Unshakeable
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18
I have seen with my own eyes the faith of one who is unshaken and at peace in the midst of pain, heartbreak, uncertainty, fatal diagnoses, or unspeakable tragedy. Rather than me ministering to them, it is they who minister to me. I simply gaze at the power of such a great faith in awe and wonder.
I have been in the company of those nearing death whose confidence in God is secure and steadfast. There is no fear. They exhibit a deep peace and a sense of anticipation. Once on the oncology ward of a hospital while visiting a family member I had the nurse ask me if we were all Christians. I replied yes and enquired as to why she asked that question. She said that she had noted a profound difference in the last dying days of those who were Christian and those who had no faith. Faith was being lived out before her eyes. When it really counted, faith stood the test.
Something remains palpable beyond our earthly circumstances and does not reach or even touch the faith of a true believer. There is the earthly and the temporal, and then there is the reality of the eternal and unchanging God.
What we know here in this brief life is fading away, becomes obsolete, and can be lost, stolen, or damaged beyond repair. It loses value. Shiny becomes dull. Exciting becomes boring. Riches are fleeting. What we anticipate in heaven is forever and always, glorious, full of amazement and beauty, safely secured, dazzling, and holy. Faith only glimpses the spectacles of what awaits us and that glimpse is enough to stun us. It is our treasure and our exceedingly great reward.
Our present circumstances may include financial distress, illness, grief, accusations, unemployment, disappointment in relationships, or myriad other calamities. It does not matter. God has not changed. His promises are still true. Hope is yet alive. Our future is firmly fixed in eternal truth. The just shall live by their faith. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:30).
The difficulties and struggles of this life do not matter over the long haul. They may elicit pain or wounded feelings or harshness of situation, but they are eclipsed by glory. “For we do not focus on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Father, You remain a sure shelter, a living hope, forever our joy and our rich inheritance. Blessed is Your great name. Forever You are God. Amen.
Yes ! and Amen!
Thank you, Lord!
Amen & Amen … thank you for sharing this story & good word 💝
This message was so timely for my family. Thank you.
All through the day, remind me, Lord of the unending faith I have in You and your steadfastness in my life.
It is interesting, but I should not be surprised, that I am reading this today, after a night or two of remembering some of my family members’ last days and/or hours before taking their last breath here on earth, and their first breath in Heaven. There is one member who recently passed away who had been in a long-term care facility (over 7 years) and I was thinking of not only sending a ‘thank you for loving and caring for this lady’ for so many years, but also wondering if there were any ‘Believers’ who may have been able to sit with her and hold her hand and pray with her. I now believe that there were, and I thank you for sharing this, as it brings comfort to me and confirms what I suspected. God Bless you all.