Waiting on the Doctor
Barbara Henderson
There it is… the doctor has given you
potentially bad or even fatal news. You
have to wait for results that will tell you what is going on, or you have the
news and are waiting for treatment. No
one knows except the Lord what is going to happen. Are you or a loved one going to live or
die? Will treatment work? Is there any hope of a normal life again?
Experience tells me this is what you
need to do.
First, thank God for heaven and that
saved people go there when they leave this life. The worst thing that can happen for believers
is they will ultimately go to heaven.
But, there is what happens in between heaven and right now that matters. Second, here is what you do.
Read the Bible. Especially Genesis and the book of
Psalms. You are not reading to tell the
future or to get insight into your own situation. You are reading for comfort and distraction. The time you are spending concentrating on
the story told in the Bible you are not thinking about your situation. You are getting to know God better, and you
are getting to know the people in the Bible and their stories. You are getting to know your brothers and
sisters in Christ and the mistakes they made in their lives, and the trials
they went through. Sometimes something
you read will seem to resonate with what you are going through, but that is not
the main purpose of reading. Your
purpose is to put your trouble in the hands of God, and learn something useful.
I find this works better in Genesis and the other story books of the
Bible. I confess to skipping a lot of genealogy
and tabernacle building and ark building instructions. Those are definitely important, but my mind
is usually not able to get into this as much as what people did and probably
wished they hadn’t done. You may read
about the tabernacle and be inspired to build a scale model. Whatever causes you to concentrate on
something of the Lord instead of your own problem is good.
I find Psalms the most comforting. I tend to pray each verse – or word it in my
own way. This is between my and God, so
it isn’t scripture twisting. I am
praying for understanding and comfort. I
don’t necessarily mean understanding in my own situation, but understanding in
general as well as for mu situation. This
is very comforting to me.
Psalm 107: 23-31 is a perfect picture of
what happens when dire troubles come.
‘They that go down to the sea in ships,
that do business in great waters;
24 These see the works of the Lord, and his
wonders in the deep.
25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the
stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
26 They mount up to the heaven, they go
down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a
drunken man, and are at their wit's end.
28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their
trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the
waves thereof are still.
30 Then are they glad because they be
quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for
his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!’
First, we live in the world. We see the works of the Lord on a daily
basis. He gives us our daily benefits!
Then the Lord raises a great stormy
wind, and the ship is tossed up and down in the waves. Those on the ship are terrified. Their soul seems to melt. They stagger like a drunk, and are at their
wits end. Their daily lives are sorely disrupted!
THEN they cry to the Lord. Their prayer probably goes something like,
‘HELP!’
The Lord calms them down. (This is my favorite part.) God calms the waves of turmoil in our
hearts.
We relax and cast all our burdens on the
Lord. What a relief.
Then the Lord brings them to their
desired haven.
Those on the ship give praise to the
Lord for His goodness and His wonderful works to the children of men.
It is almost (almost) worth the storm to
get to the calm. It feels sort of like
going on a great adventure and being saved from disaster by the hand of the
Lord.
When facing a trial, this Psalm seems to
play itself out a number of times. But with lessening intensity each time. Just keep doing the same thing. Throw yourself into the word of the Lord. Reading the Bible, getting to know the Lord
better and the people He wrote about, is going to do you good emotionally. It
will just do you good.
To all those facing a storm – or a
cyclone/tsunami – cast your burdens on the Lord. Throw yourself into His book. Read what He says. It all applies to each of us. Don’t look for a ‘yes’ I will get well, or a
‘no’ that isn’t going to happen. Just
read, pray, study and learn.
And he said, If the Syrians be too
strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too
strong for thee, then I will help thee.
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be
not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will
help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my
righteousness.
For I the Lord thy God will hold thy
right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of
Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy
redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
So that we may boldly say, The
Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man
shall do unto me.
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