Seeing God in the Difficulties

It has been almost a week since my last entry here and comments on Wiersbe (2007). This week has been hard. I have been unable to walk up the stairs and sleep in my own bed. More often than not I have moderate discomfort in both knees.

I will take a moment to share a devotional I read today from Pastor Greg and share some things related to the last entry.

The last chapter was on the pure in heart. The result of this is being able to see God. Seeing God can mean many things that include seeing God's hand in circumstances both personal and global.

It has been a huge challenge these past few weeks coping with my joint pain and not knowing the cause or treatment. An X-ray was taken last Friday but I do not meet with my doctor until next Friday.

A common question I often wrestle with is why bad things happen. Not the bad things that are the result of bad behavior. If we smoke, there are consequences. If we hurt others, there are consequences. What I wonder about is the life difficulties that happen for no explainable cause.

I am a man with pre-existing defects. I was born with a rare eye condition known as optic nerve atrophy. I was born with a moderate speech impediment. Now, in these past three weeks, I now have joint pain and periodic inflammation with no known cause. I cannot conceive how God can do anything with my life.

Four weeks ago I had a phone screen for a social work position locally. That was prior to my joint problems. Even when I called to follow-up I did not expect anything and they never returned my follow up call. Never, until this afternoon. It was an interview request for next week.

The phone call was unexpected. Moreover, I am unsure if I can even physically make it to the interview. What these past few weeks are showing me are my significant weaknesses and total dependence on God. In the end, whatever good happens, all glory goes to Him. I don't know what will happen. My prayer has continued to be for God's leading, strength, and hope from day to day.

This is the devotional I came across: 

JUNE 1, 2012

Not Ability, but Availability 

"I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols." 

—Isaiah 42:8

What kind of person does God seek to use? What qualifications is He looking for in someone? Is it a towering intellect? Is it natural leadership ability? Could God ever use someone who is a bit shy by nature? Does this person have to be very talented or handsome or beautiful?

The answer to all of these questions is clearly no. It seems as though God goes out of His way sometimes to choose the most unexpected people to use.

If I had to choose one passage of Scripture that I think best summarizes my life as a Christian, it would be 1 Corinthians 1:26–29, where the apostle Paul wrote,

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

There is not a person who had less promise to achieve anything with his life than me. I was literally the last person picked for the team for whatever sport it was. I never was academically strong. I always underwhelmed in most areas of my life. So when the Lord chose me to serve Him, it was very clear that it was His doing—not mine. This is because God will not give His glory to another.

As I have said before, God is not looking for ability as much as availability. Are you available to Him?