Our Darkest Hour May Be God's Finest Moment

God is a mystery.
Wouldn't it be great if Nick Vujicic's arms and legs miraculously grew, if I was cured of this painful blood disease, if no more children had to suffer from abuse, cancer and neglect?

God is in control even though we live in a fallen world where bad things happen to good people. I do not believe this was His perfect plan but when the choice to sin and disobey His direction occurred there was a price to pay and consequences to endure. Why God allows one to be healed and another not despite faithful prayers is a mystery we may never understand but let's take a look at a few possiblities.

Suffering
As it applied to suffering, Peter understood this, "Those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good" (1 Pet. 4:19). We tend to doubt the sovereignty of God in difficult times, especially when things do not go the way we think they should.

Wouldn't it be great if Nick Vujicic's arms and legs miraculously grew, if I was cured of this painful blood disease, if no more children had to suffer from abuse, cancer and neglect? Even so, I know that Jesus changed the world more through His suffering than he did through His miracles. Jesus said, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead" (Luke 16:31). Yes, but God, wouldn't your miraculous intervention show your power in such a way that souls would be saved and the world changed forever? Didn't you say that we would do even greater things in your name than you did while you were here on earth... What are we waiting for? This I wonder in the darkest hours... of emergency room visits, when a child disappears, when unfavorable test results come in...

I suffered for three long years not knowing what was wrong with my body. The need to know what I'd done wrong to lose God's love and the notion that I would be better off dead than alive consumed me until I turned my back on all that I knew and descended into the pit of despair, making one terrible choice after another. I thought that God abandoned me but couldn't blame him since I felt worthless, unlovable and broken.

God asked me to trust Him
I wanted proof in signs and wonders but had to learn that faith is being "certain of what we do not see" (Heb. 11:1). God asked me to trust Him and embrace the sufficiency of His grace so He could become the God of my mountaintops as well as my valleys. I found His grace in suffering... I asked, if there was ANY other way... The drops of His saving blood started with that prayer and we've stood strong and courageous ever since, enduring for the "joy set before" (Heb. 12:2) .

Apply!
What does this mean for me? How do I apply these truths to my life, my challenges, my disappointments, my unanswered prayers, my circumstances... Are my afflictions purposeful? I may never understand but I will choose to cling to His word and follow Jesus because the joy of the Lord is my strength! Three times Paul requested to be healed of his "thorn in the flesh." But God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). It was a messenger of Satan, sent to harass him. So Paul decided to boast of his weaknesses, that Your power may rest upon him and be shown through him. I'm learning to be content no matter what. Content with weaknesses, hardships, pain, insults, and sickness; because Your word says, "When I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10) and sometimes wellness isn't the absence of illness but a wholeness in your heart that only He can bring.

Friend, it's not always that simple, is it? It's a daily process of laying down my life and taking up the cross of Christ. Satan is at work here but God is too. The thorn is not just the work of Satan to kill, steal and destroy. It is the work of God to save because He will turn everything around for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Why was Paul awarded with this thorn? “To keep me from being too elated;" "to keep me from exalting myself," NASB, or: "to keep me from becoming conceited," NIV by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from exalting myself.” In Luke 22:31-32 (NIV), "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. (32) But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." Wow, Paul, Job, Peter and the list goes on — God permitted Satan to afflict these righteous servants, yet He turns the affliction for good purposes. I do not get it; however, I believe that nothing will happen to me that does not first go through God's screen of love.

Do we get too full of ourselves?
Seriously, don't we get too full of ourselves? Maybe my disease is just that-allowed to keep me from thinking I'm in charge, or that I do not need God that I can rely on myself and "get her done." I use to think God was too busy -- I would just go to Him with the big stuff I couldn't handle. Well He fixed me on that one. God cares about every detail of my life. Like any good parent He desires to be included in everything. No pride and self-exaltation here--because that always comes before the fall. God pulled me out of that pit and I have no plan to return. I'm seeking the healer more than the healing and His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven!

Alister McGrath in Mystery of the Cross (Zondervan, 1990) wrote,

"God is active and present in his world, quite independently of whether we experience him as being so. Experience declared that God was absent from Calvary, only to have its verdict humiliatingly overturned on the third day."

Let God be God
Our darkest hour may be God's finest moment, as it was for Jesus on Calvary's Cross. YES, pray for relief. Satan delights in our suffering and he must be resisted. God will hear and do what is best. Let God be God. Hebrews 11 says, "By faith some escaped the edge of the sword (34) and by faith some were killed by the sword (37). By faith some stopped the mouths of lions, and by faith others were sown asunder. By faith some were mighty in war, and by faith others suffered chains and imprisonment... It may not always turn out as we want or hope.

Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)
(12) I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (13) I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

The real miracle
God doesn't always calm the storm but the real miracle for us is to be calm in the storm. Our deepest need isn't for quick relief from our present storms. Paul said that Christ crucified was foolishness to the Greeks, a stumbling block to the Jews, but to those who are called it is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:23). It appears to me that God thinks humility is more important than comfort; salvation more important than having our way; and reliance on Him more important than freedom from pain. Salvation, peace, grace, mercy, even balance and discipline are gifts He offers but it is up to us to reach out and receive them.

It is well with my soul
So I've made the choice to trust Him so circumstances will NOT overwhelm me. I will keep my eyes on Jesus no matter the storm and be consumed with God and God alone! I will pray without ceasing, enjoy peace no matter what and trust in all His ways. It's a deep need we all have in the midst of adversity. To walk in power and strength even if we have to use a wheelchair. My faith helps me to not only endure my weaknesses but to thrive in them because of the power of His love. And I can honestly say, "It is well with my soul especially if my darkest hour could be His finest moment because when I wanted to hear yes and all I got was a no--I could still believe! And that is the miracle of faith.
Be a light in the darkness, I dare you... especially and in spite of your challenges that is the miracle of faith!