This past week has been one that I don’t think I will forget for
a while. We attended two funerals of
friends of ours, one 54 years old and one 56 years old. Each of them went to bed and woke up in the
presence of Jesus. Both deaths were very
unexpected and both left families in shock.
On top of those events, my father was unexpectedly admitted to
the hospital after falling several times over a 24-hour period. I had just taken him to the doctor the week
before and we had received a great report on him; so this event caught us by
surprise.
Sometimes, God doesn’t make sense, does He? He allows things to happen that aren’t on our
agenda. We often think we have our plans all made and
we know where we are headed…and then in a moment’s notice…everything has
changed. Those things that seemed so
important to accomplish, suddenly don’t seem so urgent. Without warning, our priorities are
completely different and our schedule has to be realigned to adapt to the “new
normal”.
I saw families this past week who were suddenly thrown into a
“new normal”. In a split second…life as
they knew it had drastically changed and someone whom they dearly loved was
gone…leaving a huge hole in their family.
But what I witnessed in both situations were followers of Christ who
weren’t bitter about the hand they had been dealt, but instead were choosing to
praise Him in the storm. Yes, they were and
will continue to grieve the loss of their loved one, but they have chosen to
focus on the One who holds them in His hands.
The thought that went through my mind several times last week
was, “Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand. But I know who holds tomorrow and I know who
holds my hand.” What a reassurance this
is to us as Christians. No matter what
life throws at us…we can know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we are not
alone. Our Savior never leaves our side
and never lets go of our hand. He is
already in our tomorrow and knows exactly what we will need and when we will
need it.
A song that was played in one of the funerals spoke to me and
I’m sure many others. The song, “Praise
You in This Storm”, contained these lyrics:
I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You
in this storm
It’s not hard to sing
these words when everything is going as planned. But what a powerful testimony it is when they
are shared by a family who is in the midst of a storm. That is what true followers of Christ look
like and how all of us should be living in the good times and in the bad.
Maybe you have just
been thrown head first into a “new normal”.
Maybe you have also lost a loved one or maybe you have just been given a
medical diagnosis that came out of the blue.
Wherever you find yourself today, if the storm is raging around you, why
not try praising Jesus. He knows every
last detail of your situation and sees every tear and every sigh of
despair. You may not have a clue what
tomorrow holds for you, but you can know who holds your tomorrow and who
desperately wants to hold your hand.
Reach out to Him today and let Him guide you every step of the way
because there are no “new normals” that He doesn’t understand.
Each time he said, “My grace is
all you need. My power
works best in weakness.” So now
I am glad to boast
about my weaknesses, so that
the power of Christ
can work through me. That’s why
I take pleasure
in my weaknesses, and in the
insults, hardships,
persecutions, and troubles that
I suffer for Christ.
For when I am weak, then I am
strong.
2
Corinthians 12:9-10
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