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Dealing With The Unexpected
I am sure all of us have been hit with unexpected events in our lives. There we were traveling down the road of life when suddenly, out of nowhere, something comes at us that we neither expected nor saw coming. Sometimes these unexpected surprises can be good – such as the telephone call I received at work from our doctor to say Betty had given birth to twins! But quite often these unexpected events are not good - far from it! There is that fearful knock at the door by a police officer revealing that a relative has been killed or seriously injured in a car accident. Or, there can be problems we are confronted with, such as illness, disappointments, relationship breakdowns, financial difficulties or family issues. When life seems to go spinning out of control like this, it can be very hard to not go spinning off with it. How can we stay focused when all around us seems out of control? I have a friend from my working days who has been going through such a dilemma. For all of his life it appeared that he had been confidently in control of every situation he encountered – or so it seemed from the outside. However, recently he confessed to me during this dark period, that on the inside he was on many occasions a churned up mess! Recently my friend suffered from an infection that seemed to indicate he could be suffering from prostate cancer. He delved into this disease in a lot of detail that caused him to worry about the possibilities of his future health. When I visited him, I immediately saw in his physical appearance the effects of this anxiousness. My friend is an atheist and you can count his close friends on one hand. And so, he is almost without anyone with whom to share his concerns as he tries to deal with this unexpected and worrying event in his life. What a blessing we have from our belief in God and His promise to be with us in our times of trouble! What a blessing we have as members of a community of believers who are available to provide support in our hours of need! In the Book of Mark, we meet a man named Jairus who comes to Jesus because his little daughter is close to death. Jairus is hoping that Jesus will be able to do something to make his daughter better. Sadly, before Jesus is able to see the girl, a message comes to Jairus saying that the little girl has died. Imagine the grief and sense of loss that Jairus would be feeling! Yet, listen to Jesus’ words to Jairus: “Don’t be afraid, just believe”. This is radical, challenging advice. When life has reached its lowest point, Jesus challenges Jairus and us to be not afraid, but to believe and trust in him. When Jesus arrives at Jairus’ house, Mark records for us an event that the people who saw it would never forget. Jesus went into the room where the dead girl was and miraculously he brought her back to life. What a great thing to happen in the lives of Jairus’ family – the restoring of life to their little girl! All the anguish and pain they had felt at her death had been extinguished through this miraculous blessing given by Jesus. This wonderful experience illustrates that Jesus is in control. When everything seems out of control, in all those tough times, we need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Robert C McQuilkin, first president of Columbia Bible College, has written that when plagued by undone tasks, misunderstandings, troubles and apparent failure, he stops and deliberately asks himself two questions: “First, am I surrendered to the Lord; Do I want only his will so far as my choice is concerned? The second question: Is the Lord just now meeting my need? The answer must be to take Him at His word though there are fightings without and fears within and though the circumstances of outward things and of inward life seem to say the needs are not being met. His grace IS sufficient. So I go forward doing the next duty and resting in faith, not in feeling”. You know, when we are faced with difficulties in life, we choose one of these two attitudes – to be beat-up, or to be up-beat. We can either say with Jacob in Genesis 42:36: “All these things are against me”. Or, we can say with Paul in Romans 8:28: “All these things are working together for good to those who love the Lord…..” When you are faced with the problems that life brings upon you, remember to believe and have confidence in your Lord Jesus Christ and remember his words to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid, just believe”. And the final counsel to us comes from the words of the apostle Paul: “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:6,7 - The Message). Bill Gillard
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