Would You Still Trust Him?

Job 13:15: Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

Would you still trust Him if He permitted you to have terminal cancer? Would you still trust Him if He took your life?

One of the delights of my ministry as a chaplain is to learn that faith in Christ increases when tragedy strikes. When I am in the presence of Christians with terminal illnesses they become encouragers and I become the encouraged one.

Hebrews 4:16: Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

In time of need is a very significant phrase. We are seldom given grace before we need it. We don*t inhale and store oxygen ahead of time either. We huff and puff and inhale more oxygen when our bodies are stressed.

Unbelievers I have met who are terminally ill are like a cloud over their own lives as well as mine. They have rejected Christ the source of joy. They have rejected the God of peace. They have rejected the God of all hope. They have rejected the God of wisdom. They have rejected the God of comfort. They have rejected Jesus the author and finisher of faith. They have rejected the God of love. They have rejected the God of mercy. They have rejected the life more abundant that He offers.

I typically ask these senior citizens what they need or what I might do for them. The majority of the believers ask me to pray for them. Surprisingly, most of them don*t get specific about what to pray for. They know that the Lord is in full control. The majority of unbelievers will be very specific about what they want or need. (More pain meds, gentler therapists, better doctors, more help from family, etc.) I can*t recall any of them asking for prayer. Prayer doesn*t come into the conversation until I ask permission to pray for them.

If I had not been a Christian before I became a chaplain I would most certainly want to become one now. It would be a tremendous eye-opener for anyone to spend some time with a terminally-ill Christian and then with a terminally-ill unbeliever.

Care to discuss Would You Still Trust Him? with Ron?

He'd also like to hear your prayer requests