Friday, April 13, 2012

from mark talbot


"I have known afflictions
far worse than my paralysis.
  
"I have had seasons of perplexity 
about God’s providence 
that have been so deep 
that night after night 
sleep has fled from me.

"Yet these griefs have been God’s gifts. 

"For only by such severe suffering 
has my loving Father broken me free 
of some of my deeper idolatries.  

"In the nights’ watches, 
while others sleep, 
my wakeful heart 
must find its rest in him 

or it will find no rest at all."
Mark Talbot in his chapter, “All the Good That Is Ours in Christ”: Seeing God’s Gracious Hand in the Hurts Others Do to Us,” from Suffering and the Sovereignty of God edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor, pp. 75-76.

line breaks reformatted by me, copied from John Knight at Works of God

3 comments:

The Imperfect Sojourner said...

This is so beautiful thankyou

I get so cross with myself for not dealing so well with my own troubles... I do not know how pwople deal with disability or chronic illness. These people and their faith encourage me so!

However, I can't help but feel ashamed at my own failure to deal with my 'non-problem'

How has the lord any patience for me at all!!

Wow...rant much!

Thank you for sharing! xxx

Tammie said...

lisa, your challenges are just as real as physical challenges are, perhaps more real. we don't fight against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness. if that isn't what you've been doing victoriously over the past year+, i don't know what it would look like. you and leo are doing so gloriously. <3

The Imperfect Sojourner said...

oh thank you Tammie! I don't feel it most of the time! and wow, I must have been having a hard time when I posted this comment - eek, sorry!

thank you for the encouragement x