God's Abundance Through Pain

Gloria P. Woo, April 1987

God's sovereignty and love has permitted us to go through a trial for a month. We accepted it as His appointment and considered it as a furnace by which He was purifying our souls. God's abundance and your prayers have sustained us throughout this period. I want to praise God and thank you all.

HOW GOD'S ABUNDANCE HAS SUSTAINED ME.

(a) God became my refuge through His word.

  After hearing the initial grave diagnosis, we were shocked. But deep down there was peace beyond my understanding. We were reminded of Job 1:21, ''The Lord gives, the Lord takes away.”  We felt He has the right to do whatever He thinks best. Yet emotionally we were afraid of our weakness. Peter's father gave us Jeremiah 29:11, ''For I know the thoughts and plans that 1 have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace, and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.'' These words gave us peace immediately. However, as the medical reports fluctuated, our faith was sorely tested. I was tempted to look around at the circumstances, my father-in-law reminded me of Isaiah 41:10, ''Do not fear, for l am with you. Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your Lord. I will strengthen you, surely 1 will help you.”  He also suggested that I should now thank and praise God just like Paul and Silas did in prison.

      (b) God was a God of Comfort. I could go to Him telling Him all my hurts and hopes, finding Him very patently listening and comforting. With this comfort I might be able to comfort those in any affliction. He also encouraged me directly with Ps. 20, ''Some boast in chariots, and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord our God.” Ps. 21, ''You have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips.”

      (c) God's peop!e sustained us through their continual prayers. I felt the prayer support very strongly.  The Wednesday night when the whole Church prayed for Peter, and Dr Lin laid hands on him, I felt a deep sense of assurance. Brotherly love have touched cur hearts. The very day when  Peter had to do the bronchoscopy, God in His mercy sent Mrs. Lu to us like a timely angel, to strengthen and encourage me. We fasted and prayed for two mornings. As we learned to praise, thank Him and present our requests with singleness of mind, our hearts were strengthened.

      (d) God sustained me though a stronger urge to deeper consecration. One evening when there was some concern about the result, it seemed there was a gentle prompting urging me to consecrate myself more fully and to follow Him more closely.  I made up my mind to follow whether with Peter or alone.

THE LESSONS I HAVE LEARNED.

      (a) I feel more detached from things of this world.  I realized how transient these are.Unconsciously I can become very attached to earthly things. 

      (b) God took away my strong “prop”.   God is teaching me to depend on Him alone. God wants my whole undivided attention and to love Him most.

(c) To trust and have faith in God. God showed me I can trust Him for my security and provision for my family. 

      (d) Purifying my soul.  Suffering searches us as fire does for metals.  Not until I was exposed to the cleansing fire of pain did I discover how much dross there was in me. 

      (e) Throughout all this, I comprehend a little more of Christ's suffering. God sent me all kinds of help in my distress, but Christ had to suffer alone on the Cross. I thank Him that through pain I can understand His love more and learn of obedience. ''Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered''.

      Praise God for all the blessings:  purifying of the soul, lessons of faith, and experience of God's closeness.