Author A.W. Tozer says, "In every generation, the people who have found
God have been those who have come to the end of themselves. Recognizing
their hopelessness, they have been ready to throw themselves on the
mercy and grace of a forgiving God."
I am not one who seeks out trouble or thrills. I definitely do not look for tough times and trials. I prefer an even keeled life without falling into the pits and the darkness. But from my own experiences, it is in the pit - in the desert - in the darkness - that I experience God more intimately than I do from the safety and security of the easy days.
I have a feeling Jonah may have had second thoughts about urging the
sailors to hurl him into the sea if he had known on the boat that he
would end up in the belly of a fish. But had Jonah remained on the boat, he would have missed out on God's incredible display of mercy and grace! Once inside the fish, Jonah had some time to think and reflect about what he had just experienced - about what the Lord had just done for him - the rebel prophet. And for the first time since this story began, Jonah prayed to God.
What I find so fascinating about Jonah's prayer is that he was not asking for deliverance from the inside of the fish, which, if I'm honest, would probably be the very first thing I would have bellowed out to God! He was not begging for help or even asking why. Instead, Jonah was praising God and thanking Him for rescuing him from certain death - even if his rescue could still result in his death.
Jonah realized this: "Death is not the worst-case scenario; life without God is" (Kaitlin Wernet).
Let that sit for a minute.
Jonah had taken off as soon as he realized that God was asking him to do something he absolutely did not want to do - go to Nineveh and call out their sins against the Lord. And yet, here he sat, in the belly of the fish that the Lord had appointed, gratefully thanking God. Jonah had called out to the Lord, and not only did the Lord hear his prayer, but He answered him (v.2). "Jonah had done nothing to deserve being rescued; his salvation was by grace alone (ESV text note).
Jonah had not confessed or repented of his selfish actions. He was not interceding on behalf of the pagan sailors or the people in Nineveh. He does admit that "Salvation belongs to the Lord" (v.9), but he has yet to extend these thoughts beyond himself. He still did not understand that God's desire was not only to have grace and mercy on Jonah - or those Jonah deemed worthy of God's grace and mercy. God's desire then and now is that all people would turn to Him and away from the sin in their lives. He wants ALL people - to the ends of the earth - to know and confess that He is the One True God - that we would all recognize, even from the depths of despair, that life with Jesus is better than life without Jesus.
God chose to give Jonah mercy - not giving Jonah what he deserved. And
God chose to give Jonah grace - giving him forgiveness that Jonah did
not deserve and could never deserve. He had chosen Jonah to speak in
Nineveh, and He was willing to extend His hand of mercy to Jonah to show
His faithfulness and kindness. And sometimes we end up in the darkness of a figurative fish belly before we can fully see the magnitude of the Lord's graciousness.
I am learning to be thankful for the fact that God does not lay before
me a timeline of crisis for me to study because I know I would attempt
to steer my life around those moments, staying safe, but missing the
blessing of God's grace and His presence in the midst of the moment.
That's the thing about God - He brings us to those places that we
would never choose to go ourselves. He challenges us and stretches us to
see beyond ourselves. He brings us to the places where we have to make
tough choices - where we either lean on our own strength, or finally tap
into His.
This morning, as I sat down to pray, in my still dark and quiet house, I began to hurt for those in my heart who are hurting today. My heart broke for the mama whose six year old daughter will find out today if she is facing cancer for the third time - and they already know that the third time means terminal. My heart ached for my friends who are struggling with infertility - and putting their bodies through extreme measures in order to fulfill the deep seeded desires of their hearts. My heart hurt for my friends who have been waiting for more than 18 months to meet the little boy who God has given them to complete their family. I am overwhelmed by the relationships and marriages that are under attack - and there seems to be hopelessness instead of hopefulness. I feel that everywhere I look, there is sickness - in babies and husbands and grandmas and grandpas and friends. I am filled with the memories of loss as friends are waking up this morning with an emptiness that yesterday had been occupied by life and now the burden of death is weighing heavy upon them. I was once again arrested by the very real certainty of just how finite our lives are.
We are guaranteed very little in this life. But we are guaranteed to
experience hardships, pain, and death. And in my experience, we are never
fully prepared for any of these.
But our Lord Jesus is prepared. He too experienced hardships and pain
and death - and He has conquered them all by living a life without sin,
dying the death of a sinner, and then was raised back to life, defeating
sin and death forever. And it is in this - and only this - that we can
have hope in the midst of our realities of hardships and pain and death.
Anytime I have the opportunity to pray for someone else, I find it to be an exquisite honor. Sometimes I am joining them in their prayers. Sometimes I am lifting them up in my prayers. Sometimes I am interceding on their behalf, because they no longer have the strength to pray.
My attitude toward prayer was forever changed by these words I read several years ago.
Interceding for others in not only our responsibility, but also our exquisite honor...
it builds community as it divinely attaches you to those for whom you are praying.
~Kelly Minter~
Itpainful to jump in the fire with people. But this is God's design. We are meant to battle together. We are meant to hurt for others. We are meant to be divinely attached to those we are praying for. The Apostle Paul writes to the Romans, "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:5).
When we pray for others, we have the opportunity to stand in the gap between them and God. We pray the words they can no longer utter. We pray for them, and our prayers are heard. He hears our prayers. He is listening even if there is silence.
We may not always understand what God is doing (I rarely do). We may not have fancy words to say (I rarely do). We may feel like we are not doing enough. But friends, this is what God impressed upon me this morning. We don't need to understand in order to encourage. We don't need fancy words to pray on someone's behalf. We don't need to do much to make a difference. We just need to go to God - to lean on Him - to trust in His faithfulness - to allow His peace and comfort and goodness to surround those who are facing hardships and pain and death.
The Lord tells us in Psalm 46, "Be still, and know that I am God" (46:10)
He tells us in Isaiah that "they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength..." (Isaiah 40:31)
We are reminded in Deuteronomy and again in Joshua to "be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread...for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5-9).
Jump in and do life with others. You'll get singed. But you'll never be alone. You will face hardships. You will suffer the pains of this world. You will experience death. But you will never be alone.
If you are praying for someone, let them know. Tell them. Give them encouragement and hope.
***It must be noted that as I was writing I received a text saying the MRI was CLEAR of any cancer. There is power in prayer. There is power in interceding for others. Who needs you to pray for them?***
***It must also be noted that as I wrote these words, another friend texted me, asking for prayer for her friend's mother who was passing away. And only moments later she informed me that this precious life was now with Jesus. He still heard our prayers. But this life He healed in eternity.***
This morning as I was reflecting on His miracles and her life I realized that her birthday falls in the one month every year where we really stop and reflect on those things we are thankful for.
I can honestly say that I am grateful, thankful, and blessed.
I had the opportunity to share her story with our church family this past weekend. After watching I was overwhelmed with emotion. I do not think I will ever hear her story and not be immediately transported back to that night in the hospital. I only wish I had a picture of her hooked up to the machines - wires all over her 6 pound body. Because without those pictures, it feels like it might have been only a dream...
If you want to learn more about Catherine's story, you can read the posts I wrote shortly after she was born.
*I do my best thinking in the shower. I don't know if it's the one place where I can get lost in my thoughts or the calming sound of the water, but I just can't help but allow my mind to wander. These words came to me a few weeks ago in the shower, but I didn't feel like it was the right time to publish. However, in light of the upcoming election and some other current events, I feel compelled to share. Regardless of your thoughts about Jesus or the Bible, I think we can all agree that words can encourage or destroy.*
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
~Proverbs 18:21~
NIV
Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.
~Proverbs 18:21~
The Message
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love to talk will have to eat their own words.
~Proverbs 18:21~
God's Word Translation
Like many others, I have thoroughly enjoyed connecting and reconnecting with friends and family through Facebook. I even have a handful of acquaintances that I have never met, but have become connected with through other friends or just online. I joined Facebook in 2008, less than a year after my first baby girl was born. And the only reason I got an account was to see the pictures my sweet friend was posting from her time in Italy. It seemed so innocent and fun. And it was. My parents and grandparents and sister and other family could watch my babies grow up.
But the way we interact with social media now is no longer fun nor innocent. We have lost our self-control in the security of anonymity and the ability to speak our minds without having to be face-to-face.
We all have hurts. We have all been wronged. And too often we feel justified in what we say or what we
do. But do we stop and consider who we are hurting with our words? This past weekend my pastor hit our congregation with these words:
"Words can bruise our souls. They have the power to hurt and the power to help.
Our words always lead to action. Your words can either turn or burn.
Our words can turn people toward grace, love, and mercy - or - they can burn and destroy.
Your tomorrow will be shaped by the words you say today.
Words are neither temporary or neutral.
An unwillingness to acknowledge the power of our hurtful words hurts those around you.
Your words are not a reflection of your situation, they are always a reflection of your heart.
Let's be people who fight for things and for people - not against them."
~Phil Eubank~
When we hurt and retaliate with our mouths, are we aware of who gets caught
in the crossfire of our words - of our pain? Do you care? Or are you so
concerned and so motivated and so determined to be right and have the
last word? Does Jesus call us to be right or to be loving? Are we to
condemn or affirm God's love for those around us? Do we take captive every
thought and represent the Lord well (2 Corinthians 10:5)?
If you love Jesus, I think at the end of our lives, we all desire for our Savior to say to us, "Well
done good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25). But what about at the
end of each day or hour or minute? What is Jesus saying about your words - about your thoughts
- about your actions right now?
In the final verse of Psalm 19, David proclaims these words to the Lord, "May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heartbe pleasing in your sight,Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14).
Are our
words pleasing to the Lord?
Are our thoughts pleasing to Him?
Who are we
striving to impress - man or God?
Whose opinion do we care about? Do our actions and our
words and our thoughts convey who our Lord is?
All too often we get caught up in our
hurts - in the things that bother us - in our desires or our wants - and we
take to Facebook or Twitter or Instagram. We gather fellow friends
who are hurting too and we play on their hurts to strengthen our convictions in our own hearts and in our own pain.
But is this right? Is
this what is pleasing to God? Will He say, "Well done," to what our words say?
Our hearts will feel the feels. We cannot always control what happens to us and how we feel about it. But we need to take control of
our minds. We are in control of
our words. We are in control of what we say and what we write and how we interact with
others.
Regardless
of if you feel justified in what you said or what you think or what is
in your heart, our job everyday is to be Jesus to those around us. Are you being Jesus? Are you being the love of Jesus to
those around you? Can they see His light shining through your heart and
through your pain and in your shame or your bitterness?
So I challenge you to ask yourself today, "What I posted on Facebook - what I tweeted
about - what I found a picture of and posted on Instagram - would God say
to me, "Well done good and faithful servant?"
**This post was originally published on January 15, 2010.
**Updated on October 31, 2016.
If you want to read the first part of this story, click here.
Several months before Catherine was due to arrive, the Lord spoke to me during worship. We were singing the song, "Healer" by Hillsong. The chorus of this song says:
I believe you're my healer, I believe you are all I need, I believe you're my portion, I believe you're more than enough for me. Jesus you're all I need.
It goes on to say:
Nothing is impossible for you, Nothing is impossible for you, Nothing is impossible for you, You hold my world in your hands.
God spoke so clearly, saying that I was going to need this kind of faith to make it through a trial that was coming. Immediately I began crying out to God, "Not my children. Anything but my children!"
Miracle Number Three: Shock and Awe!
My birth story is relatively uneventful. I was induced, and it went a lot faster than anyone expected, and my husband almost missed it because he thought he had time to get a bagel, as well as my doctor who came in after the pushing began, but after only two pushes, out she came. A perfectly healthy baby Catherine.
Both my husband and I were excited that our hospital now offers a nursery where the babes can go at night. When our first daughter was born, the hospital did not offer this feature, and we were left with a screamer and got no sleep, going home exhausted and scared. This time, however, would be different.
The first night was great! The nurses brought her in a few times to eat, and then back to the nursery she went, and back to sleep I went. We woke up in the morning, ready for a new day of visitors and baby bonding.
The second night is where the tide turns, and God's faithfulness, grace, and mercy become evident.
Around 12:30 am on November 20th, 2009, the NICU nurse came in, with no baby. She began to explain that during a routine blood pressure check, Catherine's numbers were not matching like they should. Babies have their blood pressure checked on their arms and legs, and the two pressures should be close. Catherine's leg pressures were much lower than her arms, which could indicate a possible heart condition that would require surgery. The nurse explained that although Catherine had been monitored for a heart condition in utero, this condition would not have been caught because this particular valve, that pumps blood from the upper half of the body to the lower half does not close until after birth. If this valve does not close after birth, however, no blood is being pumped to her lower extremities, and can be fatal. A call had already been placed with the Pediatric Cardiologist who would run tests in the morning. Until then, Catherine would remain in the NICU (neo-natal intensive care unit) where she had been moved, for constant monitoring.
My heart stopped. I listened to every word and shook my head, confirming that I heard what the nurse was saying. It was surreal. My husband woke up after she had been talking for awhile, and asked some questions. Both of us were stunned. The nurse told us to come to the NICU in a few minutes to feed our baby.
As soon as she left, I began crying. My husband prayed, as he was struggling to be strong for me. We called our families and some friends that we knew would pray. All we wanted was this little girl to be covered in prayer.
We pulled ourselves together and walked down to the NICU. Walking into that nursery was like having an out of body experience. This is what happens to other people, but not to us. We had a healthy baby. The nurses welcomed us with those "I'm so sorry" smiles and showed us where Catherine was. I gasped, looking at my tiny 6 pound baby hooked up to many monitors. She had wires all over her body, and blood pressure cuffs on her arm and leg. The nurse explained that those were the numbers they would be monitoring every hour.
She pushed the button for the blood pressure cuffs, and my husband and I held our breaths. The arm and leg pressures were nearly the same. The nurse said that is what the numbers should look like, but had not, which is why we were all where we were. My husband asked if this was common. When the nurse paused, we both knew that it was not. She said that this is pretty rare.
As I was nursing my baby girl, I prayed. The Lord placed these lyrics in my heart:
He is, He was, He always will be. Even when it feels like there is no one holding me. Be still, my soul. He is.
I didn't know the rest of the song, but I just kept singing these words over and over.
Leaving my baby in the NICU was really hard to do, but we headed back to our room. My husband fell asleep, but I just lay there, with those words still in my head. I felt God's presence and peace, but I couldn't sleep. I got up to find out how the rest of the song went.
He Is
by Mark Schultz
Father, let the world just fade away
Let me feel your presence in this place
Lord, I’ve never been so weary
How I need to know you’re near me
Father, let the world just fade away
Till I’m on my knees
Till my heart can sing
He is
He was
He always will be
Even when it feels like there is no one holding me
Be still, my soul
He is
Father, let your Holy Spirit sing
Let it calm the storm inside of me
As I stand amazed
Lift my hands and say
He is
He was
He always will be
He lives
He loves
He’s always with me
Even when it feels like there is no one holding me
Be still, my soul
Through every fear
And every doubt
And every tear I shed
Down every road
I’m not alone
No matter where I am
He is
He was
And He always will be
He lives
He loves
He’s always with me
Even when it feels like there is no one holding me
Be still, my soul
Be still, and know
Be still, my soul
He is
I just sat there, taking in every word and bawling. I was crying for my new baby and I was crying in awe of how great my God is (and was). I read the words over and over, spilling tears on the computer, and praising God. My mind wandered to a Beth Moore Bible Study I was doing. In the Daniel study she talks about 3 Scenarios. The first one is the easiest. You are faced with a difficult situation and God saves you from any harm before stepping in the fire. The second one, you have to step in the fire, but He saves you. The third scenario means that you step in the fire, and He saves you, but you are saved through death.
I prayed that we wouldn't suffer through the third scenario. I could handle surgery and recovery, but I did not want to face death. I just got her. How could I let her go already?
At some point I got in bed, but never really slept.
When the phone rang I knew it was the NICU nurse. It was time to feed the baby. On our way down the hall, both my husband and I were struck by the peace that was overwhelming us.
We weren't too surprised when the nurse shared that all of the blood pressure checks had come back with normal numbers that were matching. Praise God!
I nursed her and walked away from her again, back to our room. I slept.
The next thing I remember is a nurse walking in, telling me that someone was hungry. I didn't have my glasses on, but I could see a bassinet being wheeled in. My heart broke. "You're in the wrong room. My baby's sick and is in the NICU."
But the nurse said, "No. This is Catherine. Her results are too perfect to have anything wrong with her. We've canceled the cardiologist, the EKG, and the echocardiogram. This little girl is going home with you today."
Who knows that medical professionals never use the words TOO PERFECT unless God has shown up? AMEN!!!
The tears came - again! But this time I was crying tears of happiness, joy, and thanks. I praised God and thanked Him for healing Catherine's heart. I couldn't bear the thought of leaving that hospital without a baby, and now I wouldn't have to.
It had been a long night, and I couldn't put this little miracle down. My husband's mother came early that morning, and some of my wonderful friends came as well. We all marveled at God's miracle! We all reveled in the peace He had provided all of us with. And we all cried. We were overwhelmed by God's mercy.
Our pediatrician wanted us to go to Children's Hospital to make sure everything was fine. We knew it would be, but for peace of mind, we went. They did an EKG and an echocardiogram. When we met with the cardiologist, she looked at us and said, "Why are you here? Your baby is completely healthy." We knew this already.
We give all of the praise and glory to our Savior. He is so good and so faithful. I thank God everyday for my daughters, and continue to praise Him for this miracle. She is a daily reminder that our God hears our prayers.
**This post was originally published on January 14, 2010.
**Updated on October 31, 2016.
Meet my Baby Catherine. She has been one miracle after another, and I can no longer hold out on you. Her story is too amazing not to share. Watch and see how God's hand has been on this little girl since the very beginning.
This will be long, so I will post over a few days.
Miracle Number One: Getting Pregnant
I have a condition known as Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). As is obvious in the title of my condition, there are many cysts on my ovaries. Getting pregnant with my first daughter required me taking some drugs, keeping track of my Basil Body Temperature, and prayer. I was all set for the same regiment this time, but God had a much different plan for me.
If you look back between November 2008 and February 2009, you will see posts plagued with me explaining that I'm really sick. I had some kind of stomach condition that caused me to lose about 25 pounds. It was never diagnosed, even after a battery of tests. Needless to say, I was unable to take the pills necessary to ovulate, and I was not, for lack of better words, "in the mood."
But, after missed a period in March, I started to wonder if I might be pregnant. I was feeling almost like myself again, but could I really be "with child?"
After taking the first test, I couldn't tell if it was a positive or not. I could faintly see two lines, but I wasn't sure if I was just seeing what I wanted to see, or if I really saw a plus. So, I bought another test. This time with the words. You can't mistake those results!
Both my husband and I were floored at the results! How did this happen? And when? Between me being sick and him not feeling well when I supposedly could have ovulated, we really weren't sure how this happened, but it did, and we both we so thankful. We knew this was a blessing from the Lord.
Miracle Number Two: A Heart Stopper
My pregnancy progressed well. I was pretty sick from about 6 weeks through 14 weeks, and then I felt great! I really didn't even feel pregnant at all. The baby was healthy and developing right on schedule. We found out at 20 weeks that we were having another girl, and although I thought I wanted a boy, I was fine with a girl (and had known that I was deep down).
This is the way it was until my 32 week appointment. My regular doctor was out of town, so I was seeing one of her colleagues. He and I were talking Explorers (ah, the 5th grade teacher in me lives on and on). All was normal until he placed the doppler heart monitor on my stomach. He found the heart beat right away, but it was skipping beats.
I heard it immediately, and could tell that he was concerned. He started talking really fast, and I was nodding. I remember him saying that he wanted me to see a specialist right away. Of course, I nodded. He didn't think there was any reason to be concerned, but obviously something was not right.
I got in the car and started crying. I was scared. I called my husband and told him what had happened. I prayed all the way home. I called my friends and my mom. We all were praying for this little life. I knew God's hand was on her, but what were we going to find out? We had just attended the funeral of my husband's cousin's little baby girl who died of a heart condition at only 64 days old. Is that what we were in for?
This was Tuesday morning.
The rest of Tuesday we spent praying and researching (my husband) and crying (me) and feeling a peace that I've only experienced a handful of times when others were praying for me. It was amazing. By that night, neither of us were worried. We knew that not only was our little girl in the Lord's hands, and always had been, but she was covered in prayer.
We went to the specialist that Thursday, and much to our relief (but not to our surprise) everything was fine. She had a condition called Fetal Premature Atrial Contractions, which in everyday people terms was described to us like this:
The reason for the “skipped beats” is Premature Arterial Contraction (PAC). The way the doctor described it was that babies in the womb receive less oxygen than we do. And this smaller amount of oxygen sometimes sends weird signals to the pacemaker and causes the chambers to pump at irregular times. This is what causes the “skips”. The doctor said they were not uncommon and extremely benign. It usually takes care of itself once the baby is born when they take their first breaths and get the full amount of oxygen.
So, as you can see, God answered our prayers in a mighty way! Not only did we get to see Catherine's heart beating away, and all four chambers looking super healthy, but we also were fortunate enough to have another ultrasound. This little girl is quite bendy. At one point she had one foot and one hand above her head while the other hand and foot were under her bottom. She then moved both feet and legs under her bottom in a very modest fashion when we were trying to confirm her "girl parts", but, she did move just enough for the confirmation to be determined! The doctor thought that she looked great, from head to toe! Another blessing.
**I'll stop here for today. The next miracle is the best one! Please share in His glory tomorrow!
"Pray for baby Molly. She was born earlier today and rushed to Children's Hospital. Don't know any details. Will keep you posted."
I knew the girl who sent me the text, but I had no idea who Molly was, nor her parents. But I prayed. I prayed for 7 days until I got the next text.
"Baby Molly passed away today. Thank you for all of your prayers."
WHAT!?!?!?
But I prayed.
I prayed for a little innocent life.
I prayed for people that I didn't even know.
But God did not heal baby Molly like I wanted/expected Him to.
He healed that precious girl, but He healed her by bringing her home to be with Him.
More questions. Why? Why would you give this young couple a little girl for only 7 days? Why?
I came across this message yesterday. I still have never met this family, but I have kept up with their lives this past year. I have rejoiced in their ups and cried with their downs. I knew that they were going to be featured in their pastor's message last Sunday and was waiting to see what they had to say about Molly.
My heart broke with them all over again. But, the message that they pastor gave was incredible! He talks about not wasting the pain that we are allowed to suffer. He talks about questioning God and how even Jesus and Paul asked God the tough questions. Sometimes we think we are struggling in our faith if we question God, but Jesus cried out to His Father, "God, why have you forsaken me?" According to Websters Dictionary, forsaken means to renounce or turn away from entirely. Hmm, I wonder if your neighbor asked God that if we would question their faith.
Jesus understood that God is good and you can trust Him. This is the "umbrella" statement that Pastor Jim really hammers home. He really challenges you to make sure that you have this figured out before you are faced with a painful situation. Understand that you will waste your pain if you don't start with God is good and you can trust Him. This is the "different perspective" that you need.
So, if you have God and pain in your life, then there are questions:
1. Why is this happening?
2. Why doesn't God fix it and make it stop?
Jesus promised us pain and suffering right before He experienced the most excruciating pain and suffering. So, if pain and suffering are unavoidable in your life, how do you make sure that as you go through your pain, not one drop is wasted?
Pastor Jim goes on to say that from the second question, why doesn't God stop it, comes two theories:
Either God could help but He won't, and He's a mean God. Or, God would like to help, but He can't, which makes Him impotent.
The message is long (about 40 minutes), and you have to listen to a worship song and a few announcements before Pastor Jim begins is sermon, but if you have some time, I would strongly encourage you to watch this video. It's a very powerful message, and really made me think.
Go to Flatirons website. You will want to look for the May 2-3 message. If you click on the black f, you will be able to watch the entire message. His message begins about 8 minutes into the video and Molly's story comes at about 35 minutes. Please let me know what you think.
These are some of the questions that I am now currently working through:
1. What kinds of questions do you find yourself asking when life gets painful?
2. Why does pain often cause us to ask questions of God?
3. Jim said knowing the answer to “why” would not make the pain go away? Agree or disagree?
4. Have you ever wondered how God could be good and not make your pain stop? Why do we assume the most loving thing God can do is take away our pain when it comes?
5. Is it possible that pain can be leveraged for God’s glory and our good?
6. Read Romans 8:31-32. How did God leverage Jesus’ death for His glory and our good?
7. What circumstances in your life are causing you pain right now? Can you see a way that God could leverage it for His glory and your good?
8. What attitudes and actions threaten to waste our pain?
9. How would beginning with the belief that “God is good and I can trust Him” change everything?
10. What other options do you have? What do they lead to?
11. Read 2 Corinthians 12:8-10. What does it mean that “my grace is sufficient for you.” Is God’s grace really enough?
