Settled
Hope in Heartache
Dear Readers,
After a few hours of venturing down not a few rabbit trails, I unearthed from my old blog the 2013 post I remembered titled No Matter What. Since I already have two posts on this Substack with the same title, I chose a different title for this one. Apparently this subject has been a recurring theme for me over the years.
I am sure you are, as I am, grieving and praying for the victims of the Texas flooding. There really are no words except Jesus, help. In the shadow of that devastation, my mind was drawn back to words I wrote over a decade ago, so I revisited them to update and share here.
Whenever there is a tragedy, I grieve with the victims. I am so, so sorry for their indescribable loss and incomprehensible grief. Even though I do not know them, I weep with them, and I want to somehow comfort them, to reassure them that Jesus loves them. But another part of me—the disturbed and questioning part—grumbles deep down where the fears fester: What if that were me or my loved ones?
The questions tumble about in my mind: What would I do? How would I react? What words would I not want to hear from the mouths of well-meaning people? Lord, help us not to offer trite words or empty platitudes when broken hearts need empathy and comfort and eternal hope. Or just to be held.
But here’s the most frightening question of all: Would I allow the tragedy to destroy my faith?
Before I careen too far down that unsettling path, the Lord kindly reminds me that He provides grace for the moment. He reminds me that we cannot know His specific comfort for a specific situation until we are in it. Maybe that is what bothers me the most—the until. It is one thing to trust when all is well. It is quite another to do so when the unthinkable happens, when we experience what follows the until.
The harsh reality is that being a Christ follower does not insulate me from tragedy. My belonging to Christ does not negate the fact that I live in a broken world where catastrophes shatter lives and hearts. So I am learning that I must believe—I must have settled ahead of time—that Christ is with me no matter what. I must hang on tightly to the truth that in His hand nothing can happen to me that surprises Him. I must mentally cling to the knowledge that He will never leave me nor forsake me—even though in the midst of tragic loss my flesh may scream, Where is God? and unbelievers may echo my own doubts and taunt, Where is your God? Why did He let this happen to you? To us?
My prayer is that I can firmly respond: My Jesus is right here with me—carrying, comforting, calming. My prayer is that I can answer with certainty that I irrefutably believe—because I have settled it beforehand—that my Savior’s strengthening presence, limitless power, and divine purpose are as sure as the air I breathe.
No matter what.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 NAS
May it be so for every grieving heart.
In Christ,
Janice
"He reminds me that we cannot know His specific comfort for a specific situation until we are in it."
You nailed it...
The video of the rescued girls singing praise to God on their way out of camp shows the strength of their faith. 🙏🏻