Some years ago, our beautiful, beloved son, Michael, was diagnosed with inoperable Ewings Sarcoma of the spine. At the time he was a young man full of the joys and promise of life. After 15 months of chemo/radiology, he died (physically) in Jesus. It was our honour & deep pain, as his parents and sisters with husbands, to nurse our very loved son and brother to his last earthly day. The year was 2006, shortly after his 27th birthday. Our hearts broke all along the way.
We can testify from experience that God is right there when we need Him - even though He owes us no such grace. With tender-heartedness and real help He sustains us in our grief, day by day by day. Emmanual!
What about all those Why-questions?
Rather than answering Job's queries, God gives him 64 additional scenarios to unravel. Where is the help in that, you may protest. Just this: God gives Job a much bigger picture of reality and Job is in that place of standing, hand over mouth, in awe of God. That's where we want to be.
In His wisdom and patience and love, our Father gives His children ample space to ask our questions in a non-rebellious attitude. And it's not as if He leaves us in our terror, flailing and failing to get out of that deadly slimey pit of unanswered questions, purposelessness and despair. Not one little bit.
Please, open a Bible again and again and humbly rely on the Holy Spirit to show you many,really many, logical reasons and solid promises from His Word for suffering. As you take this information of God's ultimate plans on board, so you will progressively take heart and endure with confidence in His will. God can be fully trusted! And though you will still mourn and miss your loved one, you will also be transformed by meaningful suffering and His enabling and His priceless presence.
With our eyes of faith on Him and His glorious ultimate purposes, we can move from sheer despair, to awe and, with our eye on His purposes, even rejoice - even if through tears.
Of course we will still not have all the information, for example, we are not let in on the time-scales. But we know our God is as good as His Word, full of truth, grace and compassion and as for His ultimate plans, they are infinitely more brilliant and glorious than our limited imaginations could ever plot of fathom.
Just see how powerfully our God's love and comfort is at work: Gordon and I can honestly sing this song from the heart, even if through tears:
"Faithful One so unchanging
Ageless One You’re my rock of peace
Lord of all I depend on You
I call out to You, again and again
You are my rock in times of trouble
You lift me up when I fall down
All through the storm Your love is the anchor
My hope is in You alone"
How we hope that through some of the ordinary posts on this blog, you too, in your unique suffering, will connect by faith with the Lord Jesus Who heals/is healing the broken-hearted.
Here is the reason why God is so wonderfully close to His children.
