Finding Hope in Adversity

Finding Hope in Adversity

Has there been a time when you felt stuck in a problem where it seemed there was no way out?  Laura Story Elvington shares In her book, “When God Doesn’t Fix It”, ¹ how her life changed drastically after her second year of marriage. She had been a musician for a number of years and had written the popular song, “Indescribable”. She was a worship leader at a church in Atlanta, Georgia and wanted to raise the children that she and Martin, her husband, hoped to have. Martin was attending school to be a graphic designer.

Martin began falling asleep in worship services, at social events and was sleeping constantly.  This was very unusual because had been very active as an athlete. Tests showed that he had a brain tumor and a doctor scheduled him for an appointment with a highly regarded brain surgeon. 

Laura believed God would fix what was wrong with Martin and they would return to their normal way of life. The neurosurgeon assured Laura and Martin that after surgery he would be able to go home after a few days in the hospital even though there might be complications.

And there were serious complications after surgery. Infections caused his brain to swell and the doctor had to drill two holes in his skull to relieve pressure. At times Laura did not know if Martin would live or die. Laura was so weak and tired from staying at the hospital that all she could pray was “God, help.” God began reassuring her that He would be faithful to her even when she doubted His goodness.

It took three months before Martin could go home. God didn’t fix Martin’s problem the way he and Laura wanted, but God continued to reassure her that He loved her and He would care for her. In spite of losing his short-term memory, eventually Martin was able to function more independently and got a part-time job coaching a high school baseball team. Laura was able to continue her singing career and God gave them three beautiful children.

We find help in learning how David, the psalmist, dealt with adversity. We don’t know the difficulty he faced but he says, “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. (Psalm 40:1,2 NLT) Before God lifted David out of despair, he had to wait patiently on the Lord. Waiting is hard because it may appear God is not doing anything and not listening.  What else can we do and who else can we turn to?

David didn’t just wait, he waited patiently. God has a greater purpose than immediately answering our prayers the way we want. He is doing a work in our hearts to strengthen and deepen our faith. When God lifted David out of despair, he says “He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.” (Psalms 40:2 NLT)

In my own life, I am encouraged by praying through Psalms where David tells how he trusted God in times of great distress. My faith is renewed as I learn how he obtained strength in his trials.                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

We find comfort in knowing that Jesus understands our difficulties because of His suffering. He went through the same tests we do so that He could understand our weakness and struggles. “This High Priest (Jesus) of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (Hebrews 4:15,16 NLT)

We have hope as we focus on God’s promise to be with us and strengthen us through whatever we face. He tells us, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5,6 NLT)

 ¹ Elvington, Laura Story, “When God Doesn’t Fix It”, Creative Trust, 2015

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Welcome to WordPress! This is a sample post. Edit or delete it to take the first step in your blogging journey. To add more content here, click the small plus icon at the top left corner. There, you will find an existing selection of WordPress blocks and patterns, something to suit your every need for content creation. And don’t forget to check out the List View: click the icon a few spots to the right of the plus icon and you’ll get a tidy, easy-to-view list of the blocks and patterns in your post.

Welcome to WordPress! This is a sample post. Edit or delete it to take the first step in your blogging journey. To add more content here, click the small plus icon at the top left corner. There, you will find an existing selection of WordPress blocks and patterns, something to suit your every need for content creation. And don’t forget to check out the List View: click the icon a few spots to the right of the plus icon and you’ll get a tidy, easy-to-view list of the blocks and patterns in your post.