Affliction
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced. … For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
(2 Corinthians 12:10; 1:8–10; 4:8–9; Romans 8:35–37 ESV)
“If you pour a pail full of water on the floor of your house, it makes a great show, but if you throw it into the sea, there is no sign of it. So, afflictions considered in themselves, we think are very great, but let them be considered with the sea of god’s mercies we enjoy, and then they are not so much, they are nothing in comparison.”
—Jeremiah Burroughs
From Day Eleven, Spiritual Exercises, Sacred Margins: On the Spiritual Life of a Writer.
It leaves most people most perplexed,
they think me lying, or just odd
when I tell them I accept
cancer as the will of God.
They would have me rail and weep,
to curse the Lord, and then to die,
but there’s a covenant to keep
even when I don’t know why
things have gone down this fell road
in a hard and brutal season.
I just know He shares my load,
and in his heart He bears the reason
for these long and weary years,
for I see it in His tears.
An inspiring poem for an inspiring post. Thank you, and bless you both.
Sy, thank you so much!
This is perfect, Andrew!
It’s interesting to me that so many people think God only ordains pleasant things. Look what He ordained for Jesus! And Judas Iscariot. And Pharoah. And Jeremiah. And more!
I’m often told by people, “God would never do that” when I say He gave me my special needs daughter. That He created Anna the way she is.
What I’d like to say is, “What? Did she get past Him? Oops! There goes Anna Halter, dang it. Now she’s going to have special needs!”
Instead, I quote them Exodus 4:11 “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord?”
It’s amazing how many people never read this passage.
And you know what? Anna has a ministry. She blesses people. Even those who have never met her. She’s mostly non-verbal, has daily seizures, is severely mentally retarded (she’s 35 years old but functions at a low 18 months.) She pretty much ignores people – even me sometimes. haha! But God uses her to touch peoples’ hearts. I have no idea how, but I see it all the time.
She loves Jesus. His name is one of the few clear words she has. I sometimes hear her talking to Him. She’ll be babbling and in the middle of that, I hear, “Jesus!” I often wonder what she and Jesus talk about. 🙂
Her “special needs” are temporary, thank the Lord! So is your cancer. But it sure feels like eternity, doesn’t it?
((hugs)) and prayers!
Pan, I’m truly humbled by your words, and most especially by Anna.
Thank you for this.
Beautiful testimony.
Your poems continue to speak to many hearts.
I would not know God as I know Him today if not for having had cancer, twice. For some reason I never asked why me? I asked, Who are you? And he showed me. A friend said God doesn’t give us pain. I advised her to read and meditate on Job, especially Job 42:5
Well said.
Encouragement grounded in reality is always the best!
Big smile!
I wrote a review of Sacred Margins and posted it on Amazon.com and on Barnes & Noble. I’ve finished Part 1 and am now reading the spiritual exercises. I’m thankful to you for writing this book for us.
Thank you for the kindness.
I am savoring Sacred Margins in short bursts with my morning devotions. I look forward to the spiritual exercises but haven’t gotten there yet.
Very inspiring. The words are those I’ve tried to live by all my born-again life. Thank you