My Megaphone

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. (Psalm 40:1-2)

My husband and I watched a great Louie Giglio DVD tonight called “Hope.”  God used it to speak exactly what I needed to hear.  I have been in a great deal of physical pain and to tell you the truth I have been waiting for the Lord to move.  Notice I said that I have been waiting for the Lord to move, but I did not say I have been patiently waiting.  Unfortunately, I cannot claim that I have been patient.  I have been in this same place before and I don’t honestly care for it.

I like to be positive about life, so I tend to keep people in the dark when things aren’t going well.  I tend to only tell people the good things.  I want people to know the good things that God is doing, so I wait until I’m on the other side of my difficult times to share my stories.

I know this does a great injustice to my readers because this somehow makes you believe that I never suffer.  Today in Louie Giglio’s DVD I heard that suffering is like a megaphone to bring glory back to God.  The greatest time of suffering was of course Jesus dying on the cross.  Yes, we celebrate His resurrection and the empty tomb, but without His death, we wouldn’t have life.  There was suffering through one gigantic megaphone before there was life.  Jesus was willing to bring God glory through His death and resurrection.  He did not live for Himself, He lived to glorify God the Father.  Who does your life glorify?

Louie put it another way.  He asked what our lives are broadcasting.  Some of you may be going through a storm like I am going through, some of you may be coming out of a storm, and some of you may be getting ready to go in one.  What will you broadcast through your life while you go through the storm?  What will your story be?  How will someone see Jesus through you?

I know in my heart that God will be faithful to me because He has always been faithful to me.  I can’t promise you that I will wait patiently for God to work, but I will wait for Him.  You see God’s timing and my timing are not the same.  God’s ways and my ways, they are not the same either.  I do know that God hears my cry and He has not abandoned me during my time of need.  Yes, I am in pain and I’m not sure when the pain will disappear.  I do know that I wake up every morning, praying 1 Peter 2:24 over my life, which says, “…by his wounds you have been healed.”

Also, I know that God has lifted me out of the slimy pit of my sin and set me on a rock of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.  I do know that I feel like I’m in the mud some days splashing around, but God picks me up and sets my feet back on that solid rock again.  I have a firm place to stand because of God alone.  I know that God is faithful, in my weakness He is strong, and in suffering I will glorify Him.

Will you allow your suffering to be a megaphone for God’s glory today?  Will you serve Jesus through your pain and not let your pain make you a servant?  You have the choice!

Dear Father God, I am Yours completely!  I don’t always have the words to say, but I know that’s okay.  May You completely heal my body and help me be surrendered to You.  I trust You and continue to wait on You.  Please have Your way in me.

Letting Go,