel thankful on good days, of course, even non-Christians. Yet how fast we are, non-believers in particular, to question God and point the finger at Him the minute something unfavorable happens. But these things, such as cancer, death, rape, murder, fires, job loss, etc. are not God's fault, I've been learning. God's plan, when he created Earth and mankind, was for us to live with Him in paradise. Sin entered the world through Adam, Eve, and the serpent, but God didn't intend that. And now, thanks to them, we live in a fallen world full of sin. Until this week, I guess I just assumed that illness and all these "bad" things came from God too, but they don't! Scripture says "every good and perfect gift is from above" (James 1:17). The bad comes from Satan and from this sinful world. God hates that; He hates all the pain and suffering in this world, and He wants us to come to Him with it and lean on Him so He can be our strength. "For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you 'Fear not, I am the one who helps you'" (Isaiah 41:13). Often we want God just to stop "bad" things from happening to us or to "take them away" but he doesn't always work like that. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For 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). He often uses trials and tribulations, as well as the work of Satan, to bring about good and strengthen our faith in Him. God does, of course, have the power to heal and stop things from happening, but He does this all the time, we just never seem to notice or focus on that. It's so much easier for our human minds to focus on the bad, the things we didn't want to happen or don't have, than those we do. But what we don't know or see is all the things He has already protected us from, the ways He redirected us from something/someone we thought we wanted to something/someone better. And I just saw Him do this for myself. I saw Him protect some of his faithful followers from getting this nasty virus that my family and I had.
After Caleb got sick I did, then Shawn did, then my dad (everyone who lives in this house), and then we found out my "Aunt," who watched Caleb for a couple hours Tuesday night, got sick too. "Oh Lord, I thought, why?! Dad and Aunt Sandie were helping us, why did you allow them to get this when I prayed asking you not to?" But then I realized that God didn't GIVE this to them. Sickness is of this world. It happens here. He didn't do it. And of course he could've stopped it from happening, but I'm sure that he has bigger fish to fry than a stomach flu. Then the Holy Spirit opened my eyes - My girlfriend Sarah! She and her family didn't get sick! I had also prayed so hard that she wouldn't. Sarah, her 17-month-old Naomi, and her mom had Caleb and I over for lunch on Tuesday. I prayed that The Lord would protect them from this illness most of all because Sarah's mom is currently undergoing chemotherapy and contracting something like this could seriously harm her. Additionally, Sarah is pregnant and vomiting so many times could harm her or the baby she is carrying, and her whole family is about to leave for a family vacation that they so deserve and I couldn't forgive myself if we ruined that. Everyone who came into any kind of contact with us got this bug within 24 hours, everyone...except Sarah and her family. Praise God! But see, we are so often looking at what God allowed to happen that we often neglect what he protected us from. We don't understand his ways and we won't while we live on Earth but we are called to trust him even when we can't see how he's working, knowing that in "ALL things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28). This isn't easy, of course, but it is how He calls us to live as Christians. And honestly, it takes such a weight off my shoulders when I can rest knowing that God's got it, and that He can handle it and work it for good so much better than I ever could. God is the one in control, not me, despite what I often think, and I'm so glad that He is. Because even though I wish my whole family didn't get sick and that we didn't have to cancel Caleb's first birthday party, I learned a lot. For what is perhaps the first time in my life, I truly trusted God with something, rather than just telling him I was trusting him and then continuing to worry about it and control it myself. I also went to Him for strength, not knowing how I would take care of Caleb when both Shawn and I were so weak and ill, and He helped me. I know it was Him, because both my dad and Shawn said they couldn't have done it and we all had the same thing. After I went to The Lord and told Him I needed his help, my symptoms became less severe. It was amazing. "My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). He truly was my strength. And lastly, The Lord also also taught me true gratitude. I was aware before that I am supposed to be grateful in good times and bad, and I have tried, but I didn't really understand how to be grateful for something "bad" and was never able to truly feel grateful before. This time, I was. I was grateful Caleb wasn't throwing up from something much worse like a cancerous tumor. I'm grateful he wasn't hospitalized, or that we all weren't. I'm grateful we had blankets to keep us warm when we felt freezing, I'm grateful we had water to drink and beds to sleep in. I'm grateful my dad was here to run to the store for some things we needed. I'm grateful our illness lasted just over 24 hours each instead of days. There is always so much to be grateful for, and expressing gratitude in ALL circumstances helps us refocus on God instead of our problems. And interestingly enough, when we focus on Him our problems suddenly seem a whole lot smaller.
In closing, it has become very apparent to me lately that whatever our problems, illness, loneliness, marital discord or financial strife, GOD is the only answer. The Lord tells us in John 16:33, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world." Notice that he doesn't say you "might" have tribulation, but that you "will" have tribulation. It's a guarantee. We live in a fallen world, full of sin and darkness, but there is hope - God! He is the way, the truth, and the light. Whatever you are struggling with, go to Him. Lean on Him and draw strength from Him. He will help you. That's what he does. Just remember not to get it mixed up in your head the way I did. God doesn't make bad things happen. He may not do or stop things how we want, or when we want, but we must trust in Him, confident that no matter how things may seem, He always has our best interest at heart, but we are so quick to question this, like Eve was in the Garden of Eden. And with that shred of doubt the serpent placed in her heart, sin entered the world. True love, and trust, doesn't waver with changing circumstances. If we, with our sinful and selfish tendencies, are capable of sustaining marriages and loving each other through life's ups and downs, can you even imagine how God's love for us must be?! I believe God loves me and all of us more than we can comprehend, and if I do believe this, I need to practice trusting Him more and more, especially when things don't go my way. This bout with the stomach flu was good practice, and I look forward to more opportunities to stop questioning and start questing - for Him and His will! Thank you Father, for continuing to sanctify me. May you mold me more into likeness every day. Amen.
On Wednesday night my 11-month-old baby Caleb, started throwing up as soon as we got home from church around 8 p.m. I was shocked and didn't know what was happening at first. Caleb was totally fine one minute and then suddenly vomiting repeatedly the next. As soon as I realized what was going on I held him and hugged him, trying to comfort him as much as possible. By the time I got him upstairs to change his wet shirt, it happened again. And again. I felt fear rising in me, especially after reading online about some warning signs that Caleb seemed to be exhibiting, so I turned to God in prayer. I prayed and prayed, knowing that He had Caleb in the palm of his hand and loves my baby so much more than I can even imagine. I told Him I was afraid, but that rather than rushing to the Emergency Room and acting frantically out of fear, I was going to wait on Him to tell me what to do. I continued to hold Caleb as he slept, comforted him when he woke up to throw up, and held him as he drifted back to sleep. We called the pediatrician but the nurse didn't feel we needed to take him anywhere. I sat up with my son all throughout the night, during which time the Holy Spirit began working on me. He was instructing me to give thanks. Normally I wouldn't feel thankful while my child was super sick, but The Lord calls us to thank Him in ALL things. It's easy for us to feel thankful on good days, of course, even non-Christians. Yet how fast we are, non-believers in particular, to question God and point the finger at Him the minute something unfavorable happens. But these things, such as cancer, death, rape, murder, fires, job loss, etc. are not God's fault, I've been learning. God's plan, when he created Earth and mankind, was for us to live with Him in paradise. Sin entered the world through Adam, Eve, and the serpent, but God didn't intend that. And now, thanks to them, we live in a fallen world full of sin. Until this week, I guess I just assumed that illness and all these "bad" things came from God too, but they don't! Scripture says "every good and perfect gift is from above" (James 1:17). The bad comes from Satan and from this sinful world. God hates that; He hates all the pain and suffering in this world, and He wants us to come to Him with it and lean on Him so He can be our strength. "For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you 'Fear not, I am the one who helps you'" (Isaiah 41:13). Often we want God just to stop "bad" things from happening to us or to "take them away" but he doesn't always work like that. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For 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). He often uses trials and tribulations, as well as the work of Satan, to bring about good and strengthen our faith in Him. God does, of course, have the power to heal and stop things from happening, but He does this all the time, we just never seem to notice or focus on that. It's so much easier for our human minds to focus on the bad, the things we didn't want to happen or don't have, than those we do. But what we don't know or see is all the things He has already protected us from, the ways He redirected us from something/someone we thought we wanted to something/someone better. And I just saw Him do this for myself. I saw Him protect some of his faithful followers from getting this nasty virus that my family and I had.
After Caleb got sick I did, then Shawn did, then my dad (everyone who lives in this house), and then we found out my "Aunt," who watched Caleb for a couple hours Tuesday night, got sick too. "Oh Lord, I thought, why?! Dad and Aunt Sandie were helping us, why did you allow them to get this when I prayed asking you not to?" But then I realized that God didn't GIVE this to them. Sickness is of this world. It happens here. He didn't do it. And of course he could've stopped it from happening, but I'm sure that he has bigger fish to fry than a stomach flu. Then the Holy Spirit opened my eyes - My girlfriend Sarah! She and her family didn't get sick! I had also prayed so hard that she wouldn't. Sarah, her 17-month-old Naomi, and her mom had Caleb and I over for lunch on Tuesday. I prayed that The Lord would protect them from this illness most of all because Sarah's mom is currently undergoing chemotherapy and contracting something like this could seriously harm her. Additionally, Sarah is pregnant and vomiting so many times could harm her or the baby she is carrying, and her whole family is about to leave for a family vacation that they so deserve and I couldn't forgive myself if we ruined that. Everyone who came into any kind of contact with us got this bug within 24 hours, everyone...except Sarah and her family. Praise God! But see, we are so often looking at what God allowed to happen that we often neglect what he protected us from. We don't understand his ways and we won't while we live on Earth but we are called to trust him even when we can't see how he's working, knowing that in "ALL things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28). This isn't easy, of course, but it is how He calls us to live as Christians. And honestly, it takes such a weight off my shoulders when I can rest knowing that God's got it, and that He can handle it and work it for good so much better than I ever could. God is the one in control, not me, despite what I often think, and I'm so glad that He is. Because even though I wish my whole family didn't get sick and that we didn't have to cancel Caleb's first birthday party, I learned a lot. For what is perhaps the first time in my life, I truly trusted God with something, rather than just telling him I was trusting him and then continuing to worry about it and control it myself. I also went to Him for strength, not knowing how I would take care of Caleb when both Shawn and I were so weak and ill, and He helped me. I know it was Him, because both my dad and Shawn said they couldn't have done it and we all had the same thing. After I went to The Lord and told Him I needed his help, my symptoms became less severe. It was amazing. "My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). He truly was my strength. And lastly, The Lord also also taught me true gratitude. I was aware before that I am supposed to be grateful in good times and bad, and I have tried, but I didn't really understand how to be grateful for something "bad" and was never able to truly feel grateful before. This time, I was. I was grateful Caleb wasn't throwing up from something much worse like a cancerous tumor. I'm grateful he wasn't hospitalized, or that we all weren't. I'm grateful we had blankets to keep us warm when we felt freezing, I'm grateful we had water to drink and beds to sleep in. I'm grateful my dad was here to run to the store for some things we needed. I'm grateful our illness lasted just over 24 hours each instead of days. There is always so much to be grateful for, and expressing gratitude in ALL circumstances helps us refocus on God instead of our problems. And interestingly enough, when we focus on Him our problems suddenly seem a whole lot smaller.
In closing, it has become very apparent to me lately that whatever our problems, illness, loneliness, marital discord or financial strife, GOD is the only answer. The Lord tells us in John 16:33, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world." Notice that he doesn't say you "might" have tribulation, but that you "will" have tribulation. It's a guarantee. We live in a fallen world, full of sin and darkness, but there is hope - God! He is the way, the truth, and the light. Whatever you are struggling with, go to Him. Lean on Him and draw strength from Him. He will help you. That's what he does. Just remember not to get it mixed up in your head the way I did. God doesn't make bad things happen. He may not do or stop things how we want, or when we want, but we must trust in Him, confident that no matter how things may seem, He always has our best interest at heart, but we are so quick to question this, like Eve was in the Garden of Eden. And with that shred of doubt the serpent placed in her heart, sin entered the world. True love, and trust, doesn't waver with changing circumstances. If we, with our sinful and selfish tendencies, are capable of sustaining marriages and loving each other through life's ups and downs, can you even imagine how God's love for us must be?! I believe God loves me and all of us more than we can comprehend, and if I do believe this, I need to practice trusting Him more and more, especially when things don't go my way. This bout with the stomach flu was good practice, and I look forward to more opportunities to stop questioning and start questing - for Him and His will! Thank you Father, for continuing to sanctify me. May you mold me more into likeness every day. Amen.
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