For God so Loved the World
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
Gloria Hawley, a friend of mine, fell into deep anguish over the bleak prognosis of her daughter’s illness. Little Laura, it seemed, had already suffered enough from the degenerative nerve disease she had been born with. And now the doctors’ forecast included more suffering…and impending death.
Gloria, like any mother, wished desperately that she could take away her daughter’s pain. She vacillated from sullen times of withdrawn sorrow to furious outbursts of anger. Gloria had no problem with God’s sovereignty – she knew exactly who to blame! She would leave her daughter’s bedside at night and cry out in anger, “God, it’s not right! You’ve never had to watch one of your children die!”
At that point she clasped her hand over her mouth. The truth hit her. God most certainly did watch his child die. His one and only child. And, like any parent, He probably wished that he could take away his Son’s pain. Yet, God endured the pain because God so loved the world. That fact alone buoyed up Gloria’s weak and demoralized spirit. She could bear the pain of her daughter’s suffering and death because God bore the pain of his Son’s suffering and death. That meant his strength and empathy were tailor-made for her. Gloria could rest in the comfort that God was by her side in the most amazing parent support group ever devised!
O Lord, there isn’t a pain I endure or a disappointment I face that you haven’t already overcome. Thank you that you fully and completely understand my fears and frustrations, my pain and weakness. Thank you for loving the world so much that you would give your one and only Son…this is enough to calm my hurts.
Trusting God Through Hardship
When Peter Coleman set out to follow God’s call to serve as a missionary in Nicaragua, he couldn’t imagine the journey ahead. But as he faced danger, uncertainty, and life-threatening illness, Peter learned to lean on the Lord in new ways.
