“The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork.”
(Psalms 19:1 NKJV)
And so it does! In the beauty of sunsets and sunrises, clouds and sunrays, as well as in the beauty of God’s creation in nature! They all make you so aware of the majesty and awesomeness of God!
But, I want to share now about another very real “glimpse” into the reality and presence of God: that of seeing the faith of a dear friend who only has a very short time left on this earth. Soon he will be with His Lord, Jesus Christ, in the heavenly realm; free of all the pain and suffering from the disease (ALS) that he has endured for the past 5 years.
From the time he was first given that dreaded diagnosis, his prayer was, “Jesus, please stay by me during this process!” And He has! Our friend, Mike (and his incredible and loving wife, Sandy) has shown us and all who know him, a “glimpse” of what the presence and peace of and from Jesus is like. Jesus warned that, “…in the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33b (NKJV)
How is it possible to ‘be of good cheer’ when faced with the painful tribulation of a horrible disease?
How is it possible? Because of what Jesus also told us in His Word, “Let not you heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” (John 14:1), “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5b)
It is these promises that we can hold onto, as we cry out in the darkest moments of our lives. He wants us to cry out to Him, so He can show us HIS faithfulness, and give us His peace that is NOT of this world! (Jeremiah 33:3, Philippians 4:6-7).
In these deeply challenging and painful valleys of our lives, or in the lives of those we love, we need to hear words of TRUTH. Not cliches, nor platitudes. Let your heart dwell on these promises. Words that bring HOPE, that bring PEACE, and that give us a small GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN!!
We have seen that glimpse in our friend, Mike.
Dearest Lord Jesus, Thank you for being faithful to Your Word, and being with Mike and Sandy throughout these months and years! May their lives be an example to all who know them, that You are real and very present with us, in every situation! Thank you for Your love for us! In Your precious name, Amen!
