Hello again, and thank you for joining me.
When faced with Catherine's illness, we couldn't help but ask where God was and why she had to suffer. We longed for a sign, a miracle, anything to reassure us that we weren't alone in this battle.
Before we move forward, let's take a moment to pray. Let us invite the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts and minds to give us the wisdom we need to understand God's love in the darkest moments. Let us offer ourselves up to Him and ask for the courage, wisdom, and hope we need in this storm.
Father God, we carry many doubts and fears that cause us stress and anxiety. We pray for your answers, and we ask that you be with us every step of the way. Guide us, show us your love, and help us understand your plan for us.
Amen.
The devil wants you to question the effectiveness of prayer, and whether it's even worth believing. He wants you to doubt God's existence and that God will not help you in your time of need. He wants you to give up.
When we feel like we're shouting towards the sky, but nothing is happening, it's so easy to give up. That's precisely what the devil wants us to do. But we must not give up; we must continue to pray, keep the faith, and trust that God has a plan for us. We don't have to do this on our own.
There will be moments where we witness the beauty of God's work, and there will be moments where we don't receive answers with immediate effect; we must continue to trust that God is with us, and his plan is full of love and healing.
We must hold on to faith, even when the answer is not immediate, and not give up. Trust that God hears us and that he is with us in the storm. Keep repeating the prayer, and boldly knock on the door while singing louder and louder. Keep the faith, and in the midst of the storm, let our praises roar!
I grew up watching my parents "make do and mend" various items such as washing machines, cars, and other household appliances. As a result, I acquired a knack for fixing broken things, including buildings, cars, and electrical items.
However, when Catherine got sick, I quickly realised that I couldn't fix this problem just by opening it up and tinkering around. It was challenging to feel as if there was nothing practical to be done to help fix her. I felt useless and completely at a loss.
In those moments, I had to learn that Catherine needed me to offer support in ways beyond my skills as a handyman. I had to be there for her, and that meant spending time with her, listening to her, and offering emotional support whenever necessary. As a caregiver, it's essential to recognise that simply being there for your loved one can make all the difference.
As a new Christian, I struggled to understand God's role in the midst of Catherine's illness. I wasn't certain how to pray, how to lay it all down to Him, and how to trust in His plan. As I began to explore my faith in more detail, I discussed various aspects of prayer with a knowledgeable friend who helped me with my understanding.
Feeling helpless in terms of helping Catherine, I decided to try the 'Praying and Listening' approach, and I embarked on a walk around a nearby farm to petition my requests to God. The sun was baking hot, and the sheep in the fields looked at me suspiciously before returning to their grassy lunch.
I found a quiet meadow near a river where I sat on a trunk of a large fallen oak tree. The tree was stark in its state of decay, with no bark and its branches bleached almost white from the sun. I rested in the crook of the branch and made my prayer. Though it was a haphazard attempt, it went something like this...
'Dear God,
Erm.....Please help me. I love Catherine so much, and I am at a loss for what to do. I feel scared and helpless. Please, show me what I need to do to help her.'
As I sat there and tried to listen, I struggled to quiet my mind and wait for an answer. Doubts crept in, and I wondered if faith was real, or I was fooling myself. Despite that, I persisted, thinking that if God was real, he would eventually answer me.
After an hour of waiting, I still hadn't received an answer. Wondering if it was that easy or not, I got up to leave. As I made my way home, my phone vibrated in my pocket, alerting me to a notification. It was the Bible app, telling me about Today's Verse - "Love is the Greatest" from 1 Corinthians 13.
Reading those words, I was deeply moved, and I decided to read the chapter in full. The scripture spoke to my soul and reminded me that even in the midst of the turmoil, we could always rely on love. It helped me understand that love is the most critical thing, and when we embrace it, we can endure any difficulty.
Thank you (God) for listening.
My understanding is that, in this letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul reminds them of the spiritual gifts bestowed upon them by God, including wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, and speaking in tongues. However, Paul emphasises that these gifts are meaningless without the addition of the three principal graces: faith, hope, and love.
As I pondered over this verse, I struggled to grasp its meaning. It wasn't until I experienced a physical sensation, a feeling of something beautiful happening within me, that I finally understood. In that moment, I realised that God might have just spoken to me through the words in the Bible.
Through the scripture, I learned that I already possessed the necessary tool to help care for Catherine during this difficult time. The tool was my love for her. I didn't need a physical utensil like a screwdriver, hammer, or spanner; my love was what would help me support her through the storm.
Now, as I continued to care for Catherine, this verse serves as a constant reminder of the gift that God has given me. It reminds me of my responsibility to her and the promise I made to God when we married in 2007, to love her selflessly and to always be there for her in times of need.
So as we move forward and face the challenges ahead, I will keep this verse close to my heart, knowing that love is the greatest of all gifts and the key to fulfilling my promise to Catherine and God.
Life can often feel like a continuous journey, and we may believe that we are capable of handling anything that comes our way. But when we face our own or our loved ones' mortality, it can be hard to cope. We are unsure of when the end will come, or how much pain we may have to endure. It is in times like these that we need to believe in something more significant than ourselves - we need hope.
As someone who believed they could handle everything life threw my way, facing mortality was challenging for me. I struggled with the fact that the end was uncertain and the amount of pain that could be suffered was unknown. Despite being a little new to the faith, I turned to God for guidance when I was feeling cynical about the concept of God, heaven, and the idea of divine power.
Through the Bible app, I received the first of many moments of clarity from God. These moments helped me realise that we all need to believe in something more significant than ourselves - something that gives us hope and helps us cope during difficult times.
In the coming episodes, I will discuss these moments and their impact on my journey. But for now, it is essential to recognise that finding hope in difficult times is crucial to our wellbeing.
Through my journey, God has taught me some valuable lessons, and at the core of them is the power of faith, hope, and love.
Faith is the belief in the divinity of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and the living of our souls in Him. It is through faith that we can find solace and comfort in difficult times, as we trust in a higher power.
Hope is the expectation of future happiness and can only be obtained through our reliance on God. It is through hope that we can find the strength to endure through challenging situations because we believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
And above all, we need to know and feel love. Love is not just an emotion but a conscious decision to devote ourselves to God and express kindness towards others. It's a powerful force that can heal wounds and bring people together. Love is patient, kind, and does not envy, boast, or show pride.
Even when we're faced with fear and an uncertain future, love can help us hold onto our hope and faith. It's the greatest gift that we can give to ourselves and others.
So, as we continue on our journey through life, it's imperative to remember the power of faith, hope, and love. They can help us find our way, even in the darkest of times.
Closing Prayer:
Loving God, we come before you now, setting aside this time to be with you. As we quiet our minds and open our hearts to your presence, draw us closer to you. I thank you for your holiness and grace, which enables us to bring our worries to you.
Lord, we recognise that there are some things we cannot fix and that we need to be obedient, waiting and listening for your guidance. Sometimes we struggle to pray or understand your voice. We need your help to see with our eyes and feel with our hearts.
Jesus,weI pray that you would help us understand what we can achieve and what our limits are. Teach us to pray and help us to listen and wait obediently for you to show us what we need. Open our hearts to receive your word, and open our eyes to see the path you want us to take.
We bow down before you, Jesus, and we open our senses to find, feel, and hear you. We wait patiently before you, and we pray that your will be done in our lives.
Lead us in truth and grace, Holy Spirit; protect and work through us today, tomorrow, and forevermore.
Amen
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