I like my ducks in a row…and there to be a reason why things happen as they do. Confusion and bewilderment often cloud the truth and leave me floundering for something to grasp. I simply need a handle, something to answer my why.
While I was thankful the test results came back normal, I always wondered why I was in so much pain. The doctors couldn’t put a name on my condition, and it took 26 aspirin a day to keep me sane. Within several months the joint pain gradually subsided, but we never knew why it came in the first place…
When I stood at my father’s bedside, I realized again how much I needed to know why. They couldn’t diagnose his condition or figure out how to help him. I remember crying out to the Lord for some answers, for wisdom for doctors, for something to answer our why. It was when I was pouring out my complaint about not knowing…that I heard…”But, what do you know?” I quickly made a list of my “knowns” which helped me endure the “unknowns” of my father’s illness and eventual death.
Even today our family faces some unknowns. My nephew’s twenty-two month old son, Jeriah, has yet to crawl or take his first step. Plagued with seizures and underdeveloped muscles, Jeriah is held upright through a device called a “stander.” The numerous tests this child has endured over his young lifetime have never given them a reason why. When he was admitted to the Mayo Clinic last year, we were sure that the answers would come…but every test came back normal. Though very thankful he wasn’t diagnosed with some serious disease, we still don’t know why Jeriah is not developing like a healthy child should. Reading his story on Caringbridge reveals the faith of his parents. There are times the stress of the unknowns is so great they can hardly endure, but they have learned to stand on the hope of the knowns…those truths that sustain them through their faith in Jesus Christ. (We’d appreciate your prayers for Jeriah. You can go to http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jeriahandrew to see pictures and learn more about his condition.)
All of us face our unknowns. But I’ve learned through the years it’s the knowns that give us a handle on life. The pure truth of the Bible, God’s Word, will keep us anchored and steady…truths that provide an unshakable foundation. What I don’t know gets lost in my list of what I do. How about you? What do you know…for sure?
I know…that my Redeemer lives! (Job 19:25)
I know…the One in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return. (2 Tim. 1:12)
I know…that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purposes. (Rom. 8:28)
I know…that if God is for us, who can ever be against us? (Rom. 8:31)
I know…that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:38)
I know…that God has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Heb. 13:5)
I know…that weeping may remain for the night but rejoicing comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)
I know…that my help comes from the Lord and that He who watches over me will never slumber. (Psalm 121:2-3)
I know…that Jesus ever lives to intercede for me. (Heb. 7:25)
I know…that He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
I know…that the Lord is the Blessed Controller of all things. (1 Tim. 6:15 Philips)
I know…the Lord’s plans for me are to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me a hope and a future. (Jer. 29:11)
I know…that by my God I can run through a troop and leap over a wall. (Psalm 18:29)
I know…that the sum of all His precepts is truth. (Psalm 119:160)
I know…that His grace is sufficient for me for His power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9)