Without a doubt, I am convinced that Jesus holds me. This truth permeates the Bible (from Genesis to Revelation). Here’s a snippet of verses:
- “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” — Isaiah 41:10
- “Though they stumble, they never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” — Psalm 37:24
- “He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.” — Colossians 1:17
I love, love, love these verses!
My dear wife, Jeanne, recently came down with a sinus infection. Of course, our first inclination was to think that perhaps she had COVID? Seems as though our whole world is susceptible to this dreaded sickness. She is prone to sinus infections and was pretty sure that was the problem. She explained this to the Instacare folks, yet the precaution was to consider it as COVID. In tears, she asked for antibiotics to ease the sinus pain. They wanted her to wait three days (until the COVID test results came back) before filling the prescription.
When I heard this, I immediately began to scheme as to where I could get some antibiotics. Perhaps we still had an old bottle of them in a cupboard? I know, that’s not a good idea. However, the thought crossed my mind. Thankfully, the prescription was available later that day. Also, the COVID test came back negative. She feels much better. Thank you, Jesus!
Sickness in a Fallen World
Another question that crossed my mind was, “What is this sickness all about, Jesus?”
We can easily have the erroneous thought that sickness is from God and intentionally given to us. Let me make this clear. God does not make us sick! It is not in His nature to do so. Sin and sickness entered this world in the Garden of Eden. We read about this in Genesis (Chapter 3). Yet, we wonder, don’t we?
The enemy of our souls somehow plays a role in sickness. He delights in toying with our fallen nature. We can easily feel defeated and helpless when we’re sick. God knows this and holds us close, reminding us, “don’t be afraid … I will strengthen you and help you.” Satan uses sickness to try and harm us; God uses it for our good.
God holds us close and promises He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). I’ve had cancer twice. God used those opportunities to reveal Himself to me in very intimate ways. It’s difficult to describe, yet when I hear His “don’t be afraid”, I feel privileged to be on the other side of a number of hardships. I endured them with the tender care of my Creator.
I was scanned this week for my routine, four-month check-up. I still have cancer, but the treatments I’ve had seem to be working well. Each time I open the test results, however, I half expect to get bad news. The doctor will need to fully interpret the technical report, but from what we can tell, I have a clean bill of health. Thank you, Jesus! I resonate so much with Philippians 1:18b-30.
God holds me!
Posted in A Word from the Pastor