Originally published Wednesday, 06 May 2015.
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8-9
Recently, my husband and I celebrated the 20 year anniversary of his cancer recovery. Actually 20 years ago, the day of the OKC bombing incident, was when his health demise actually started but it was from that first surgery we count as an anniversary of God’s healing measures that He has given to our married life.
Healing comes in many forms and the hardest place for me to be is in a place to receive the blessings of faith.
Usually when you lose something, you also gain something. Usually when you surrender what you have, you receive more of what the Lord has for you. Usually though as it is in faith, the Lord often asks you to give up something and requires you to wait for healing, answers, and blessings. Usually we expect immediate answers, usually.
It’s twenty years later and we are celebrating our anniversary of faith that has helped us persevere through some very hard times with my husband’s health. We consider him healed from cancer, but because time takes it’s toll on human bodies, we daily deal with the repercussions that cancer has left.
One of the hardest places for me, his wife, to be is by his side as I watch him daily struggle with health issues. In fact, I know that he will hate that I am writing this to you. But my purpose to encourage you today is that when you are in a hard place, the one thing that God requires of us is to just persevere.
Why is this so important? Because our faith in what we can’t see, will help us get through what we can see.
“I know what this feels like,” the oncology nurse said, “it feels like you are on a bobsled to Hell.” Knowing that Hell is a real place and that it scared me to death, her words hit on my emotions. Yes, when you are in the hard place of cancer with a loved one, it feels like you are on a bobsled towards a dangerous hard place. Even if you are educated and there are cures available for the type of disease you are experiencing. There is nothing about illness that feels good or safe.
In our faith, we have to be bound to what we know is true, right, and good. God is at the end of all those words that direct our unseen thoughts towards Him.
Faith affects our thoughts. Our thoughts also affect our faith.” Bill Johnson
When you are in a hard place, and I have no idea how this will hit you, I’m here to testify that your faith is what is going to get you through. It’s simple to start this process of faith…you humbly come before the Lord and say, “Lord, you are able.” My faith has been shaped in the hard places of our lives and it has helped me persevere many hard places since 20 years ago.
And yet today, I had to come back to my place of simple faith to remind myself that in this hard place I am in right now, the help of the Holy Spirit will help me persevere. I am thinking differently about faith these days because of necessity and it keeps me deeper connected to my Father’s heart for me.
What I know about life in general is that fear dictates, but it never bears the fruit of the impossible. The mind of Christ is my inheritance. I don’t have to beg Heaven for a thing, because my God has freely given me ALL things. In believing this in every sense, in my emotions, I know that the Lord establishes ALL things through faith.
When you are in a hard place, you find faith that will establish you in the Lord. How has your faith helped you through a hard place? Comment below and share your testimony. We can all be encouraged together.
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