God’s Peace

My late husband was saved and baptized in a small country church in South Arkansas when he was twelve years old. His father didn’t attend church; it was his mother who faithfully took him to Sunday School and church every Sunday from the time he was a toddler until he got into High School. Once he got into High School, he followed his father’s example and dropped out of church.

For the first 15 years of our marriage he only went to church with me occasionally, when I pushed him into it. The birth of our son turned him around completely. His greatest fear was that our son might grow up and live his entire life without ever coming to know Jesus.

Our son was born three months premature in the dead of winter – on Thanksgiving Day, and weighed only 3 lbs. 9 oz when we brought him home from the hospital. See the Best Present I Ever Got. The pediatrician cautioned us to keep him home until late Spring, after the cold and flu season was well passed, as any respiratory condition could be fatal. As soon as it was deemed safe, the three of us began attending every service, every week.

My husband quickly noticed how familiar many of the men were with the scriptures; so, he started reading his Bible. The problem was that he didn’t understand a lot of what he was reading; so, we began reading together. He started making a list of any questions I couldn’t answer and arranged for the Pastor to meet with us one evening to answer them. That continued almost weekly for some time, then the frequency tapered off as we both gained understanding.

We relocated a few times in connection with his job, and his first priority in a new community was finding a new church home. So, through the years he was mentored by other Pastors and older Christian men, and he continued to increase in his knowledge and understanding of the scriptures. His faith grew stronger as his relationship with the Lord grew deeper, and he served as a Sunday School teacher, a lay speaker on a rotational basis during Sunday morning worship services, and at one church he taught the 5^th and 6^th grade class in Discovery Bible Club on Wednesday nights.

I don’t recall exactly when, but at some point before our first relocation, he bought a Bible to keep in his desk and started going to work an hour early to have a personal quiet time with the Lord before work. This opened the door for many witnessing opportunities. Co-workers coming in before he finished noticed. Soon, people began coming to him with their questions about the Bible and Christianity, with prayer requests, and seeking advice. That continued everywhere he worked.

Throughout those years his decision making process was, generally speaking, to pray about the situation and then wait. He made his decision when God gave him peace about what he should do.

Then came a day when I had to have an emergency surgery. See “The Outpatient Surgery That Almost Killed Me – Twice, Part 2”. Following that surgery, the doctor told him, “I did all that I could for her, but there was very little that I could do. She’s in God’s hands.” My husband’s reply was, “She always has been.”

On Friday, four weeks later I had shown no signs of improvement and the plan was to take me off life support the following Monday. Of course, word spread fast throughout the church and a group of the men went to the hospital to be with my husband and son. One man asked my husband, “How are you handling this?” They told me his response was, “I don’t want to lose her, of course. But I know that she’s ready. I know where she’s going, and I will see her again. So, if God chooses to take her now, I can accept that.”

It was his spiritual growth before the trial that carried him through the trial, and gave him peace – the peace of God, enabling him to say, “I can accept that.”

Spiritual growth is the single most important aspect of a believer’s life. It, or the lack of it, determines the extent to which one can be used by the Lord in His service. It also establishes the measure by which one is able to benefit from all that our Father offers us – i.e. wisdom, understanding, assurance, strength, peace, etc. Nothing compares to a life focused on walking with Jesus, and having the absolute peace of God in any situation.

• WordPress
• Facebook