Dear Church Family,
I promised during yesterday’s sermon to expand on a quote by J. I. Packer. That will come tomorrow as this morning I was greeted by an e-mail from a dear friend Linda Eubanks (her husband Reavis has operated on some of you). A year ago this month she underwent extensive surgery at Duke for pancreatic cancer. She had her latest follow-up exam in Durham Friday. She gave lots of details about God’s providence during her treatment. Then she gets to the heart of the matter with the following words which I share with her permission:
“So – what am I learning through all of this?
· Our loving Heavenly Father directs all of our steps. It just might be that a lung fungus and shingles is helpful in healing one of cancer – who knows? But I know He knows, and that’s all that matters.
· Funks do happen – it’s OK to be sad because your dog died and to think you’re falling apart because of your blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol problem. It’s OK to be anxious about your upcoming CT. But just remember that the Word tells us ‘to be anxious for nothing’. But that same Word also tells us about Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel (in 1st Samuel). She was unable to have children and as a result was reproached by other women, including the other wife of her husband. And one day, in the temple, she was deeply distressed and weeping, silently pouring out her heart, her anxieties, and her vexations to the Lord. The Word says her lips were moving but she was not speaking, and Eli the priest thought she was drunk and rebuked her. But once he learned the true situation, he tells her to go in peace and he asks that the God of Israel grant the petition that she had made of Him. And the Bible says she went her way, she ate, and her face was no longer sad. She did have a baby – Samuel – the last judge of Israel and a mighty man of God. ‘Deeply distressed - weeping – anxious - silently pouring out her heart’ – that pretty well sums it up for me over the past week. But like Hannah, I need to fully embrace that God loves me and desires peace and well-being for me.
· Satan loves nothing more than to have us doubt our Heavenly Father. And he will tell us any lie to get us to doubt. But he must flee immediately if we ask our loving Father to bind him in the name of Jesus. I must be more diligent to ask God for protection from the evil one.”
All three points give us great truth that Linda has lived out. Doctrine remains practical for it is the living truth of the living God who has redeemed us through Christ.
Living by grace to His glory,
Pastor Gillikin