~an excerpt from a recent email from a friend
As this quote suggests, I have been "in the midst" lately... in the midst of health crises, family changes, and spiritual battles. God has taught me much "in the midst." Little did I realize when my ladies' Bible study began Joy in the Midst: A Study of Philippians, by Carrie Gaul, how needed and timely this study would be. We have been blessed as we have learned valuable lessons from Philippians and needed Bible study skills. As my friend promised, when I stopped looking at the mountains and began looking at Jesus, those mountains did indeed begin to grow strangely dim. I then began to look at what God was doing "in the midst" just as I had been learning in our Bible study of Philippians.
I want to share a thumbnail sketch of my "in the midst" to show you a brief glimpse of the mountains and thus show you the power of my God. He is El Shaddai, God of the mountain! You see, the thumbnail sketch looks so small now that my eyes are back on my Almighty God. However, I must say that there were (and sometimes still are if I allow my focus to wander) points in this that it looked so big that it seemed impossible for any good to come out of it. But, keep reading, my friend, for after the thumbnail sketch of the mountains, there is a testimony to our great Savior! He is alive! He is able!!!!! He is bigger than our problems!
HEALTH: After many months of increasingly strong health, my health took a nosedive. A few months ago, I slowly walked 3.5 miles on a handicapped hiking trail while tent camping, went camping at my family reunion, and was encouraged as my health improved. We do not yet know the cause yet, but I now struggle to work a full day, walk unaided very long at all, and do daily household tasks. To say each day is a struggle and overwhelming is an understatement. But... God! :)
CHANGE: Change is good. Without changes, we do not fear God. Recent changes in our family are actually good. As a creature of habit who happens to love routine, schedules, and planning... let's just say that change is hard for me. :)
SPIRITUAL BATTLES: Recently, a spiritual battlefield began to be set for my church. The stakes were and are high. I do NOT like conflict, but our church people realized that we would have to stand for truth. We sought God's face and Word as we (sadly) had not for a time, waking in the middle of the night for long sessions bombarding the throne of grace begging for help. This week, a glimmer of light appeared. Our Father was giving grace, strength, and wisdom. His grace became evident as He began to mold and strengthen our hearts.
- Joy in the Midst: There is indeed joy in the midst. Joy abounds when we look to Christ as Paul demonstrated with his life. In Philippians, Paul showed that his life was all about Christ, not his own comfort. The joy comes when we simply surrender to God's will.
- Gifted with Suffering in the Midst: Ok... I must admit that as a I have struggled to pray this prayer with Paul. I mean... he sees suffering as a gift since it follows Christ's example and draws us closer to His fellowship. Yet, how easy it is to forget that suffering is a gift when the pain and disappointment run deep.
- Trust in the Midst: God has promised in His Word that He will provide what we need. Sometimes our perception of need is much different than actual need. You see, God sees what is needed to glorify Himself and make us more like Christ. For those who have trusted His plan of salvation restoring their relationship with Him and being adopted into His family, He is thus our Father and will provide.
- Rest in the Midst: It is so easy in our society to tie our worth to our performance, not in God's love for us, to feel as if we have to be busy all the time rather than sitting to just enjoy God and our relationship with Him, to give our body, mind, and spirit time to be still and know that He is God. For, in resting, we are demonstrating that we trust/believe that God is in control. Will we let Him be in control?
ANYONE who knows me knows that I tend to be a Martha, not a Mary. I don't like to sit still. (Is this why God gifted me with illnesses which mandate rest? When will I learn?) Through this illness, I am being shown again that rest and quiet are a gift. - Contentment in the Midst: Christian society has used Philippians 4:13 as a catchall promise to say we can do anything. However, in context, it is talking about being content in the midst! :) Those verses coupled with Hebrews 13:5 show that contentment is possible in any circumstance since we have something better... HIM! :) He is with us. I am also reminded of my recent study of Exodus 32. In the end of that chapter, you see that Moses is facing an amazing task. He implores God to send someone with him as he cannot do it alone. God says that He Himself will be going with Moses. Moses profoundly states that if God will not go, He does not want to go. You see, He needed nothing more than God!
- Humility? Dependence? Submission? in the Midst: I must admit, I will have trouble expressing this next concept. You see... I know my heart is not humble, that dependence on God and submission to Him are difficult for this strong-willed, independent, stubborn child. Bear with me as I strive to express this... A friend and I recently finished a two year adventure of memorizing 1 Peter. We came to chapter 5 just as all of my mountains began to crash in. Verse 7 has been a favorite go-to verse of mine. As we memorized and studied through the chapter, we saw that verse 7 FOLLOWS verses 5-6. (Who would have known? ;) ) What I mean is that you have to take it in context. In context, it is stating that we must humble ourselves before others and most importantly before God. THEN, we cast our cares on Him. We leave all up to God. He cares for us. We need to leave it to Him. We must humble ourselves in His sight. He will lift us up. It doesn't say that we will like what He chooses, but that He WILL care for us through it.
As I prepared for a full day of testing at the hospital last week, these verses began to work in my heart.That day, another friend posted this song, "Bow the Knee." Was I willing to humble myself for whatever He brought? Was I willing to cast the care on Him and be submissive? Sometimes, we think of being submissive before Him as being ready to be a missionary in a far off land or give our life as a martyr which it is, but I am becoming more convinced that the being submissive has more to do with taking up our cross daily! - Gratefulness in the Midst: Thankfulness. Gratefulness. Rejoicing. When I begin to look to Jesus, my list of things to be thankful for grows and grows... even in the midst!
- Prayer in the Midst: How grateful I am for prayer - both personal and intercessory - as I walk this path. Prayer is powerful!
- God in the Midst: Perhaps the most precious part of these mountains has been getting to know my God better. Now that we have finished 1 Peter, my friend suggested that we memorize Psalm 63 since it gives a good example of how to handle suffering. It shows how to have joy in the fellowship of God - even in suffering. It is as my other friend said, "Turn your eyes on Jesus!"
- God's Word in the Midst: Through this time, I have been reminded of the precious gift we have in the Word of God. We are truly blessed in this country to have access to it so readily. How do we use this precious gift?
God wants us to comfort those with the comfort we have received. May something I have learned in the midst be an encouragement to others who are in the midst right now. Would you pray for me to continue to look to Christ and look to be a comfort in the midst? How can I best pray for and encourage you?
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