In His Time ~ In His Way ~ For His Glory

I was reading a blog yesterday about one woman's journey with chronic illness and in her posting I read these words...."In His time....in His way....for His glory". Reading this phrase brought me to a quiet place within myself where I was gently reminded of God's power.

Psalm 46:10 tells us, "Be still and know that I am God."

During the years I was editor of "The Encourager", I connected often with many of the subscribers. The members of this newsletter were Christians living with chronic illnesses. Their faith sustained them as they dealt not only with disabling diseases, but also with financial burdens, isolation, and all the grief of lost expectations for a healthy life. For the most part they were able to live a life of acceptance with a fighting spirit...knowing that God was in control, and that everyone's prayers would be answered in His time, in His way, and for His glory. We encouraged each other on our journeys and held each other up in prayer. It gave us the strength we needed to live a joy-filled life each day.

There are times I feel like the world is spinning on an extra fast axis and I am not sure whether I am coming or going. According to the my doctor, the illnesses I live with make it more challenging to cope with the crises that come into my life. My body responds very quickly to outside stimuli of any kind so when a crisis pops up, I need to work extra hard not to let it affect my health in a negative way. I heard someone say that the Chinese characters used for the word crisis are both disaster and opportunity. I find this very interesting. When a crisis comes our way disaster can be close at hand, but when we make the choice to look at it as a time for growth or change, it becomes an opportunity. When we trust God to work things out in His time, in His way, and for His purpose and glory, we are able to surrender to His plan for our lives. In turn, this helps us stay faith-centered, with the knowledge that God works all things together for good according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Certainly, at times it is very difficult to be in a season of trials. We may find ourselves wondering if God has closed His ears to our pleading voice as we ask for mercy. We believe we know what would stop our world from spinning, and cannot understand why God does not rescue us or those we love and care about according to our plans. When we come a place of confusion and pleading, we need to be still. No need to panic! Surrendering to our Lord's will, we are able to step out in faith, remembering that God is God and our situations or those of our loved ones are in His hands. We truly can trust that all things work together for good in His time, in His way, and for His purpose an glory.

Renee