It was of those calls you never want to get. My dear friend for nearly 30 years was making
me one of the first calls after the most recent visit with the doctor
concerning his wife’s health. I never
really believed in love at first sight until I got to know them. They were both barely out of their teen years
when he first saw her across the room.
Upon first look he told his friend, “I’m
going to marry that girl.” Over 40
years later they were still in love. She
has been struggling with several health issues.
Tests were being done. After
calling his children he called to tell me, “We
got some bad news.” She was
diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. There
were not many options. It is a very
aggressive cancer and cannot be totally removed by surgery. Leave things alone and she might have 90 days
to live. Preform immediate surgery to
remove as much as possible and you might buy more days. They opted for the surgery. In his words, “We are hoping for one more Christmas together.”
And I thought I was having a rough day. I had a bad night’s sleep and felt
sluggish. My dear friend is hoping to
see his wife survive for one more Christmas.
They are both a few years younger than me and were looking forward to
retirement years together just around the corner. What do you say when there are no words that
seem sufficient? Where do you go when
there seem to be no easy answers?
As a believer, I have always sought God’s word, especially
in difficult times. But there is no
index or table of contents that guides you to a passage for ‘wife dying with a brain tumor’. However, there is a book of the Bible I have
used for comfort more than most others over the years; Philippians. Paul, God’s servant, wrote this letter to the
church at Philippi as he was imprisoned for sharing the Gospel in public; which
stirred up problems for the religious leaders who wanted to keep things in the religious
community as they liked and controlled for their own benefit. Now this radical street preacher was sharing
a message of forgiveness and grace that messed up their legalistic religious
practices not to mention their community status and hold onto political power
and prestige.
They used their political influence to have Paul arrested
although he had committed no crime. From
his jail cell Paul then writes the most incredible letter. Never does he complain about the injustice of
his false arrest and imprisonment. Not
once does he grumble to God about the unfairness of his circumstances. Not only
was he unjustly imprisoned for causing a public disturbance with his street
preaching, but now there were people who were not followers of Jesus who were
preaching the same Gospel Paul had been preaching not to spread the message but
to keep Paul in jail by seeking to make him responsible for the continued ‘disturbing
message’ that these false followers were spreading. Surprisingly
enough there is no bitterness but the letter is filled with praise and
thanksgiving.
In the beginning of his letter to the church in Philippi he
makes the following remarkable statement; “Now I want you to know, brothers and
sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the
gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and
to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most
of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the
more to proclaim the gospel without fear. It is true that some preach Christ
out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of
love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former
preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can
stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The
important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true,
Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.” (Philippians 1:12-18)
I’ve done street preaching.
It is really tough. In a church,
most of the people will be polite enough to stay until you are finished. However, it is a different matter when you
are preaching on the street. If you can’t
keep their attention they just walk away.
Paul was now off the street and in a guarded jail cell. Rather than
become discouraged and bitter at the injustice of his situation he realized
that he was a child of God and that same God had promised never to leave or
forsake him. (Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5) So if God was with him and God knew where he
was Paul assumed that God has a purpose for him in the current situation.
He was a preacher.
His audience was no longer the crowd on the street who could come and go
at will but the palace guard, who had to remain on post. He began to preach to the guard who could not
become disinterested and walk away. He
had to stay for the entire shift until relieved by the next guard. Paul began to realize, as God’s child I am in an ideal situation. I will preach to convert the one stationed to
guard me and when his replacement comes I have a new ‘audience’ to preach the
message of Christ until they bring me another one. I am not the captive. The guards are my ‘captive audience’.
When we are reminded that we are God’s child and He is
always with us and aware of the situation the question changes from, “Why Me?” to “How can I use this situation to do what God has called and gifted me
to do?” God wanted the palace guard
to hear and have a chance to respond to the Gospel of Christ. So, He allowed His best preacher to be placed
in jail to begin a revival with the palace guards.
It's Just
In this sin-scarred world there are times when we will face
situations that are unjust and unfair.
In those times, remember that God has not forgotten or abandoned
you. He may not be the cause of the
injustice or unfair setting of your situation and you may not like the
situation but becoming bitter and angry serves no one. Instead follow the example of Paul, look for ways
you can advance God’s love in the place where has allowed you to be. It may be the only chance that those you
would normally not come in contact with may have to hear and experience the
love of Christ. That change of focus
will allow you to do what Paul did and turn your perspective and your situation
around. You may not be able to change
the situation but you can find God’s peace as you fulfill His purpose sharing
His love in every circumstance.
