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Thursday, November 19, 2009 6:13 PM CST
Clergy Views: Struck down but not destroyed
By Chaplain Susan Westfall, International Fellowship of Chaplains
Thanksgiving holidays roll around each year, giving us the opportunity as a nation to pause and remember to give God thanks for the innumerable blessings in our lives.
Living in America, there are many things for which to be thankful. Running water, hot water, indoor plumbing and affordable electricity come to my mind.
I’m thankful that my life is not in danger when I accept Christ as my Lord and Savior, that my family won’t immediately disown (or kill) me, and that I won’t be fired from my job for my Christian beliefs.
For the purpose of this article, though, I wanted to search my heart and discover what I really appreciated about my relationship with my Lord. My answer to this prayer came in the form of an e-mail.
My “day” job is to run a Christian ministry in support of church-planting activities in the country of India. One of our supporting families had fallen behind in their monthly donations, and I had contacted them to see if they desired to continue or whether I needed to put their missionaries back in the pool for other sponsorship. Used by permission, their reply was:
“We just sent you some money for our missionary and children… It’s the first we could send in months, as we have been having a tough time here lately with taxes and medical problems…. My wife had an operation on her hiatal hernia, and I have been having A FIB of the heart…. with all kinds of expenses and complications… but the good Lord has provided somehow, and we are struggling to get back on our feet as we are living on social security checks only. My part-time job has ended also, so I am looking around for things to sell and ways I can make a living.
“Praise the Lord, I have been feeling much better lately and can do some repairs around the house and the neighbors for a few extra dollars.
“We deeply regret not keeping up with our contributions and will get back on schedule as soon as possible. Please tell our missionary and children we do love them!”
This is not a typical, human nature response to such difficulties. This is an example of a Christian couple allowing the power of God to sustain them through thick and thin.
But we have this treasure (the divine Light of the Gospel) in earthen vessels (our human bodies) that the exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves.
We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed — always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body... Therefore we do not lose heart. (2 Corinthians 4: 7-10, 16)
God promises to be with me as I pass through the floods and the fires that life throws my way. Even in the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord promises to be with me. This promise of His presence is one I deeply appreciate. Thank you, Lord.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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