Whom Can I Fear?

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Sadly, our little baby didn't make it.  When the kids went to the specialist, there was no heartbeat and Sarah was induced a few days later.  Their regular OB/GYN was kind and compassionate and encouraging for future children.  The nurses were wonderful and said they hoped they were on duty for the next birth that would be in much happier circumstances.  

In the midst of this, Les' aunt passed away and an uncle had heart valve replacement surgery.  My nephew graduated from high school and I'm in the throes of 'end of year' inventory and school activities.

Social media has provided a convenient way to spread information without the dread of repeated phone calls. We've posted verses for our own encouragement as well as for other hurting people.

This has been awkward and weird.  We are not used to being on the "prayed for" end of prayers.  We have been called inspirational for our faith.  We don't want to be inspirational.  We don't want to be seen as religious.  We don't want to just be posting tried and true phrases as nothing but words.

Each new day has brought a decision or a circumstance we wish our children didn't have to deal with.  And yes, they are adult children.  (I read not long ago that a parent is only as happy as their saddest child and that has certainly been true.) Because of rules that govern hospitals, they issued a birth certificate.  Jake and Sarah chose to name their daughter Faith.

And that name pretty much sums up what has sustained our family through the last couple of weeks. Faith is all we have.  

Faith is all any of us have.  People are human and weak.  Their bodies fail.  Friendships change.  Emotions make us unreliable.  Time and distance hinder real communication. 

Thankfully, God continues to give me encouragement through His word.  I told you in the last post that I have been reading "Jesus Calling" for my morning devotional.  Each entry includes verse references that I have been looking up and writing out in a journal since January.  I've read these verses before--they are familiar words.

This has just illustrated to me how important it is to be in the Word so that when trials come and you need these verses, you can clutch these well known words close to your heart and be ministered to.

Faith is all we have.  Les and I were talking about how we believe that everything is God's will but why is it that God's will can be so painful?

It's a conundrum.  A loving God, creator of the universe, concerned with the minutia of my (and your) life that allows tragedy, trials and troubles to fall upon us.

If you can accept the plausibility of a virgin birth, if you are a believer of the resurrection of Jesus from the grave, then all you can do is accept that all those promises in the Bible are true.  If you can't believe wholly and without question in the first two statements, then the wisdom and instruction found in the Bible will be probably be meaningless. (not that we can't question God--He's big enough to handle questions, anger, doubt and fears--after all, He created us and knows what we are feeling and thinking)

We don't have to understand it.  We waste our breath trying to explain it.  The best thing we can do is exercise our faith and believe.

God is always with us. (Exodus 33:14)
His grace is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
He always works for the good of us (Romans 8:28
We can find rest in Him (Matthew 11:28-29)
We can trust Him (2 Corinthians 1:8-9)
We can always give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

We don't have to be thankful for our circumstances and we don't have to find happiness in them.

But we can be thankful that God is there with and for us in all of them. And we can find joy in the fact that He is on His throne and He is in control of all of our days.  

“For as heaven is higher than earth, 
so My ways are higher than your ways, 
and My thoughts than your thoughts."  
Isaiah 55:9