Trusting Him while my world falls apart

[sharptee]

 The Following is testimony of Alisha Vecter.  She is the wife of Jeremy Vecter.  They teach at Maranatha Bible College and tour presenting testimonies and singing from church to church.  I recorded this testimony as presented by Alisha Vecter on June 29th 2003 from WCTS radio 1030   AM, Plymouth Minnesota.    
 
This coming July 13th my husband and I will be celebrating our seventh wedding anniversary.  And we are very thankful for the seven years God has given to us.  Though they have been some of the most difficult years of our lives.  Some of you may know this but for those of you who don't I have some severe health problems.  When my husband married me he knew he was getting a sick girl.  However, I was seeing improvements, and we thought I was on the road to wellness but the Lord had other plans.  Shortly after we were married, this has nothing to do with my husband, but I became completely bed ridden.  My health declined rapidly, I became so weak I couldn't walk, I couldn't brush my own hair, I couldn't brush my teeth, I was completely under the care of someone else.  Focusing was so difficult for me to look around the room, to read, or write, to listen, to do anything was to exhausting.  So I pretty much just laid there.  And it was truely God's grace that sustained me, but it was also during this time that he taught me many things.  And one thing it was to find liberty in the midst of affliction.  I want to share that obviously I am getting better, I'm about eighty-five percent well.  And its because we finally found that about four and a half years ago that the root of my problem was my jaw.  I had a jaw surgery before my senior year at high school and apparently my jaw slid out of place.  And because it was right once and then back off my body couldn?t adjust fast enough and my brain and other vital glands and organs started short circuiting and my body started shutting down because of that.  And it took five years before we finally found the answer and it was a dentist in Illinois whose been working on my jaw for about four and half years, and I've been out of a wheel chair now for two years.  And I'm continuing to see improvement; and for those of you who have known about this and prayed, thank you so much, obviously this is an answer to your prayers.  And please continue because I want to be one hundred percent, if God wills.
 So what I'd like to share with you, shortly after we found the root of the problem, that's when I became the most discouraged.  By God's grace I did not slip into depression through the whole illness.  And truly it was because of God's grace and the hope and the promises that I knew that I was in the center of His will and He was in control of my life.  However, after I knew that I had the promise of getting better, but it was not going to be a quick fix, (which is what you always hope for), I saw myself three steps forward, two steps back; five steps forward and six steps back.  That's the way of the healing process and I began getting very "sick and tired" of being sick and tired.  I wanted to be well.  I wanted to be the wife that I've never been able to be.  I had little nieces and nephews that were being born and growing up without their aunt to play with them.  And basically I was looking more and more on what I wanted and less on what God was doing in my life.  And God graciously led me to a Christian lady who helped me see that my focus was on myself and not on God.  I lost my vertical focus because I wanted what I wanted.  It's OK to ask but my heart wasn't just asking, I was pretty much demanding God to heal me.  And I needed to see that I could serve Him just as I was.  There are many lessons to learn that in affliction its hard to see that God wants you that way.  And God wanted me for His purpose and I was pleasing Him just as I was, not by doing but by being.  And I needed to remember that true liberty doesn't lie in the removal of the affliction but in our heart's surrender to God's will.  I don't know if theres any of you who are facing physical affliction or maybe some spiritual, emotional, but maybe your heart needs this gentle reminder as mine did.  Whether God gives grace by removing the affliction or whether he gives grace to endure it; we must allow this grace to work in and through us by surrendering to Him.  In this we find true freedom and true joy and He is glorified.    

[Whitehorse]

What a blessing this is to read!! Thank you for sharing it!
 

[joyunending]

AMEN!!!!

[Willowbirch]

What a sad story - and a victorious ending! It's wonderful when God uses our trials to teach us, and help us to bless others.

[Speedspike]

Rain
Blazing, Cloudy Rain
Falling through my hair
Sitting all alone
It reaches my mined
The joyous I felt
Having you as my angel
Tears slowly drops to the ground
Cleaning the cell
Which I long fears inside
Love thou lovers we are
Far from this world
Yet our hearts and thoughts
Is sweeter than honey
Closer than friendship's
Rain falling, thou reach to an end
Thou love thee treasured
Whisper of wind ring though my ears
Crowded and Silent, Ant's as I am
Find my own shelter with this morning rain


 
Hope you guys like my poem

[IrishAngel]

Comfort and Hope for the Weary!
by Tamara Eaton

I have experienced trials in several areas lately and just as the Lord has comforted me, I would like to comfort those of you who may also be in a season of trial. Perhaps you're battling depression because of feelings of inadequacy, or health problems or financial worries. You may feel nervous and fearful over the coming school year or experiencing conflicts with relatives or friends. Whatever your circumstances, God is more than willing to meet your needs and give you peace and rest in the midst of them!

He has not only made provision for all of our needs, but He has promised to forgive us of all of our sins, so that nothing can separate us from Him.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?.... Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-39)

The temptation during a trial is to put the rest of our lives "on hold" while we battle depression over our seemingly unanswered prayers. Yet, this is the time we must be all the more faithful to trust not in our wavering emotions and circumstances, but in the all powerful, holy righteous God-- Who sees all, understands all, and is continually working in our lives, whether we have physical evidence of it or not!

We have a choice-- we can wallow in despair or boldly proclaim His Word is true and He is worthy of all our praise regardless of the circumstances! Even if God seems silent for a time, He has given us His Word which will endure forever and is always available for comfort.

Sometimes during a trial, I'll wake up first thing in the morning with a heaviness. If this is left unchecked, my whole day could be wasted in worries and defeat. Instead, I try to immediately put on the "garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" (Isa.61:3) and the "full armour of God" (Eph.6:13-18) and begin to pray and meditate upon God's Word to get "recharged" for the day. God has given us His Word to use to defeat the enemy and the negative thoughts that assault our mind. Just like Jesus used the Word during His temptation in the wilderness to defeat the enemy ("It is written..."MT 4; MK 4), we also can use His Word to overcome our battles.

I believe that often the Lord uses these times of trial to draw us closer to Him, to allow us to renew our commitment to be "set apart" unto Him, and as a reminder to not get too caught up with the cares of this life or distracted because of physical infirmities or someone's criticisms or anything else. He is tugging at our hearts saying, "Come closer, I want to do a deeper work in you!"

So let's yield to Him, and allow Him to do that precious work in our lives. Put on the praise music and worship Him! Make time to saturate yourself in His Word, allowing it to comfort you and build you up in faith. Commune with the Lord, day and night and let Him flood you with His grace and mercy and strength. Allow Him to help you redeem each day, not wasting one hour in defeat. Enjoy your family, reach out to others, seek to glorify Him in everything you do and say!

Elisabeth Elliot has shared how her mother's teaching of "Do the next thing" helped her so much during the days after her first husband, Jim Elliot, was killed by Auca Indians in Ecuador, leaving her to raise their young daughter alone as she continued their missionary work in the jungles, and later when her second husband died of cancer. She found this poem in her mother's things and I share it here hoping that it will encourage you as much as it has encouraged me:



Do the Next Thing

Many a questioning, many a fear,
Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment let down from Heaven,
Time, opportunity, guidance, are given.
Fear not tomorrows, Child of the King,
Trust them with Jesus. DO THE NEXT THING.

Do it immediately; do it with prayer;
Do it reliantly, casting all care;
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand
Who placed it before thee with earnest command,
Stayed on Omnipotence, safe 'neath His wing,
Leave all resultings. DO THE NEXT THING.

Looking to Jesus, ever serener,
(Working or suffering) be thy demeanor.
In His dear presence, the rest of His calm,
The light of His countenance be thy psalm.
Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing!
Then, as He beckons thee, DO THE NEXT THING.

--Source Unknown

"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work."

(2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 )