Recently, I’ve been sharing excerpts from the first chapter of my book, Why? Answers to Weather the Storms of Life. I chose to call this chapter “When the Bottom Falls Out” because that’s exactly what it feels like when you hear the news that starts a stormy season in your life.
It was how I felt when I learned I had cancer.
It felt like I was falling, confused about which way was up. Most of all, I was confused about why it was happening.
Have you ever felt that way? Do you feel that way right now?
Maybe you feel like you’ve been falling for weeks, months, or even years. There’s nothing to be ashamed about for feeling that way. Even the great heroes of the faith went through times when they felt hopeless.
What matters is that you keep the right perspective and that you remember God is ready to catch you whenever you fall … as long as you let Him.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the first chapter of Why. If you would like to buy the entire book, you can purchase it online for $8.99. And be on the lookout for upcoming excerpts from Chapter 2: “My Weakest Moment.”
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When C.S. Lewis was grieving the loss of his wife, he wrote:
Where is God? … When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be — or so it feels — welcomed with open arms.
But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become. There are no lights in the windows. It might be an empty house. Was it ever inhabited? What can this mean? Why is He so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so absent a help in times of trouble?
The truth is that God is with us … always. And He cares.
Charles Spurgeon once said, “God is too good to be unkind, and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.”
It was a hard lesson, but I learned that no matter what type of trial I face, I must turn to God and trust Him for strength, wisdom, and joy in the midst of it all.
As songwriter Scott Wesley Brown wrote, “When answers aren’t enough, there’s still Jesus.” He can be trusted with our future. He wants the best for us and has great plans and purpose for our lives.
My life is a testament to this! After numerous skin grafts and liposuction on my hand to make it look as normal as possible, the raised scar still serves as a daily reminder of the gift of life and how God brought me through the ordeal of cancer.
Finally, through the miracle of modern medicine, doctors injected liquid Teflon into my vocal chords, enabling me to speak. Once again, there were complications. The first surgery was not successful, requiring a second operation.
My voice is still not completely normal … but I can speak! People tell me I speak with a “tear” — that I sound like I’m choking up, ready to cry. I’m told my new voice makes me sound more sincere. To be honest, I don’t think about it much anymore, and when I do, I am grateful to be able to speak at all and do what God has called me to do.
When I faced cancer, I thought my life was over. I feared I would never speak again and that my ministry was over, too. I did not know then what I know now — the greatest accomplishments of my life came after cancer, not before. God is so good!
When a trial comes your way, I cannot tell you that you will have all your questions answered. What I can tell you is that you will have good days, bad days, painful days, strong days, weak days, and encouraging days. But you will never have days alone.
I realize that it is not always God’s will to heal and that, in fact, eventually every one of us will die. I’ve attended the funerals of many of my friends that I have now outlived. Every time, I ask the same question … “Why?”
Why God chooses to heal some and not others is a mystery. We don’t know why. Sometimes there is no immediate or obvious answer to the question, “Why?” When those times come, we can know this: God is sovereign, God is loving, God is kind. And He knows “why.”
God is there, and His Word is true. He is working for your good. Paul, one of Christ’s early followers, said it this way, “All things work together for good to those who love God.”
And no matter what type of trial you face, God is in control.
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Want to continue reading? Purchase your copy of Why? Answers to Weather the Storms of Life today for just $8.99.
You will also receive access to a free devotional and study guide to help you as you search for answers in your own “Why” moments or encourage a friend going through difficult times.