The following is an e-mail I wrote to a friend. Normally I would write an original blog entry, but this letter sums up what I was going to write again anyway. I'm not going to include my friend's name, I'll just say he's going through some pretty tough times right now...
"Dear...,
I am, of course praying for you. I know there a lot of people that are praying for you.
I want to share a passage with you, that I'm sure you know, but it's a verse that gave me great hope when I was going through the decision about what to do with my foot.
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:26-28
Specifically, it was verse 28 that brought me the comfort. I was, and you are, looking down a hallway that looks very dark, with not a lot of hope down there. But I had to be faithful; I had to trust that the Bible was true, was accurate, and applied to me. It's not easy, but this is really where the rubber meets the road when it comes to our faith, are we going to trust that God not just knows the future, but He knows the future because He plans the future, and it will work out for His glory.
This is not just the place where you faith becomes more important in your life, but it also gives you the opportunity to make your faith even more real to the people around you. We only have to look to Paul to see an example of this in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10
"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
We both have a dark cloud hovering over us, yours seems darker than mine with all that you are going through, and I don't know what's going to happen with my other foot yet. But what I do know is that God loves both of us, God wants what's best for us, and whatever happens, it will work for God's glory, so we should be rejoicing in that."
I hope this brings all of you comfort. This is something that I talked about several times this week as I was out with Coastlands. And that is a huge blessing in and of itself, I had a wonderful week with Coastlands, and I look forward to more weeks in the future.
Also, I get my car set up with hand controls this week so soon I'll be able to drive again!
Thanks for reading!
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