Sunday, January 22, 2012

God Carries Us Through

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. -- Psalm 62:8

One of the most difficult things anyone can ever do is watch someone they love die a slow, painful death. It just seems so unfair and so unnecessary. Yet it happens every single day to someone.

A devastating diagnosis comes with tears, anger, and hope. We know that God can heal anyone from anything. We know that doctors and hospitals do wondrous things. Miracles happen. And they can happen to someone we love.

It’s a roller coaster ride that never seems to end. One day a test result offers good news and you’re soaring. Life is good and everything will be okay. A short time later the reverse happens and you can barely make it through the day. Your heart is broken -- again.

Funny thing about that ride you never wanted to take. The longer you stay on it, the more you find yourself depending on God. He’s the only thing that is steady and true during this nightmare journey. No matter how many ups and downs you endure, He’s right there where He always said He’d be. A rock to depend on when nothing else seems to work.

As the journey winds down, there is peace in knowing that our loved one will pass into the arms of their Savior. There is comfort that the good-bye is only temporary. There is gratitude in knowing that the pain will be gone forever. Somehow it makes the sadness a little easier to bear.

Sometimes we Christians think that we shouldn’t have to suffer the pains of life. Illness and heartbreak shouldn’t touch us. It does. Of course, it does. God never promised us an easy life. He promised to stay with us throughout the journey, to care for us and strengthen us. And He does.

As I read the Bible I marvel at those who suffered so much. Jesus chose 12 disciples. Judas, the betrayer, hung himself. Of the 11 remaining, only John lived to be an old man. They died because of their belief in Jesus.

Paul persecuted them before He met Jesus on that road. Yet he, too, suffered. He was beaten and jailed. He endured great hardship. And he had a thorn never really explained to us. God refused to remove it so Paul, His servant, lived with it.

Just as we live with our own pain and suffering. And, unfortunately, the pain and suffering of those we love. It isn’t an easy journey. It’s hard and, frankly, it hurts. But we are not alone. On those dark nights when strength alludes us, God reaches down to lift us up and carry us through the storm.