After my mastectomy surgery, I received several cards in the mail. I have kept the cards to look at every once in awhile because of the encouragement they bring. It is nice to be reminded that people care; and many of the messages in them have spoken to me, at various times, as messages coming directly from the Lord.
One card, in particular, was made by DaySpring and, on the back, it had a section of a Tommy Walker worship song typed out. The name of the song is LORD I RUN TO YOU. I looked it up on You Tube and, as I paid attention to the lyrics, these words in the song caught my attention:
Lord, You said we’d face
trouble pain and fears
but to be of good cheer
to be of good cheer
for You have overcome
overcome the world
I recognized these words as being part of a Bible verse:
John 16:33 - "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (NKJV)
Right there was the answer to my "Why?" Question. It is simple, really: In the world you will have tribulation. Its not a MAYBE you will have trials; its not a MAYBE you will experience difficulties; it’s a DEFINITE statement: In the world you WILL have tribulation! It doesn’t matter who you are, where you live, or what you do. NONE of us are exempt from hardship. One person’s hardship may be work related, another has lost a family member or close friend, others are dealing with financial difficulties, others are having marriage problems, some are caretakers of those with disabilities, and many more are in pain and/or are dealing with chronic illness. The list goes on. The fact of the matter is that hardship is IN THIS WORLD, and we are living IN THIS WORLD.
Right there was the answer to my "Why?" Question. It is simple, really: In the world you will have tribulation. Its not a MAYBE you will have trials; its not a MAYBE you will experience difficulties; it’s a DEFINITE statement: In the world you WILL have tribulation! It doesn’t matter who you are, where you live, or what you do. NONE of us are exempt from hardship. One person’s hardship may be work related, another has lost a family member or close friend, others are dealing with financial difficulties, others are having marriage problems, some are caretakers of those with disabilities, and many more are in pain and/or are dealing with chronic illness. The list goes on. The fact of the matter is that hardship is IN THIS WORLD, and we are living IN THIS WORLD.
BUT, there is hope....
The verse doesn’t stop there. It says, to BE OF GOOD CHEER (or in the New American Standard version, it says TAKE COURAGE). Why? Because our Savior, Jesus Christ, has OVERCOME THE WORLD!
What exactly does that mean for us? It means the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us hope in this world of trouble. It means we may have struggles for awhile, but they won’t last forever. It means, those who believe in and trust in Him for their salvation will one day live eternally with our heavenly Father and will no longer be experiencing any sickness, pain, or death. It means the Lord LOVES us with unfailing love, and HE HAS NOT FORSAKEN US.
He never forsakes those who love Him.
Deuteronomy 31:8 - The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
Am I still scared at times? Yes. Do I still get discouraged? Yes. But, I know, without a doubt, the Lord is there for me and my family as we go through this. And, with the continued support of family and friends, I believe we can make it through this. It won’t be easy, but we will make it.
Thank You, Lord.
Very encouraging. I appreciate your human honesty and love John 16:33! Praying for continued good health!
ReplyDeleteThankyou, Sylvia. Prayers are greatly appreciated.
DeleteI've read all your posts and want a digital hug. I feel a deep respect for you and love the way you show us how to deal with cancer in your body and life. Chemo is something that's so terrible! I pray for you. Love
ReplyDeleteGod has not lost Hope...He knows - so wow; kinda turns our perspectives in order. A lot we sure don't understand. But, we know God uses all things for His good that will in turn instill so much for the hurting in life.
ReplyDeleteLove you!