Linda has now been gone from this earth for two years and nine days. Therefore, I have had ample time to reflect on the storms, as well as the seasons of calm, associated with our journey into the “Long Goodbye.” As I continue to work through the pain associated with her departure, I find it comforting to revisit a blog which I published on December 11, 2022. On that day, I was experiencing conflicting feelings: I identified with the man highlighted in the above picture – alone in a desert place with no hope of finding a way forward! At the same time, I rejoiced over two wonderful biblical truths that were becoming a reality for me: God knows and cares about every detail of our lives; fruitfulness and joy are beyond the pain!
God Knows and Cares about Every Detail of Our Lives!
- The Psalmist maintains that God is active in our life prior to birth:
…you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made…
You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day (Psalm 139: 13-16 MSG).
- Jesus indicates that this awareness and care continue after our birth:
“Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.“What’s the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So, don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries” (Matthew 10: 28-31 MSG).
Fruitfulness and Joy are Beyond the Pain!
Rick Warren provides an antidote for the egocentric mentality that now permeates much of the preaching and teaching of our churches: “The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions.”
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together (Colossians 1:15-17 NLT).
- Suffering plays a vital role in the development of God’s purpose within us:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5 NIV).
- After a season of inexplicable and incomprehensible grief and loss, Job’s testimony provides a window into the development of a personal relationship with God:
I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes (Job 42:5 NLT).
- Only in Heaven, will we be able to see how all the pieces fit together:
I am convinced that any suffering we endure is less than nothing compared to the magnitude of glory that is about to be unveiled within us.The entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! For against its will the universe itself has had to endure the empty futility resulting from the consequences of human sin. But now, with eager expectation, all creation longs for freedom from its slavery to decay and to experience with us the wonderful freedom coming to God’s children (Romans 8:18-21 TPT).
Ron Harvard Ministries 