Then Moses said, "Now show me your Glory." And the LORD said, "I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." Exodus 33:18-19 NIV
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| Thomas, head through the sun roof! Simple joy! |
Twelve years ago, as our family has prayed its way through the journey of brain cancer, surgery and radiation, we asked God to heal, to strengthen, to comfort Thomas, who was only 9 years old. Our prayers and the countless prayers of family and friends and friends of friends asked for encouragement and energy, for patience and peace, for calm and courage. Holy praises were offered to the Lord for joy in the simple things, for small victories, and for laughter. We did not ask God like Moses, "Now show us Your Glory", but He did! God's great goodness passed in front of us! His Glory is evidenced in moments and minutes and memories of His Presence during this long journey.
The question of why there is suffering and who is healed cannot be understood this side of Heaven. The fall of humanity from the beginning allowed sin to stand between mankind and God. It is only through Christ that we find a way back to God. In between that beginning and the coming end, the world’s complexities are full of uncertainty and chaos and questions; yet, before the beginning and after the end, there is everlasting Certainty, Peace, and Truth. On this earth, we only find these possibilities in God, the Creator himself, who has all authority. Not bound by time or distance or circumstance, God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. Trusting in the Sovereignty of God is the best hope for humanity.
Remembering this time more than a decade ago, God’s glory surrounded us in ways we could have never known outside this crisis. Neither knowing why, nor understanding His Ways, I can say for certain that we felt God's mercy and compassion, we witnessed God's mercy and compassion, and we will always tell of God's mercy and compassion. Then and now, every petition rises like incense to this Holy God, each one is full of thanksgiving for such undeserved, unmerited mercy and compassion. Truly the Goodness of God passed in front of us, too!
The question of why there is suffering and who is healed cannot be understood this side of Heaven. The fall of humanity from the beginning allowed sin to stand between mankind and God. It is only through Christ that we find a way back to God. In between that beginning and the coming end, the world’s complexities are full of uncertainty and chaos and questions; yet, before the beginning and after the end, there is everlasting Certainty, Peace, and Truth. On this earth, we only find these possibilities in God, the Creator himself, who has all authority. Not bound by time or distance or circumstance, God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. Trusting in the Sovereignty of God is the best hope for humanity.
Remembering this time more than a decade ago, God’s glory surrounded us in ways we could have never known outside this crisis. Neither knowing why, nor understanding His Ways, I can say for certain that we felt God's mercy and compassion, we witnessed God's mercy and compassion, and we will always tell of God's mercy and compassion. Then and now, every petition rises like incense to this Holy God, each one is full of thanksgiving for such undeserved, unmerited mercy and compassion. Truly the Goodness of God passed in front of us, too!
To God be the Glory ~ dho
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