God's faithfulness shines brightest in our deepest sorrow
God's faithfulness shine brightly in our deepest sorrow
Just as the brightest stars are seen in the darkest nights, one can only fully experience and appreciate the faithfulness of God in the crucible of trials and painful testing.
I read this story about Dr. Michelle Bengtson studied , a neuropsychologist who has own clinical practice in the Dallas area.
This lady went through one crisis after another in her life. A potentially deadly childhood illness left me with physical disfigurement and petite in stature. The she lost her father when I was a young adolescent. After marrying and starting a family, my husband was given a diagnosis of a very rare form of cancer. Doctors told us to get our affairs in order because he had less than two years to live. At the same time, her mother was given a diagnosis of lung cancer and began her own treatment before ultimately dying from the disease. Years later, she succumbed to a life threatening illness. Put on five months of bed-rest, kept alive on IV-hydration and nutrition, and unable to be the doctor because she had become the patient, led to a severe bout of depression. Recently, she was on the way with my husband to see his oncologist, when her own doctor called and delivered the news no one ever wants to hear: “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but you have cancer.” She had been the caregiver to her husband after three different bouts of cancer, and to her mother during her cancer journey, but now she was having to learn to be the patient. Such a hard, painful experience.
But this is what she has to say about her experience:
“Yet as I clung to God’s truth and his promises to us, he comforted me. Then he brought others alongside who were diagnosed with cancer just not quite as far along in their journey so that I could walk with them and offer them they same comfort God had given me (2 Corinthians 1:4).
“Yet what I have discovered is that God never wastes our pain. Truly what the enemy intends to harm us, God will use for good and for his glory (Genesis 50:20).”
“As I’ve aged, and experienced more of life’s trials, I’m grateful that I can look back and see God’s goodness and faithfulness through each one. It served me well, especially when the doctor delivered a cancer diagnosis, and most recently when my husband shared about another health concern prompting a visit to his doctor. I was able to think back on God’s faithfulness throughout my life and determine that since God had always been faithful and trustworthy, I have no reason to doubt Him now (Deuteronomy 7:9). It allows me to maintain faith in the goodness of God, even when life doesn’t go as I would desire (Hebrews 11:1).”
What an amazing testimony
In the Bible we read about a man who went through worst situation that the one above. In fact as far as I know no one has been through such immense loss and devastation. And all this happened when he was faithful to God and keeping all the commandments of the Lord.
In fact God himself testified of him that “There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
Yes, you guessed it right. I was talking about Job. He was a very rich man but just in one day he lost all his possessions and all his ten children. And it was no fault of his own. It was a duel between God and Satan.
Most of us would have given up on God in a situation like this but Job said:
• Job 1:21 – ….The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
We really don’t know how long Job suffered. [1]According to biblical scholars who include James Glentworth Butler, The Bible-Work: Old Testament, Vol. 4- Job suffered approximately 60-80 years- the equivalent of our contemporary lifespan. But during these times, Job did not curse God or lose his faith in him. But rather through all these difficulties and torment, he saw God’s faithfulness
• Job 42:5- I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye has seen you
The Bible tells us God honoured His servant and blessed him a double fold of all that he lost.
It was his deepest agony that revealed the plausibility of God’s faithfulness. If you are going through trying moments in your life, take heart, His faithfulness will see you through.
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