Wave Upon Wave

The month of July is a mixture of joy and sorrow for our family. July is the anniversary month for preaching my last verbal sermon and for concluding nearly 30 years of full-time ministry. It was in July that my wife had a biopsy that resulted in a year of aggressive and brutal chemotherapy. Her first chemo infusion was in July. July is a month in which some things began we wish had never started and the conclusion of some things we wish had never ended.

You probably have your own "July" experience. A time when trouble and turmoil all seem to come crashing down like waves upon your soul. Wave upon wave. Sorrow upon sorrow. Never ceasing. Crushing. Unrelenting. The kind of pain that no one can truly understand, even though some say they do. The kind of pain that makes you want to withdraw into your "safe zone," where few people, if any, are allowed. The kind of pain where platitudes make you angry and cynical; the kind of pain where words cannot possibly help and often make things worse.

Is there help for that kind of pain? Yes! Absolutely. There is help. There is hope. There is grace. There is God! When I say that God is the answer, it is not meant as a hallow platitude. It is meant to be a peace-giving, joy-bringing, and faith-building fact.

His Presence

We are never alone. Never! God is with us. He is Emmanuel, which means God is with us. He is in the hospital room. He is there by the sick bed. He is in the examination room. He hears "the phone call." He is in the infusion center. Going through my wife’s cancer journey, we found an anchor for our souls in Psalm 16:11.

Psalm 16:11 — You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Full and overflowing joy can be found wherever God is present, and God is everywhere all the time.

His People

God’s people can be God’s instruments in God’s timing to show God’s love. Godly wisdom is needed to know what to say or not to say and what to do or not to do. Saying nothing is better than saying the wrong thing. As a college professor of mine once reminded us, "Job’s friends were a great help to Job until they started talking." Be "swift to hear, slow to speak."

There are so many people who have prayed for us and continue to pray even now. God’s people can always pray. At times, praying is not all we should do, but it is always the best thing to do.

His Purpose

While I was a college student, I would try to use my summer breaks as ministry opportunities. For one of those summers, I was a camp counselor at a large Christian camp in the mountains of North Carolina. So much about that summer was life-changing. I remember in one sermon the preacher made this statement: "God is always good; he will never do you wrong; he only wants the best for your life." That statement was a shock to my spiritual system. Although I had been a Christian for many years, and I was attending a Christian college, and I had been serving the Lord, I had never thought of God this way. Does he really want the best for my life? There were many times in my life growing up when it did not feel that way. There are certainly times now when it does not feel that way.

There is so much truth packed into Romans 8:28. In all that truth, do not overlook the fact that, for the child of God, "all things work together for good."

Romans 8:28 — And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

In whatever way God chooses to produce Christlikeness in us, it is good. In whatever way God chooses to glorify himself through us, it is good. God is always good and always does what is best.

His Peace

Imagine with me what it must have been like to be a disciple of Jesus in the days leading up to and following his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. The uncertainty, the lack of security, the doubts, the unanswered questions, the accusations, the inner turmoil, the relationship issues, the grief, and the excitement. Wow! No wonder then that before Jesus dies and on several occasions after his resurrection, Jesus promises and proclaims peace (John 14:27; 20:19, 21, 26). In many of our life’s circumstances, we have the same emotions as the disciples must have experienced. God promises us the same overwhelming and unfathomable peace. Peace is not the absence of conflict; it is a gift of grace that God promises his children.

Only God

There are two events that takes place in July that, for our family, are causes for joyful gratitude. In July, we celebrate the birthday of our oldest son. He continually makes me a glad father. It was, also, in July that my wife sat through her final chemo infusion. We are grateful to God beyond words that she is on this side of the battle, especially as we remember the sickness, pain, and struggle she endured. We are grateful for doctors, nurses, medicine, and technology, but we are confident that Jesus is the Great Physician. Only God could have sustained her and given her the strength to endure. Only God could have given me the peace to bear the loss of my voice, my ministry, and my earthly security. Although there will be wave upon wave of grief, sorrow, and pain, there will be more abundant waves of grace, peace, and comfort. God is always good; he will never do you wrong and only wants the best for your life.