“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55
At the end of this month my friend Andrea will gather her family together and celebrate, not just the beautiful birth of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but she will also ring a bell. A bell, which when rung, signifies the end of a journey and the beginning of something new. This journey has been about pain, about anger, disappointment, weakness, sadness, and loss. It’s also been about healing, discovery, love, friendship, strength and faith. At the ringing of that bell she and her family will celebrate her final breast cancer treatment and so much more.
As she looks out into the faces what she will see are the people who love her and who have yet to love the Lord. Her suffering, however was not wasted. Her faithfulness in this journey was seen and questioned by those needing to hear the Word. They can see she is not the person who started on the journey. She has been honed and sharpened. They can also see what some might call her “crutch.” And they can see its supernatural power.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:1-4
Yesterday I listened to a podcast featuring Christian author and founder of Joni & Friends, Joni Eareckson Tada. After a devastating diving accident more than 55 years ago, Joni became a quadriplegic. At just 16 years of age her life completely changed. She spent years in depression and despair. Today, when she looks back she saw herself as a “hypocritical Christian.” She went to church and knew some prayers but wasn’t living her life for Christ. When tragedy and suffering struck she prayed to God for healing — and yet her healing didn’t come. She had read enough times in the Bible that God works things for our good and wants the best for us. So why wouldn’t he heal her?
An older, faithful friend of her family who visited her frequently and listened to her sorrows finally said to her one day, “God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves.” And while the unbelieving world may scoff and use this to turn even farther away from Him, Joni called those the 10 most important little words she had heard in a long time. Even to this day, through continuing pain, illness and suffering she remembers those wise words. The friend continued, “Can you hang on to that truth and trust that God will, in time, show you His goodness?”
When the day came, like it does to just about every person on this planet who suffers, when she had nothing left — no strength, no more tears, no more “get up and go” — she prayed a new prayer. “Help me God! I have no where else to go.”
“Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:68-69
Joni, like my friend Andrea did, turned her face outward to God rather than inward. And God in His great glory and supernatural power turned His face to her and healed her inwardly. When I heard Joni talk of this I had this vision of a double sided puzzle. If we take the box and dump out the pieces, never reading the instructions, just looking at the picture on the front we may never know the promise of the completed puzzle. As we work its pieces with our own knowledge and strength we may get frustrated when the pieces just won’t fit. We search for the missing pieces that may have fallen on the floor. We may give up temporarily or toss it all back in the box in frustration. Or, we can look at the box again and see there’s something else at work. A mystery on the backside. Something we can’t know all the details about but yearn to know more. So, we keep turning back to the original photo looking for help in completing our side.
Christian teacher and author John Piper once said, “Never let suffering go to waste.” To the world of the flesh that must seem so strange. Yes, we can whine and moan seeking human attention, and we all will probably do that to some extent. But that will never fully satisfy us. Or we can turn our faces to God and say, “I can’t, but you can.” He, my friends, is the only one who can fully satisfy our souls.
Joni’s faithful Christian friend asked her one day to read 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Her reponse was to say “STOP! I am not thankful for this!” He told her to re-read the verse. You see it doesn’t say to give thanks for your circumstance. It says to give thanks IN your circumstance. She began each day praying thankfulness for things like her hospital bed being close to the window. For the love of her parents. For the faithfulness of friends. And her heart began to catch up with her words.
Joni gives thanks for being able to sit up in a wheelchair — something most quadriplegics can’t do. She gives thanks for the many blessings God has bestowed on her since that tragic day. And she has vowed to “squeeze out every energy from her quadriplegic body” to bless others. Her organization, Joni & Friends, has touched the lives of thousands of disabled people and their caregivers throughout the world. And while my friend Andrea may not be an international sensation, God has pressed her into service among those who need her faith the most — her family.
The introductory verse today shows the disciple Stephen as he is being persecuted and chased by those who were fearful of God’s Word. In just a few verses later, the mob takes him out of the city and begins stoning him. As he turns his face to God he pleads that his attackers are forgiven. At that moment we are told his suffering comes to an end — he falls asleep and is taken home to his Father. He was the first of the saints to give His life up for Christ. He was the first to show us how in our suffering, as Christ did, that God will give us peace.
Friends, we are all promised some level of suffering throughout this short life here on earth. Be it physical, financial, relational, natural disaster, addiction or something else we will be touched by it because of this world’s brokenness. God, in His infinite glory, power and wisdom has had a plan all along to call us home into His perfect kingdom. He wants to use our suffering for the glory of that promise. Turn to Him and use it well.
May God bless you in all circumstances so that you may give Him all Glory and Honor. Amen
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