Part One:
Last September my little niece, Claire, was born unexpectedly and early. Her mom needed an emergency c-section and as a result little Claire's lungs were not fully developed. In the following weeks she had ups and downs but now is a vibrant, adorable 9 month old *revised...almost 2 year old. One morning, while down on my knees praying, I recalled the story in the Bible when some friends brought a paralyzed man before Jesus. They were so desperate to get their loved one into Jesus' presence they tore a hole in the roof and lowered him through it.
This morning I found myself down on my knees praying for another loved one. I decided to read this story and read some commentary to see what I could learn. The version I read is found in Mark 2:1-12. A few things stuck out to me while reading it: the friends had to dig through the muddy, thatched roof; Jesus initial response was to forgive their sins and then to heal the man; Jesus was able to see into the hearts of those present without them even saying a word; in the end they were all amazed and glorified God.
As a friend or family member of someone going through a difficult situation we don't always know what to do. Likewise, when we are the one in the middle of it, our thoughts and prayers are quite jumbled. What I love about prayer is that we can surround those struggling, bring them into God's presence and ask for healing, comfort and strength on their behalf. We may need to dig deep and persevere on their behalf just like the friends in this story. They had no easy task bringing their friend before Jesus but in doing so they brought him hope.
When Jesus saw the man, he didn't immediately command him to get up and walk like everyone expected. Instead he said, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Jesus is first concerned with the man's spirit and soul. After being sick and bed ridden for what we think is years, it's safe to assume that both his body and spirit are wounded.
Part Two:
Yesterday at church we sang the song Glory to Glory (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuAjUul-iUM). Every time I sing it the words of the chorus stick out to me. Here they are:
We go from glory to glory to glory
We'll never be the same, we'll never be the same
We go from glory to glory to glory
We're forever changed, forever changed
Imagine if we thought of our difficult situations, times of suffering and pain, periods of questioning God's will or lack of action in our lives as glory moments. They can be opportunities for us to experience God's grace that will forever change our hearts and understanding of Him. Hopefully, like the crippled man from the story above, both our body and soul will be healed and made new.
As I wrote last year, there may be moments we don't have words and have to rely on others to pray for us and with us. But I would encourage you, when you have a good day in the midst of your suffering, or if you are in a peaceful period in your life at the moment, to ask God what you can learn about Him and yourself from the situation. Pray for him to change your heart and open your soul to His work.
I have just come out of a challenging work situation. I am looking forward to new and good things as I start a new job tomorrow. There were moments when I questioned why God wasn't working on my behalf, helping me get a call back from the numerous jobs I was applying to. Then praying for strength for myself and my family as I worked at a job with challenging hours these past few months. I want all those moments of questioning, heartache and sometimes even despair, to be moments I can give God glory for.
He is faithful. He has a bigger and better plan then we can ask for or imagine. He will give you what you need in order to make it out of your situation. He will carry you through. I have experienced this first hand and want to give God all the glory. My hope is that the more I remind myself of these truths while I am thinking clearly and seeing God's plan at work, the easier it will be to recall when I am questioning and in the midst of a hard time.
