“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:17

Take No Offense

As Christians, there can sometimes be the assumption that if we are following the Lord, seeking His guidance, and obeying Him, that we won’t have problems. I’m fully aware that we live in a fallen world…there is sin and sickness around us. The enemy goes about like a “roaring lion” trying to cause problems. While God protects us from more things that we can possibly imagine, it doesn’t mean we are immune to the fallen world around us.

When I was diagnosed with cancer—and not too long afterwards Floyd was struck down—God wonderfully helped me to keep my focus on Him. I knew we were where He had called us to be, we were following Him in obedience, and we were in the center of His will for our lives. In many ways because of things we had walked through, things we had learned through the years, we both felt we were in our “prime” in spite of our ages ticking upward. And then—wham! We were in a season where we had been taken out of commission in many ways—especially Floyd.

People have asked me: were you not where God wanted you to be?  Did you have unconfessed sin? Was something wrong?  I have to admit that I confessed every sin I could possibly think of…and then some. I asked God to search my heart. I sought Him for anything He might want to say to me.

Over and over again what I felt Him saying to me was, “Keep your eyes on Me…trust Me…continue to walk in My ways…keep hope alive for My plans and purposes to be fulfilled in this season…keep asking Me for the impossible.”

It has been a precious season. I’m not sure I would willingly choose it, but I certainly can’t regret it either. The closeness and intimacy with Him has been more precious than fame, or wealth, or a life of ease.

In the time before we moved to South Africa—making such a massive change to “begin again” in a new land in our older years—we had this prophetic word spoken over us repeatedly: “The best is yet to come.” In the natural if you look at things that have happened, it doesn’t look like “the best.” And yet in my heart, in my walk with Him, I have been living in the most wonderful years of intimacy with Him that I have ever experienced.

I can’t speak for Floyd about this, of course, but I have to say that there have been many, many times when I’ve walked into His hospital room and I’ve felt like I was on holy ground. The presence of the Lord has been so real, so precious. I know God has met Floyd during this time in ways that I may never understand this side of heaven, but I’m sure it’s been rich and precious.

This is the phrase that has been echoing in my mind these last few days. “Don’t take up offense again me.” He never promised us a life without trials. In fact, He promises over and over in His Word to go with us through the trials—to never leave us or forsake us. But He didn’t say it would always be easy.

Whatever you are facing in this time of isolation, lockdown, quarantine, shelter-in-place season—may I encourage you to not blame God, to not take up any offense against Him. Through any sickness, any loss, any financial hardship, any difficulty—He is there to help us. He is good, faithful, trustworthy—and He has the “best” in mind for each of us. We are in His precious hands.

Lord, we have no ability to navigate this in any special way. We are weak, needy, and totally dependent on You. Help us today. Amen.