Never Alone – God Will Use Everything (Even the Bad Stuff) for His Glory

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 43:2 NIV

One more doctor visit. Maybe some answers this time, I prayed as I walked into the hospital. For more than five years I had been in doctor’s offices and hospitals, searching for answers to why I was struggling to walk and complete everyday tasks without feeling extreme exhaustion.

With each test came more questions than answers. Doctors were baffled, and I was exhausted, frustrated and scared. With each day that I was not being treated, I felt I was losing ground.

In the exam room the nurse started reviewing the file, updating information for the doctor. She stared at the computer screen. Page after page revealed MRIs, muscle and bone marrow biopsies, CT scans and monthly lab work. “Have they determined what is going on?” she asked, still scrolling through the reports. “Not yet – we are monitoring some potential issues that could be, or not at all related,” I said.

“How do you cope with all these unanswered questions and still smile?” she asked. My answer surprised her. “I don’t ask God why. I ask how? How God can you use this season to draw me closer to You?”

She shared how different things in her life had drawn her away from Bible study and church. She said she had the feeling that she needed to reconnect with church again but hadn’t. I suggested some opportunities at church that would help get her plugged back in. “It’s hard when you see things happen to people with strong faith,” she said. “You have to ask why,” she added. I shared that it’s through your relationship with Jesus that strengthens you for the hard times and the valley moments. Being a Christian doesn’t mean you will not have problems. It means you are connected to the problem-solver who has overcome all the problems.

Mitzie Avera