Let me begin with a quote; I’ve used it before, but it’s
profound, specifically when you consider the source. In an episode of the 90’s animated cartoon of
Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood wall crawler says, “Life is a like a
thunderstorm; it’s unpredictable, uncontrollable, sometimes even
dangerous. We like to think we have a
handle of life, that we’re in charge.
Then, without warning, we find out how wrong we really are.”
Maybe you don’t love superheroes like I do, and you just tolerate when I compose blogs like I presented recently, the one where I gush over a 20-year old movie. But, even still, can you relate to the above quote? The world is filled with heartache, suffering, and trouble. “Man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7). Many of us know the truth of those words; we’ve experienced the anguish firsthand. I know for myself it’s been rather difficult to relay the episodes of loss I’ve articulated here; because I re-live them, and I feel the pain and grief all over again.
James MacDonald in his marvelous book “Gripped by the greatness of God” writes, “As you go through a painful circumstance, you either get closer to the Lord or further away. Trials will always push you. Either they wedge between you and God, pushing you from Him, or the weight of those same burdens drives you closer to Him…you have a choice. You can harden your heart and refuse the sovereign purposes of God…or you can run to Him.”
Earlier this month, I shared that Rebecca St. James is one of my heroes. The fact is, Rebecca also knows suffering. I appreciate the raw, authentic worship in the title track of her new project “Dawn”. But it adds even more emotional depth to hear her explain the story behind the song. She states that it is “tied to a season of winter” when she and her husband endured not just one, but two miscarriages, as well as other challenges.
With that in mind, here’s a sampling of the song “Dawn”: “Water the garden of my life with
every sorrow, every tear that I’ve cried.
Redeem this winter for Your good.
Lord, show Your power as only You could.
Help me hold on; cling to You ‘til I see the sun. [Chorus] Held by Your love, I sing alleluia;
You’re lifting my heart as I lift my hands.
Safe in Your love, I sing alleluia; You’re healing my heart as I lift my
hands." [The bridge of this song might be my favorite part] “Even
in the darkness, even when it’s hardest, You are faithful and You bring the
dawn. On every mountain, I’ll sing it
even louder, You are faithful and You bring the dawn.”
Let me conclude with this. Recently I was so blessed by a Crosswalk.com devotional – written by Aaron Berry – on Jesus’ words in John 16:33 (“In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world”) that I decided to include a paragraph of encouragement from it with you.
(By the way, I’d
love to could quote more, but the full devotional link can be found here – https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/jesus-promise-in-this-word-you-will-have-trouble-john-1633.html
“In this verse, we see two realities: 1) The followers of
Jesus will suffer distress, and 2)
Jesus has already won the victory…Following Christ is difficult and there will
be opposition. Yet, the reality of
Christ’s victory over sin and death via his own death and resurrection provides
peace and courage in the midst of that opposition.” A little later on Berry writes: “Anyone who claims that believing in Jesus brings
financial prosperity, physical health, and perfect relationships hasn’t read
his Bible. Life is tough and the
Christian life is tougher…instead of promising to eliminate trouble from our
lives, Jesus instead promises to give peace and comfort in the midst of trouble.”
Kevin
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