In the face of unspeakable pain and suffering, why would anyone still believe in God? Or take the matter of unexpected crises. Of course, one hopes that life’s crises will be few and far between. Then one day, you get news that you have cancer. It can happen that fast. In September Dad was traveling all across the world, and in December we found out he had stage four lung cancer. He went to the doctor for a minor ailment, and this is what we discovered.
Believe me, everybody has a story. Not only that, but unless we’re broken enough to take the risk of telling someone our story, no matter how dark it is, we may never sense God’s presence and love again this side of eternity. Remarkably, if we do tell our story to someone who knows God—without demanding answers to that blackest of all questions (“Why?”)—guess who shows up, unannounced? Yes, God never abandons us. Even in the worst of circumstances, He is still there, urging us to not lose hope that we will experience His comfort, solace, encouragement, strength, joy and peace.
A woman named Lisa said it best: “I discovered there’s always hope.” What’s your story? Can you see God at work in your life? Whatever your story, I pray that “the God of all comfort” [2 Corinthians 1:4] will be your comfort, strength, and peace now and in the days ahead.
This is Andrew Palau.