Are You Available to God?
Dear Friends,
A question was raised during one of our Bible studies last week. Can God use anyone to fulfill his purposes or does it have to be someone filled with the Holy Spirit? I tend to believe that God can do anything He wants to do. Furthermore, God will use anyone if they are available to answer His call. I saw God do that with Bob.
My friend Bob was in the hospital. He was a going through a difficult period in his life. It began with a kidney stone that he couldn’t pass. What was supposed be a short stay turned out to be weeks long. Once his initial problem was solved, he was having difficulty getting back on his feet. He couldn’t walk and his doctors were concerned.
After having a MRI, it was determined that he was going to need back surgery. That’s when they found the cancer. It seemed like every time he got news; it was worse than the time before. He began to question his faith. He’d ask, “Why is God doing this to me?” I didn’t have an answer. I prayed with him and asked God to answer his queries.
A few weeks later Bob was transferred to a rehabilitation center. He was not happy. He had always been active. He had a servant’s heart. He was a veteran, a retired teacher, an active layman at church. He served in city government, on several volunteer Boards and was an active member of the local Rotary Club. Sitting still and waiting for the next shoe to drop wasn’t his style.
Like Bob, a lot of us face trials in life. Depression often slips in and worry threatens to consume us. We get angry with God for allowing this to happen. No one knew this better than the Prophet Elijah. After a tremendous display of faith, he became a marked man. A bounty was placed on his head. The whole world seemed to turn against him. He fled to the wilderness.
Do you remember what happened? Elijah was hiding in a cave when God came to him. Elijah starts complaining about how unfair the world was. Then a mighty wind, a powerful earthquake and a roaring fire passed by the mountain. The scriptures say that after these there was a still small voice. In that voice was the assurance that God would be with him and that he had more work to do.
I think my friend Bob heard that voice. I went in one day and he was a changed man. Did I mention that Bob was a justice of the peace? While he was in rehab he heard that there was a young man there who had hoped to be married. Facing a cancer diagnosis of his own, and long hospital stays, this young man and his fiancé didn't know if they would ever be able to see their dream come true.
It was like a Hallmark movie. Word got out about Bob. A meeting was arranged and a wedding planned right there in the facility where they were staying. When I talked to Bob about it later, he was overjoyed. He told me that he now understood why he was there. His stay in the hospital, and time in the rehabilitation facility, prepared him to be a part of God's plan.
Bob told me that if he hadn't been there, the miracle couldn't have happened. Both he and that couple would have lost a blessing. What a difference a day makes! Maybe we can take a lesson from Bob's story. God is always with us… especially in those times when things aren't going well. But if we are open to God, He will use us to bless others even in the worst of times. In doing so, we will be blessed too!
God bless. See you in church! I'll be there with Jesus.
Pastor Cal
You can contact me at calstigers@gmail.com