I got back from India after the loss of my brother-in-law and then went to see my best friend, Danny, miraculously revived from a stroke in Boise (as shared in my previous blog).
What happened in Boise was beautiful. Danny obviously survived but people came to see him one after another. Danny would introduce me to them and then share that although these people looked great, they all had walked through some major crisis in life.
Stories of Loss
The first person who came to see Danny had a radiant smile. She had made it from Burma (now Myanmar) to Boise along with her mother and sister. Her father and brothers were reunited with them after 7 years. Soon after being reunited, her mother passed away because of cancer within a month of discovery. She did not know at that time what the future would look like.
Next was a school teacher, a former student of Danny’s. His newly-married bride had a brainstem-related illness. They had to surgically remove a nerve that is connected to the part of the brain that controls motion. This caused her to throw up even while sitting. For three months, she had to sit in the back of the car with her eyes closed so she wouldn’t be sick. She lived those months not knowing if she could ever walk again.
The next one to visit was the hospital chaplain. He also happened to be Danny’s former student. He shared that he had a stroke when he was 12. He had a part of his brain removed because of that. After that, he continues to suffer from aneurysms. At the point of his surgery, he thought his life was over and his future looked bleak.
Then came a man along with his wife, a passionate mother of three, who is a dear friend of Danny’s wife, Tracy. They were from Rwanda and were unable to return there for the past 18 years. She prayed with tears for Danny’s healing in Swahili. Though I could not understand the words, I could connect with her in Spirit knowing that she dearly wanted Danny to be fully healed. When they left Rwanda they were not sure if they would ever be able to visit their home country again and did know what life in a new country would be like.
All of these people had suffered loss in one form or another. From health issues to home problems to the loss of loved ones. Yet, they were there with a smile on their faces to encourage and cheer for Danny. How is that possible?
What Breaks Our Soul?
When we lose someone or something significant to us, we are first overcome by SADNESS and WEAKNESS.
The sadness is because what we lost was precious, irreplaceable, and very dear to our hearts. The weakness is because memories of the lost person or life suck the energy out of us.
We then wonder why this happened and how we should make sense of this crisis and the grief.
A soul that cries in pain searches for answers.
What is God’s answer to these difficult questions?
Wherever I went, I was asked difficult questions after the loss of my brother-in-law. I also had my own questions. So, I turned to God’s word and was drawn to Habakkuk 3:17-19.
Hab. 3:17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. [ESV, emphasis added]
The six clauses of Habakkuk 3:17 seem to be in ascending order of severity, with the loss of figs ranking lowest and the loss of the herd in the stalls ranking highest. Starting from the aesthetic and soul satisfying things, such as figs and wine, to daily food, everything that counts for daily livelihood is about to be taken away at once for the prophet and the entire nation.
What Gives Hope for a Broken Soul?
Habakkuk questions God and ends up becoming JOYFUL and STRONG once he hears God specifically give him answers. He is able to say the above in the face of impending national calamity that will strip away everything he and those he loves possess.
What was it that he found that helped him?
Although Habakuk is grouped as one among the many minor prophets in the Bible, he deals with some major and difficult questions.
Habakuk reminds me, first of all, that it’s ok to ask questions. I can ask tough questions to a tough God.
He is very honest, bold, and reverential in asking God tough questions.
So Habakuk asks:
Hab. 1:2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
and you will not save?
3 Why do you make me see iniquity,
and why do you idly look at wrong? [ESV]
God answers him twice. Once in chapter 1 and again in chapter 2.
God responds to Habakkuk’s honest question with an exhortation to WAIT. That’s the first key.
Hab. 2:2 And the Lord answered me:
……
3 If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay. [ESV, emphasis added]
Waiting is the most difficult thing to do.
When you have lost someone, or a job, or your home life seems hopeless. Your future looks bleak.
Most often, when we lose someone, our thoughts are about the future–where are they now, will we see them, etc. We wish that the pain would somehow be shortened.
There is no quick-fix, instant pain relievers in God’s Kingdom. It will be slow but it will be sure.
God’s timing is different from our timing.
We cannot just wait without anything and so God tells us the second thing to do:
BELIEVE. You don’t just have to wait in a vacuum. You need to believe.
Hab. 2:4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but the righteous shall live by his faith.
Only the proud will not be able to believe and submit to the sovereignty of God.
But the righteous, he says, live by faith…
It’s interesting that it does not say. “buckle up, work hard, get back up…”
Only trusting that God can and will save and restore these dark moments can bring restoration to the soul.
Believe. Believe in Him. Believe in Who He is. Believe that He will do it.
The just shall live by faith. That’s God’s answer. This was a key verse for the reformation and Martin Luther as well.
The just shall live by faith. Faith in what?
For Habakuk, trusting that God is in control…He is at work…He provides.
He did provide Jesus…He did what the last King of Israel could not…he gave his life in battle but Jesus gave his life so God will reign supreme…if every name and knee will bow before this Jesus who is our King…will this King not fight the battles for us…
Let God fight our battles..He already did through Jesus on the cross…if we try to fight it or try to find joy by worldly things it will not last…
Trust that he is at work so you don’t have to work or worry about that…Live life believing in that…
Trust in the sovereignty of God…
Two things happen when a soul is broken : Sadness and Weakness
The exact opposite of that is what happens to those who wait and believe: Joy and Strength
Sorrow will be turned into Joy. Joy eventually knowing that all things work together for good.
The words for ‘rejoicing’ here represent strong emotions.
The famous New England pastor and theologian, Jonathan Edwards, at age 18 in his very first sermon, called Christian Happiness, laid out this thesis that Christians should be happy. …His three points were this: Christians should be happy; why?
A. Because our bad things will turn out for good, Romans 8:28.
B. Our good things like our adoption and our justification and our union with Christ can never be taken away from us.
C. The best things are yet to come.
Willing to wait and be patient and trusting only in the sovereignty of God will produce joy…
Weakness will turn into strength.
God strengthens those who trust in him in a mysterious way. This was so evident in all the stories of the people shared above.
Stories of Redemption
The cheerful girl from Burma and her mom are now doing well. Her mom now has a job and she works to help people like her.
The young bride of the school teacher who lost a part that controls stability ran a marathon after 5 years and that happened just a year ago.
The chaplain who does not have a part of his brain and has seizures does 50 k and 100 k runs and is gearing up for his next big run now. He said being able to do small things that were not possible led him to keep seeking the next big challenge and God has now helped him achieve these rare feats.
The couple who left Rwanda without anything raised wonderful children and are now able to head back, after 18 years, buying gifts for all their loved ones back home. In Boise, they are involved in helping interpret for trauma care counsellors who seek to help those who come from war-ravaged countries.
These broken people came to encourage Danny who is broken…
That’s beautiful. God was telling me…see…I have never let down anyone who has WAITED for me and BELIEVED in me…I have done it in these people’s lives…I’m going to do it in your friend’s life and in your life. God says the same to you…
WAIT and BELIEVE