We do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. (2 Cor. 4:16)
God has an unmatched way of using seemingly insignificant moments to penetrate our hearts with truth. It could be a beautiful sunset that illumines the creative genius and power of God. Maybe it’s a father comforting his crying child that reminds us of our heavenly Father who comforts us in all things.
For me, it was a pair of hands. These hands belonged to an older woman, and you could see the years they had endured. The arthritis had caused the finger joints to become the size of large grapes and took away the woman’s ability to fully straighten her fingers. Nevertheless, they were raised in praise and adoration of our Lord and Savior.
In a room full of mostly twenty- and thirty-somethings, those weathered hands raised in worship proclaimed a message very loudly: the faithfulness of God.
You see, I’m certain this lady has experienced the ups and downs of life. I don’t know the specific details of her life, but I’m positive she has dealt with the inevitable heartache that comes through living in a fallen world. At the very least, she has felt the constant pull of sin that seeks to ensnare and destroy her. Yet, God has given her the grace to withstand the storms and still publicly proclaim His goodness.
That is a faithful woman, and, more importantly, that is a faithful God.
His enduring love is strong enough to bring you through the problems in marriage that you may be facing. It’s powerful enough to carry you through the anguish of losing a child. It’s stout enough to conquer the sin that you’ve fallen headlong into.
Let those hands teach you the same lesson they taught me: God does not abandon His children. We, along with the apostle Paul, can trust that “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6).”
What a faithful and glorious God we serve!
Cody A. Cunningham 