My best buddy starts chemo today to engage in battle against several more tumors that have appeared in various places around his body. It is the vicious kind of chemo and in fact is very similar to the type that my wife has been taking for the last three months and the task ahead of him is not for sissies.
I dread it for him.
Sunday after church nearly our entire congregation went down to the front to pray for all of the people in our church who are suffering as well as friends and families. It was amazing how many people have cancer, but it was not limited to cancer; one member of our church family for which we prayed had a heart attack early Friday morning, and there were still others who were praying for friends and family that were suffering from a variety of ailments.
I went home from the service with a severe headache.
I know so many people that need prayer right now that my head is spinning, not to mention the condition of the world with its wars, famine, terrorism, anti-God sentiment, perversion, immorality, and poverty.
I was thinking about this today and I wondered about God who is seeing the suffering and mayhem taking place all over the world. I wonder if it ever gives Him a headache.
I don’t think there is enough Bayer aspirin in the world to comfort someone who is privy to global misery. Of course God is not just “someone”, He is almighty God and doesn’t need aspirin for relief. I think God gets His relief in knowing how things are going to turn out. His far reaching gaze extends trillions of years into the future and He sees His church living in love, peace, joy, and unity, free from tears, sadness, sickness, and death. He looks at our limited time on earth as a small blip on His eternal big screen.
When I think about it I am privy to the same information that God has in this regard. All I have to do is pick up my Bible and begin reading about how things are going to turn out. There is no reason to be discouraged when we lose a battle here and there because God has assured us that the war has already been won. Billy Graham used to say that he was not worried about the condition of the world to include the increase in evil, because he had read the last chapter of the Bible. There should be no need for aspirin for us either.
I have lived through and experienced first-hand two raging hurricanes. The storms were brutal and it appeared as though I would be swept away to oblivion, but when it subsided I don’t think I’ve ever observed a more beautiful blue sky with white puffy clouds lazily drifting on high. If you or a loved one is suffering, then I say hold on my dear friends. Victory in Jesus is right around the corner. After our raging storms of life subside we will enjoy blue skies and white puffy clouds forever. Take heart and fight the good fight. We’re almost there!
Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
July 27, 2015 – Click here to listen