FAITH FOR TODAY: When the lights go out
We should not be surprised when the lights go out in Nova Scotia, especially this winter when the many snow storms followed by ice buildups have hit our province with a ferocity we are not quite used to. As I write this article, power has just been restored to many parts of the province. Our daughter and her husband in Middle Sackville were without power for three days and only on Sunday, has the electricity been turned back on after lines were down, trees with heavy ice buildup and vehicles buried in snow.
The challenging experiences with winter thus far have no doubt taken their toll especially on the first responders, snowplow operators, NSP crews, and our health care providers. What about your mental state, is that not affected as well? Yes, it has been tough so far but it is in times like these that we turn to God for help when the lights go out and we are left to fend on our own.
Romans 5:3-4 gives us hope: “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” God is never far away when we need to call upon Him in times of uncertainty.
What about the loss of a friend who seemingly abandons you just when your relationship was blossoming? Or, when you have an accident and end up disabled for many months? Or, when your marriage falls apart because your spouse was unfaithful? Are these not examples of the lights going out in your own life? You can put your own example in here of being tested.
This is a difficult time for people of faith because churches are closed; schools are often closed, workers who cannot get to their employment because of sickness caused by the viruses? We blame all our troubles on covid, it seems.
As I write, people across our country are engaging in protests against vaccination and want the restrictions removed, truckers have mounted a huge protest in Ottawa and many of the local residents have had their lives turned upside down just trying to survive from dayto-day. Now, these protests have spread to many other cities in Canada. We need the “lights” turned back on to break the power of darkness that has been spreading across our land.
Persevering and rejoicing in suffering that the Bible speaks about are not calls to enjoy suffering with a strong fortitude or to take joy in our pain as we suffer but they are a reminder to put our confidence in the Lord as He will see us through.
It is during these times that our unshakeable faith in God will see that His light continues to shine throughout any adversity that happens. I remember these words as I faced my own times being in the dark with hope and despair coming my way.
“God is still on the throne and He will remember His own; though trials distress us and burdens oppress us,
He never will leave us alone. God is still on His throne and He will remember His own; His promise is true,
He will not forget you, for God is still on His throne.”
Suffering enables us to grow through our pain. God reaches out to us through the living Word of God and through His followers who are called by God to be the light and salt in our world. This counters the prevailing quote from John Heywood who penned these words in the year 1546, A.D. that: “It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good.”
Isaiah, long before the coming of Christ many centuries ago spoke about the suffering and glory of the Servant Jesus by referring to Jesus as “a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.” (Isaiah 53:3) Peter the apostle said: “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” (1 Peter 4:16)
Samuel Logan Brengle, that great Holiness preacher of the early Salvation Army was first called into service in May of 1887 and returned to the U.S to serve in Boston. One night a brick hurled by an angry drunkard struck Brengle in the head. The blow nearly killed him and sidelined him from preaching for eighteen months. But during that time he wrote a series of articles on holiness and published a book called Helps to Holiness. That book would become an international success, the first of nine books. He later remarked: “If there had been no little brick, there would have been no little book.” At the time of his death in 1936, Commissione Brengle was an internationally renowned preacher and worldwide ambassador of holiness and continues to influence many today.
Sometimes when the lights go out, a lot of good can occur. While we may be afflicted, yet we can comfort ourselves with David’s assurance, “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.” (Psalm 34:19. ) Hope springs eternal and God is still on His throne.”