Intimacy Is Enhanced By Adversity
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Floyd is the same. I pray daily that he won't get the virus. With his already weakened chest, it would be unbearable.
A family member told me about a man who has studied pandemics throughout history. He said that the common denominator of all of them is a "humbling." Man realizes that he is no match for nature, and the mighty are suddenly at the mercy of something out of their control. How very true. We often think we have things "in control." Life is good. Everything is going smoothly. And then something like a pandemic comes along to turn the whole world upside down!!
We have experienced this type of "humbling" in our lives in recent years. Tomorrow marks 6 years since I was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I remember the day Floyd and I sat in the doctor's office and received the news. It was so unexpected. She gave us a rather grim prognosis. We were in a bit of shock. We went to the car where we sat and cried together - then we prayed together. We told the Lord, as we have through all our lives together, that we were in His hands. We were definitely "humbled" - not in control. And the journey began!
It's been a journey of 6 surgeries, 4 times of doing chemotherapy, and a number of other treatments and therapies. It's been hard. It's been a battle. But I'm alive!! My doctor says it's a miracle - not a term she normally uses. She said that most of her patients are gone in 2 years. She reminded me that even though I struggle with some of the effects of the cancer.......I'm alive! She's pretty surprised about that. I join her in saying it's a miracle - one that I'm very grateful for.
It was a short 20 months later when Floyd was struck down. From being active, healthy, and feeling perfectly fine - to being immobile and silent in just a few days. A huge "humbling." A massive impact for me and our family in feeling that life was very much not in our control. The BIG unexpected journey began.
The doctors gave him 6 months to live. Then 12 months. Then 18 months.......then they said they had no idea what his prognosis would be. They are amazed that he's alive. No one - not us, not the doctors - has been in control. It's been a huge "humbling."
We are keenly, daily aware that it is God who is in control......even when things feel out of control. Circumstances change all the time, but God is unchanging. He is our solid rock, our anchor. He is aware of everything we are facing. We are not abandoned in the midst of the storms that hit us. He is with us - nothing can separate us from Him.
I have no idea how our story ends.....well, I do. Someday we'll be in heaven with Him! But I don't know when that will be. What I DO know, is that He is with us each and every day until that happens. Whatever we face, whatever is "thrown" at us - we are not alone! He is wonderfully, faithfully, always by our side.
"Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding." Proverbs 3:5
"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken." Psalm 62:5,6
"I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38,39
"He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8
Sarah Young says that the intimacy we share with the Lord is enhanced by adversity when we invite Him into our experience without bitterness or resentment. I want that "enhanced" intimacy with Him in the midst of our trials! It is such a precious gift.
We have been "humbled" by the things that have come into our lives, but He has walked faithfully beside us each and every day.
As the weeks continue to go by with this worldwide pandemic, I get messages from more and more of my friends telling me how hard they find it. Some have mentioned that things seem out of control. Others find it overwhelming. Quite a few are discouraged. It's not just the pandemic. It seems like there is upheaval on many levels. I understand how difficult it is.
But - what if I were to tell you that there was a terrible time like this in America in the past. There was a pandemic in which 100,000+ people died in the US, and over 1 million (some say as many as 4 million) died around the world. Morality was on the decline. There was marching and protesting against racism - with accompanying violence and deaths. There was tremendous political upheaval with lots of anti-government sentiment. A friend who worked with us in Amsterdam recently shared about this and reminded me.
The year? 1968! It was the Hong Kong flu. Woodstock took place that year - no social distancing! Civil rights marches and protests against the Vietnam war were all over the country. It was a hard, painful, traumatic time!
And then - just a year later the Jesus Movement broke out. God started moving in remarkable ways. Over the next few years 3 million, mostly young people, radically came to Christ! This continued on into the 1970s and through to the turn of the century. Millions and millions came to know Jesus worldwide.
I've said a number of times in my updates that I wish I could see from God's perspective into what is happening with the current pandemic. Now we also have a wave of protests all over the world. There is tremendous political tension in this election year in the US. How does God see all this? I truly don't know.
But one thing I DO know - He's at work in our world! He hasn't thrown up His hands and said "what a mess!" No, He is working, moving, touching lives.......He is listening attentively to each and every prayer we are lifting up. Someone said to me that it seems like God is unmoved by our prayers. I know that's not the case. I know His heart. I know He is setting things in motion that we can't see. I know He has good things in store for us. His word promises that.
In the midst of hard times, it's so important to keep our eyes on Him. It's vital that we keep hope alive in our hearts. We must stand on the promises in His Word. We must lean into Him as our Rock and Refuge more than we ever have before.
I don't know what's ahead, but I know the One who holds that future in His hands. He is faithful and trustworthy. I'm holding tightly to His hand as I navigate these difficult days.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
"And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast." 1 Peter 5:10
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
"But now, this is what the Lord says - He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.' " Isaiah 43:1,2
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:17,18
You've probably heard the saying "history repeats itself." I'm hoping the history of the Jesus Movement/the Jesus Revival repeats itself - bigger and greater than last time. We are walking through some hard days, but I'm confident that God has good things in store for us. He is at work right now even if we can't see what He's doing. Let's keep leaning into His strength and sustaining grace.