In the last blog I “jumped.” From what to what? From trying to understand why God was seemingly not answering my prayers (the way I thought best.) Jumped from the subsequent cynicism and resentment I had toward God. From confusion about the effectiveness of prayer.
I jumped from - to a simple “trust and obey.” The Bible is replete with examples of ultimate success stemming from the simple outlook of “Trust God and obey Him. Hannah Whitall Smith captures the essence in her book “The Normal Christian Life.”
She says: “Nothing that is not part of God’s will is allowed to come into the life of someone who trusts and obeys Him. This truth should be enough to make our life one of ceaseless thanksgiving and joy, because God’s will is the most pleasant, hopeful and glorious thing in the world. It is the continuous working of His omnipotent power for our benefit, with nothing to prevent it IF WE REMAIN SURRENDERED and believing.” This world view is based on Romans 8:28-29.
The only problem I have with Ms. Smith’s words is that God’s will is always pleasant. The cross wasn’t pleasant for Christ nor is “death of self” pleasant for the follower of Christ. Not pleasant but so productive. Death of self can lead to Christ’s resurrection life living through us. Loving the unlovely. Forgiving the unforgiveable. His wisdom for our ignorance and His strength for our weakness.
The jump gives me the hope that as bad as Parkinson’s may get, God will work in it for my good, the good of others and to His glory. No matter the frequency of stuttering, He will bring good out of it. (It doesn’t feel that way when the stuttering frequency accelerates and words won’t flow at all. I have to spell the word.) Just a sidelight here: sometimes if I get stuck on a word if I say “damn-it” the word pops out. Not a good technique used when I was the Scripture reader for church!!!
Have you jumped?
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