Some Things That I Have Been Thinking About

Philippians 3:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Psalms 34:18a – “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted…”

Matthew 11:28-30 – "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Matthew 5:4 – “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Psalm – 121:2 –
“My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth. “

These are some of the verses that I have been thinking about a lot these days. Many of them are verses that various ones of you have offered through your comments or emails. Thank you. I have been familiar with all of these verses/truths for some time, but I have been seeing and experiencing them in a new light for the last month. I would never wish what Kathryn and I are going through on our worst enemies. Hopefully, in my finest moments, I would not wish trials of any kind on anyone. At the same time, I wish for everyone to experience the peace, nearness, rest, comfort, care, and help of the Lord the way that we have in these days. It is amazing, humbling, ingratiating, and life-changing.

Interestingly, in most of these verses there is a clear step that we need to take to receive what the Lord offers us. He does not force Himself on us. At the same time, all that he asks His grace will provide.

If offered the “peace that passes understanding” (see Philippians 3:6-7 above), we’d all take it in a heartbeat. But what is required of us to receive this peace, demands more than we might initially think. We need to pray to God about the things that make us anxious, AND do it with gratefulness (“thanksgiving”). It’s been that “with thanksgiving” part that has been especially challenging for me recently. Many, many times my heart has been anxious. Many, many, many times we have prayed and petitioned God. But I’ve had to discipline myself to thank Him for His goodness all around me (and once I get started, I realize that this is not a short list). Before long, I find that I feel peaceful; a God who has so richly poured out his blessings on my life is a God who I want to trust. Of course, all of this is not a formula, but a relationship based on grace, and the struggle is constant because God does not promise to answer our prayers and petitions the way we ask Him to. But then, the alternative is to be anxious about things that are outside of our control…which is exhausting and entirely unproductive. So we pray and give thanks. The peace we have felt through much of this season is inexplicable apart from God.

I have similar thoughts about nearly all of the verses above, but I’ll summarize my thoughts by saying that what God offers us through His Son, Jesus, is life and peace and rest and care and help and more. He invites us to come to Him and find these things there. Not on our terms, but on His terms. Not bartering, but humbly asking. Not because He owes it to us, but because He is generous. Not because we deserve it, but because He is merciful and gracious. Not because we know what we need, but because He knows what we need.

In this season of desperation, heartbreak and helplessness for Kathryn and I, this has been easier to do than in “normal” life because we have never had even the illusion of control over our circumstances. But that seems to be what trials do – they strip us of the illusion that we can control the outcomes of life. Kathryn and I have noted that every conversation with every parent in the CICU (regardless of their previous religious persuasion or beliefs about God) includes talk of prayer: “We’ll be praying Samuel,” “Your son is in our prayers,” etc. That, too, is why God seems so present in trials – we are most apt to call to Him for help and to come to Him on His terms when we are out of options ourselves.

For Kathryn and I our hope and prayer for all who read this blog is not that you would have hardships. Those will come whether we want them to or not. Our hope and prayer is that you would be able to experience the goodness and grace and love of God as we have, that you would come to God on His terms and experience the peace and rest and comfort that we have in His Son, Jesus. In Jesus’s own words: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).