Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 86

What Looks Like a Disaster May in Fact Be Grace

Nanci and I have been reading Paul David Tripp’s book New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional. It is just terrific, and we highly recommend it.

In his March 31 entry, Paul talks about how Christ’s darkest moment gives us hope when we face our own dark times. Even though we already celebrated Good Friday and Easter Sunday, the message of Christ’s sacrifice, God’s redemptive work, and the hope we have in Him is always timely. I hope you’ll take Paul’s advice and trust that God is using even the disasters in your life as “tools of redemption.” —Randy Alcorn

At the center of a biblical worldview is this radical recognition—the most horrible thing that ever happened was the most wonderful thing that ever happened. Consider the cross of Jesus Christ. Could it be possible for something to happen that was more terrible than this? Could any injustice be greater? Could any loss be more painful? Could any suffering be worse? The only man who ever lived a life that was perfect in every way possible, who gave his life for the sacrifice of many, and who willingly suffered from birth to death in loyalty to his calling was cruelly and publicly murdered in the most vicious of ways. How could it happen that the Son of Man could die? How could it happen that men could capture and torture the Messiah? Was this not the end of everything good, true, and beautiful? If this could happen, is there any hope for the world?

Well, the answer is yes. There is hope! The cross was not the end of the story! In God’s righteous and wise plan, this dark and disastrous moment was ordained to be the moment that would fix all the dark and disastrous things that sin had done to the world. This moment of death was at the same time a moment of life. This hopeless moment was the moment when eternal hope was given. This terrible moment of injustice was at the very same time a moment of amazing grace. This moment of extreme suffering guaranteed that suffering would end one day, once and for all. This moment of sadness welcomed us to eternal joy of heart and life. The capture and death of Christ simultaneously purchased for us life and freedom. The very worst thing that could happen was at the very same time the very best thing that could happen. Only God is able to do such a thing.

The same God who planned that the worst thing would be the best thing is your Father. He rules over every moment in your life, and in powerful grace he is able to do for you just what he did in redemptive history. He takes the disasters in your life and makes them tools of redemption. He takes your failure and employs it as a tool of grace. He uses the “death” of the fallen world to motivate you to reach out for life. The hardest things in your life become the sweetest tools of grace in his wise and loving hands.

So be careful how you make sense of your life. What looks like a disaster may in fact be grace. What looks like the end may be the beginning. What looks hopeless may be God’s instrument to give you real and lasting hope. Your Father is committed to taking what seems so bad and turning it into something that is very, very good.

Taken from New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp, © 2014, March 31 entry. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.

Photo by Ravi Roshan on Unsplash

Are You Weary? Rest in God’s Promise to Be Your Strength

Today’s guest blog is by Stephanie Anderson, EPM staff member. Steph is one of the most Christ-centered, biblically-grounded, and highly skilled people I know. I marvel at the work she does, and the same is true of the rest of our staff. But when you’re a hard worker, as a mom, nurse, business person, farmer, or anything else, you need to pay special attention to Jesus the Rest-giver, who gives us this beautiful invitation: “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, GNT).

There are countless good books, both nonfiction and fiction, which can feed your soul and mind, and many of them (not all) will help you relax. Here’s a book list I put together years ago that was recently updated and revised by Chelsea Dudley, now covering many resources in addition to books. Too much news overload these days will burn you out, but good books, including audio books, can entertain and not stress you out in the process. Nanci and I have listened to a few dozen audio books already this year, including the entire England-based Cherringham Cosy Crime series, which are short and engaging mysteries without blood and gore and bad language.  (BTW, though it’s spelled cozy in the USA, it’s cosy in most of the rest of the English-speaking world.)

Here’s a video recommendation for those who, like Stephanie, are needing to find rest that is spiritually uplifting in ways that binge watching, for instance, rarely is: view the 2003 movie The Gospel of John, free on Amazon Prime. Nanci and I watched it again last week. It’s WORD FOR WORD the Gospel of John (GNT) and is a wonderful visual display. I wept at the wonder of God’s Word revealing Jesus. It’s magnificent. Therapy for the soul, every word from Him!  

Also, we highly recommend you watch the eight episodes of the new TV series The Chosen (plus the pilot called “The Shepherd”) which so far has covered the early ministry of Jesus. I think you’ll really enjoy it!

Okay, below are Stephanie’s excellent thoughts. —Randy Alcorn

There have been so many incredible, Christ-centered articles written lately and videos recorded about how we are to think, who we are to be, and what we are to do during this coronavirus crisis. I’m grateful for them.

But I have a confession.

I’ve reached my saturation point. Right now I am simply overwhelmed by reading and listening to them. The type-A, perfectionistic part of me hears, “Just do more. Be more” at a time when I feel like I have even less to give.

This morning, as I rolled out of bed and put my feet on the floor, I thought, Here’s another day. And I’m tired. It’s not even breakfast time, and I’m already weary.

With not much to distinguish between the days of the week (what day is it today?!), my life has taken on a routine of schooling my children, finishing my work, and getting dinner on the table, in that order. All of it is good! All of it is necessary. These are the responsibilities the Lord has given me, and they are the ways I can serve Him with joy right now.

Still, most days that’s about all I’m able to accomplish.

I’m truly grateful for my family and my life, especially when I consider how many people around the world are experiencing severe suffering and loss because of the coronavirus. Overall, I have it pretty easy. (The sun is even shining in the Pacific Northwest, a great cause for rejoicing!)

But that doesn’t mean this season isn’t hard. All of us, in some sense, are facing losses, struggles, and anxieties that are draining and difficult.

Here in Oregon, last week we learned that school is officially cancelled for the rest of the school year. While most of us knew that announcement was coming, I’ve been struck by how my reaction to this news felt like…grief. And it wasn’t just me. My social media feeds have been filled with heartfelt laments from teacher friends who are missing their students and mom friends who are mourning their children’s losses—and their own losses, too. No senior events. No kindergarten or 8th grade or high school graduations. No spring sports and no recitals. No field trips, no end-the-school-year festivities. 

Add to that economic pressures, concerns for those we love, and the loss of physical connection with friends and family and church bodies because of social distancing.

Yes, this season is hard.

And I think I am not alone in feeling weary.

He Is Our Strength

As I got myself ready this morning, I prayed what’s a familiar prayer lately:  Lord, I desperately need your strength.

This reminded me of the first verse of a Psalm our church is memorizing together while we’re apart physically:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

Then I remembered some advice from my hero Joni Eareckson Tada that has stuck with me over the years, and later this morning, I reread it: “…the Apostle Paul said, ‘Boast in your afflictions.’ Don’t be ashamed of them. Don’t think you have to hide them and gussy yourself up before God in the morning so that He’ll be happy with you and see that you’re really believing in Him. No, no, no. Admit you can’t do this thing called life. Then cast yourself at the mercy of God and let Him show up through your weakness because that’s what He promises—2 Corinthians 12:9.”

Yes, that’s what I need. To admit my weakness, and to trust in the promise of God’s infinite, ever-accessible strength.

I don’t need another to-do list or more expectations for myself. Right now, I need His rest.

I don’t need to be consumed by all I have to do or should be doing. I do need to stop and focus on the Savior. I can trust that through His Word, His Holy Spirit, and the encouragement of His people, He will direct me to what I should be doing in this season, and He will empower me to do it.

I need His help. His comfort. His peace. His direction.

I’m so glad that’s exactly what He promises. Jesus told us, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).

Our God is “the God of endurance and encouragement” (Romans 15:5). How I love that phrase! Endurance. Encouragement. Two things I desperately need right now, and that only He can provide for me.

Words for the Weak

We may forget from time to time just how needy we are, but God knows our weaknesses. His Word overflows with good news for the weary—promises to give strength and rest to His children:

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart celebrates, and I give thanks to him with my song. The Lord is the strength of his people; he is a stronghold of salvation for his anointed. Save your people, bless your possession, shepherd them, and carry them forever” (Psalm 28:7-9, CSB).

“The LORD gives his people strength; the LORD blesses his people with peace” (Psalm 29:11, CSB).

“Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31, ESV).

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, ESV).

 “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, NIV).

Just Rest

So here I am, still going through the same day-to-day-routine, but looking to God’s strength. I’m asking Him to open my eyes to the needs of those around me that I might miss right now in my weariness.  I’m praying He will give me the ability to meet those needs, for His glory, and grant me the strength to serve my family and do the work He has given me to do, with joy and thanksgiving.

I’m trusting that I don’t need to be more or do more in my own strength.

I simply need to rest in His strength.

Here’s more encouragement from God’s people that I have found helpful:

“Come, and however feeble you feel, just wait in His presence. As a feeble, sickly invalid is brought out into the sunshine to let its warmth go through him, come with all that is dark and cold in you into the sunshine of God's holy, omnipotent love. Sit and wait there, with the one thought: Here I am, in the sunshine of His love. As the sun does its work in the weak one who seeks its rays, God will do His work in you.” —Andrew Murray

“Sometimes, in moments of pride, we need to fear Him and repent. Other times, in moments of brokenness and despair, we need to just bathe in His grace, and see His smile and hear Him say, ‘Well done, enter into your Master’s joy.’ We need to cast our cares upon Him, because He cares for us, come onto Him when we’re weary and heavy laden, and He will give us rest.” —Randy Alcorn

“When really weak in ourselves, and conscious of that weakness, we are in the state suited to the manifestation of the power of God. When emptied of ourselves, we are filled with God. Those who think they can change their own hearts, atone for their own sins, subdue the power of evil in their own souls or in the souls of others, who feel able to sustain themselves under affliction, God leaves to their own resources. But when they feel and acknowledge their weakness, He communicates to them divine strength.” —Charles Hodge

“Remember, it is not your weakness that will get in the way of God’s working through you, but your delusions of strength. His strength is made perfect in our weakness! Point to His strength by being willing to admit your weakness.” —Paul David Tripp

“Trying to do the Lord’s work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.” —Corrie ten Boom

Also, The Gospel Coalition has a wonderful article by Clarissa Moll about Trading Your Weakness for God’s Strength . Don’t miss it.

See also Randy’s article Can’t You See That I’m Busy? You might also enjoy his books 60 Days of Happiness and God’s Promise of Happiness.

Photo by Carolyn V on Unsplash

Losing Your Faith May Be God’s Gift to You

Two weeks ago, I was asked to be a guest on the Chris Fabry show. I always enjoy talking with Chris, and we had a good conversation about some perspectives related to the coronavirus crisis. (You can listen to our 21-minute conversation here.)

One thing that came up as we talked was that Scripture makes it clear God’s people will face great suffering, as some are right now. As serious as suffering is, it’s always struck me as a bit humorous when Peter writes, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12, emphasis added).

Unfortunately, if our theology hasn’t prepared us for suffering, we may be more than just surprised when trials come our way. We might feel as though our faith—and God Himself—has let us down.

In my book If God Is Good, I write this:

A faith that leaves us unprepared for suffering is a false faith that deserves to be lost.

A lot of bad theology inevitably surfaces when we face suffering. John Piper writes, “Wimpy worldviews make wimpy Christians. And wimpy Christians won’t survive the days ahead.”

Auschwitz survivor Viktor Frankl wrote, “Just as the small fire is extinguished by the storm whereas a large fire is enhanced by it, likewise a weak faith is weakened by predicaments and catastrophes whereas a strong faith is strengthened by them.” When people lose their faith because of suffering, it’s usually a weak or nominal faith that doesn’t account for or prepare them for evil and suffering. I believe that any faith not based on the truth needs to be lost. The sooner, the better.

Believing God exists is not the same as trusting the God who exists. A nominal Christian often discovers in suffering that his faith has been in his church, denomination, or family tradition, but not Christ. As he faces evil and suffering, he may lose his faith. But that’s actually a good thing. I have sympathy for people who lose their faith, but any faith lost in suffering wasn’t a faith worth keeping. (Genuine faith will be tested; false faith will be lost.)

If you base your faith on lack of affliction, your faith lives on the brink of extinction and will fall apart because of a frightening diagnosis or a shattering phone call. Token faith will not survive suffering, nor should it.

Suffering and evil exert a force that either pushes us away from God or pulls us toward him. I know a man who lost his faith after facing terrible evil, suffering, and injustice. My heart breaks for him, and I pray that my family and I will never suffer what he did. But if personal suffering gives sufficient evidence that God doesn’t exist, then surely I shouldn’t wait until I suffer to conclude he’s a myth. If my suffering would one day justify denying God, then I should deny him now in light of other people’s suffering.

The devastation of tragedy feels just as real for people whose faith endures suf­fering. But because they know that others have suffered and learned to trust God anyway, they can apply that trust to God as they face their own disasters. Because they do not place their hope for health and abundance and secure relationships in this life, but in an eternal life to come, their hope remains firm regardless of what happens.

Losing your faith may be God’s gift to you. Only when you jettison ungrounded and untrue faith can you replace it with valid faith in the true God—faith that can pass, and even find strength in, the most formidable of life’s tests.

In her moving book The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion writes about the sudden, unexpected death of her husband. As I read, my heart broke not only for what happened to her, but for the first six words of the book’s concluding sen­tence: “No eye is on the sparrow.”

Didion apparently means that so far as she can tell, there is no God, or at least, no God who cares and watches over us. She’s most likely a normal hurting person who needs men and women around her who can see God in the midst of their suffering, so they might help her see him in hers.

As I told Chris, there are probably many people who need to lose their faith—because their faith is in the wrong thing. I believe God can use this crisis to topple our idols, including but not limited to the idols of health and wealth, and clear the way for us to embrace genuine trust in Christ.

So let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Let’s make Him the object of our faith. He will support us and sustain us and be there for us in a way that no other object of faith can.

Photo by Dawid Zawiła on Unsplash

If You Don’t Really Need Your Stimulus Check, Would You Prayerfully Consider Giving It to God’s Kingdom?

There are many Americans who are anticipating receiving their coronavirus stimulus check from the government because they truly need the money in order to pay bills and care for their families right now. But if you’re in a position where this money would just go into your savings account or to fund wants but not needs, I would like to make what might seem to be a radical suggestion. Would you prayerfully consider giving it away to God’s kingdom? That’s what we’re going to do. And if you can, please join us.

Disclaimers:

First, I am well aware that some people actually will need this money. I’m not assuming no one should spend it on themselves! Rather, I'm speaking to those who, like us, do not have such a need at this time.

Second, I'm not suggesting you donate the money to EPM! Here are some ideas:

1) Your local church has probably experienced reduced giving and needs your support to continue to pay staff salaries.

2) There are many ministries, including missions organizations doing Bible translation for unreached people groups, whose major donors (many of whom own businesses) are struggling financially due to the epidemic. To sustain these vital projects others are needed to step in as givers if they are able to do so. (See illumiNations.) 

3) There are excellent Christ-centered, gospel-proclaiming ministries that are, at great expense and considerable risk, putting themselves on the frontlines by giving medical assistance in Italy, New York City, and other parts of the U.S. and the world. Samaritan’s Purse is among those.

(For more ideas where to give your check, check out EPM’s list of recommended organizations .)

A friend of our ministry sent this note:

When I heard we were getting a stimulus check of $1,200, I realized I was in a place that I did not “need” this money. Our income had not changed that much due to the COVID-19 virus. I asked God what He would want me to do with this and when I received a giving invitation from a ministry named Kizimani, I knew instantly that was where He wanted me to give.  My husband was fully on board, of course. I immediately responded and pledged the money (knowing that my heart can change so quickly in a given moment). 

I felt such joy! But I wondered, with all we have couldn’t we give more? I’m still wrestling with that. I wish I could say we emptied our bank account but I’m praying God would make us pliable and that we would listen to what He wants us to do. 

I don’t want this to turn into “look what we're doing.” But I can’t help wanting to let people know that this extra income is an opportunity to give to those in need.

In my book Giving Is the Good Life, I share how Jesus told His disciples a parable in which He described a “faithful and wise manager” as one who gave his servants food and other resources “at the proper time.” When the master returned and saw one servant faithfully managing his resources, he “put him in charge of all his possessions” (Luke 12:42-44, NIV). Jesus continued the parable by describing an unfaithful servant who forgot about his master and failed to manage his assets according to his principles. This servant got drunk and beat the other servants. Jesus promised the master would return when the servant didn’t expect it and bring harsh judgment on him (Luke 12:45-47).

In contrast to the faithful servant, the unfaithful servant mismanaged the master’s resources. Instead of carefully managing the owner’s possessions, he greedily squandered them on himself.

Jesus then summarized the point of the parable with these words: “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more” (Luke 12:48).

Make no mistake about it, you and I—who live in the most affluent society in human history, even in an economic downturn—have been entrusted with much. So in light of Jesus’ words, we need to ask ourselves, Am I a faithful servant or an unfaithful servant when it comes to what I do with my Lord’s resources?

God entrusts a fortune even to many who spend their lives wishing they made more. We will answer to Him for what we’ve done with what we have (Romans 14:12). Where did that money go? What needs did we meet with it, both inside and outside our families? What difference did it make for eternity? Did it pierce our lives with grief because we clung to it, or did it fill our lives with joy because we honored God with it?

Paul said that “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7, ESV). What keeps us from giving cheerfully? We instinctively imagine that hoarding or spending on ourselves will make us happiest. But Jesus said our greatest joy comes when we give to others: “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving” (Acts 20:35, GNT). You might have heard that verse translated “It is more blessed to give than receive,” but the well-documented fact is that the Greek word makarios here, translated “blessed,” really means “happy” or “happy-making.”

Notice what Jesus did not say: “Naturally, we’re happier when we receive than when we give, but giving is a duty, so grit your teeth, make the sacrifice, and force yourself to give.”

Money won’t make us happy, but giving away money can make us profoundly happy! When we give out of love for Christ and others, we experience dramatic and lasting returns for the investments we’ve made—far more than if we’d kept or spent it. Therefore, it’s not only receivers who come out ahead—it’s givers, too.

In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury said, “Everyone must leave something behind when he dies. . . . The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching. . . . The lawn-cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime.”

As believers in Christ, we have the opportunity not just to tend flowers but to tend to people and leave an eternal impact, all for God’s glory. May we never settle for anything less.

A Note about Charitable Giving Incentives

Care Net, a prolife ministry EPM recommends, shared this information about how the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides “significant tax incentives to stimulate increased charitable giving in the next few months to non-profit organizations”:

Charitable gifts up to $300 are now 100% deductible. Previously, you could only use the charitable giving deduction if you itemized your deductions. Now, the CARES Act allows you to deduct up to $300 of charitable gifts, given in cash, whether you itemize or not. Here is a helpful article on Yahoo! Finance.
The deduction for gifts over $300 has been raised to 100% of your Adjusted Gross Income. Under the CARES Act, donors can get a federal income tax deduction for charitable contributions of up to 100% of their Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) for 2020, replacing the previous 60% of AGI charitable contribution limit. Charitable contributions in excess of this amount can be carried forward for five years subject to the 60% of AGI limit in those years.

Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash

Sorrow Will Turn to Joy: Easter Reflections from Our Daughter Angela

Both of our daughters, Karina and Angela, are Christ-centered women and wonderful wives and moms who serve their families and churches remarkably well. They are very wise, and I have learned a lot from both of them. 

Angela Stump is a part-time nurse, and the women’s ministry director at Gresham Bible Church, where she and her husband Dan are both very involved. I am so touched by her heart and her trust in her Savior. Like her sister, she’s among the most godly people I know.

The following is an Easter devotional Angela wrote this week for the women at her church. I hope her message of joy after sorrow will encourage your heart as you anticipate celebrating Easter Sunday, despite the difficulties of life in this season.  —Randy Alcorn

“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.”So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?”So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:16–24)

When I was initially given this passage of Scripture to write about, I thought my devotional would include a little anecdote about either of my two labors and deliveries. I could’ve shared about the epidural not working with my oldest son Jake, or how our younger son Ty gave us a scare with the umbilical cord around his neck. I could have shared about the toll that pregnancies took on my body, or the scars (both literal and figurative) I still have after giving birth. I could have honestly told you what every parent knows, whether you have physically gone through labor or not: the joy that my children bring was worth every amount of suffering I have experienced, or will ever go through. 

But surprisingly, God ended up laying on my heart to share what He taught me through my pregnancy that did not end in joy.

About seven and a half years ago we were shocked to discover that I was pregnant with baby number three. There were all sorts of reasons why I'd been "sure" we were done, including several medical issues. This news came to us only six months after I had gone through a dramatic health scare, one which I thought could end up taking my life. Now instead of planning how I might leave this world, we were planning for this tiny miracle that would enter it. 

It took us a while to wrap our heads around it, but soon I found myself excited at the turn of events. Every baby is a miracle from God, but this pregnancy felt different. This was one that God would use for something amazing, one that I was sure would change my life and be a walking testimony of God's faithfulness to our family. The sorrow I had felt six months prior was now turning into joy!

But God had different plans. When I realized I was having a miscarriage, I was sucked into confusion and grief. God was getting it all wrong. Why would He give us this miracle out of nowhere, one that we didn't even ask for, only to rip it away again? This was not the way it was supposed to turn out. And yet, just a month after finding out we were pregnant, God took our baby to live with Him in heaven.

Anguish. Sorrow. There was no hope of my heart rejoicing at the end…or was there? 

Whether or not you relate to my story of miscarriage, all of us have experienced suffering and loss. When we are in the pit of darkness, is there truly hope? And if there is, how do we see it?

Our broken hearts desperately need comfort, but in order for the comfort to last, it has to be based on truth. My dad, Randy Alcorn, has written several books about God's faithfulness in the midst of evil and suffering. In his book 90 Days of God's Goodness he says this:

“Never seek comfort by ignoring truth. Comfort in falsehood is false comfort. Jesus said, ‘The truth will set you free’ (John 8:32). When you try to soothe your feelings without bothering to think deeply about ideas, you are asking to be manipulated. Quick-fix feelings won't sustain you over the long-haul. On the other hand, deeply rooted beliefs—specifically a worldview grounded in Scripture—will allow you to persevere and hold on to a faith built on the solid rock of God's truth."

So what do we do when this broken world full of disappointments and grief threatens to overwhelm us? We cry out to God. We tell Him we don't understand and ask Him why He doesn't do things the way we would. And where do we find His answers? In the truth of His Word.

"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

We can find our comfort in God’s truth. His ways are not our ways. Even though we don’t always see it, He is preparing an eternal weight of glory for us that is beyond all comparison.

So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you .

In John 16 Jesus was telling His disciples He was about to die. He said they would weep and lament. They would be filled with sorrow and not understand the purpose of His death and their suffering. In order to have comfort, they would need to hang on to the truth He had spoken to them.

The truth was that the disciples’ ultimate comfort (and ours) could never have been found unless Jesus died. He suffered on our behalf so that we might not suffer for eternity. He was beaten, mocked, and nailed to a cross. He bore our sin and our shame so we didn't have to. But His death and suffering, and the suffering of all who loved Him, was not the end of the story. On the third day He rose again, forever conquering sin and death.

When we put our trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, we are assured that though this life is full of sorrow, the life to come will not be: 

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling placeof God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true’” (Revelation 21:3-5).

In order for us to have comfort now in the midst of suffering, we must hang on to the truth. We may have sorrow presently, but we can trust that because our ultimate sorrow was borne by Jesus on the cross, one day our anguish will be forever gone and our hearts will rejoice for all eternity. 

Image by GLady from Pixabay

Reflections on Christ’s Resurrection

I’ve been thinking lately about the resurrection of Jesus. It is the rock-solid foundation for our faith, and we should ponder it not just at Easter, but throughout the year. It is, among other things, essential to Christ’s victory over sin and death, and therefore essential to our deliverance from the Hell we deserve. It is our guarantee of the Heaven (and New Earth) that we don’t deserve, but which by the blood-bought assurances of Jesus we will forever enjoy, with Him and with all who love and trust Him.

One of the quotations I’ve collected on this (for a book project I’ve been working on) is particularly meaningful, because it comes from Chuck Colson, whose ministry Prison Fellowship we’ve supported with my book royalties. I came to know and love Chuck, and he was a friend I have greatly missed since his death in 2012. As special counsel to President Nixon, known as the “White House Hatchet Man,” he was one of the most powerful men in the world. He was prominent in the Watergate scandal that brought Nixon and himself and others down. Then in prison Chuck came to faith in Christ and was radically transformed. If you want to learn more about this remarkable brother, see my tribute to him after his death.

Here’s what Chuck Colson said about the resurrection of Jesus:

I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren't true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn't keep a lie for three weeks. You're telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.

Here are some Scripture and other quotations about the resurrection. I really enjoyed collecting these quotes, and hope they speak to you as they do to me:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” —Peter, 1 Peter 1:3 ESV

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live...” —Jesus, John 11:25-26 ESV

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” —Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:17 ESV

“Christianity is in its very essence a resurrection religion. The concept of resurrection lies at its heart. If you remove it, Christianity is destroyed.” —John Stott

“If Christ be not risen, the dreadful consequence is not that death ends life, but that we are still in our sins.” —Geoffrey Studdert-Kennedy

“The Gospels do not explain the resurrection; the resurrection explains the Gospels. Belief in the resurrection is not an appendage to the Christian faith; it is the Christian faith.” —John S. Whale

“Temporary or unstable hope for the future is not enough—our hope must be permanent and unchangeable. …We were created by God to enjoy an unending relationship with him (Ecclesiastes 3:11), but sin stands in our way. Something deep within us cries out against that separation, and we want to believe there is more to life than what we’re seeing in the here and now. God’s ultimate answer to our longing for eternal life is the precious gift of his own Son. Jesus gave us all the assurance we will ever need for this life and the life to come: ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live’ (John 11:25).” —The Knowing Jesus Study Bible

“If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.” —Timothy Keller

“In ancient times before the divine sojourn of the Savior took place, even to the saints death was terrible; all wept for the dead as though they perished. But now that the Savior has raised his body, death is no longer terrible; for all who believe in Christ trample on it as it were nothing and choose rather to die than deny their faith in Christ. And that devil that once maliciously exulted in death, now that its pains were loosed, remained the only one truly dead.” ―Athanasius, On the Incarnation

“Ghosts, apparitions, and various psychological hallucinations may do a lot of things, but they don’t fire up the charcoal grill and cook fish for breakfast.” ―Pheme Perkins

“The resurrection of Jesus is much more than a conclusive argument for life after death, but it is also that. If Jesus rose from the dead, then there is no room for doubt that death is not the end of our journey. If Jesus truly rose, then there is for every person a heaven to embrace and a hell to shun.” —Bruce Milne

“The least plausible of all explanations of the resurrection was that it was generated out of the despairing imagination of the disciples. For that does not explain why they were willing to risk their lives for it. Nor does it account for one of the most characteristic literary features of the Easter narratives: the report that the beholders were utterly surprised by the appearance of the risen Lord. The ‘surprise’ element of the Easter narratives is too recurrent to be considered an anomaly. It is not likely that one would report being surprised by something that one had previously projected. No. Something occurred in Jesus’ resurrection. It is quite unconvincing to assume that it could have been nothing. Whatever it was, it was experienced as the resurrected or spiritual or glorified body of Jesus and understood as the final self-disclosure of God.” —Thomas C. Oden

“Perhaps the transformation of the disciples of Jesus is the greatest evidence of all for the resurrection.” ―John Stott

“Christ has turned all our sunsets into dawns.” —Clement of Alexandria

Photo by Jordan Wozniak on Unsplash

In Many States, You Can’t Get a Routine Surgery or a Colonoscopy Right Now, But You Can Still Get an Abortion

Last week Breakpoint’s John Stonestreet shared this commentary related to abortion and the coronavirus crisis:

All crises reveal what’s truly important to us.

For example, in Massachusetts, hospitals are postponing all “‘non-essential surgeries’ in order to prepare for the potential onslaught of coronavirus cases.”

But how do you define nonessential? A person in constant, excruciating pain could consider hip-replacement essential to their well-being, or a colonoscopy could be essential to prevent or detect colon cancer before it spreads.

In Massachusetts, those procedures didn’t fit the definition of “essential.” But guess what did? Abortion.

So, a colonoscopy, which could literally save a life if timely, is non-essential, but an abortion, which literally takes a life, is essential? Postpone an abortion and, in the worst case, a child is still alive but given up for adoption a few months later.

Gloria Steinem once said that “If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.” Apparently, in Massachusetts at least, the coronavirus has revealed it already is.

LifeNews has a list of the U.S. states that have shut down abortion clinics right now, and the states that are still allowing them to operate.

The list doesn’t include the status of my home state of Oregon, but one clinic in Portland says on their website, “[We believe] it is our responsibility to stay open so that we may continue to provide safe and legal abortions.” They list some restrictions, including checking temperatures and not bringing any guests.

My friend Kathy, who has prayed outside this clinic, writes, “I do think that with their slight restrictions it could possibly save some lives because they have to go in alone and most people have someone with them. This might give them pause to reconsider, and we can pray for that!” (The Planned Parenthood website says several clinics in Oregon are temporarily closed to in-person appointments.)

Writing for Care Net, Heather Creekmore says,

As our nation’s activity screeches to a halt to stop the spread of COVID-19, I find it curious that some Planned Parenthood facilities are still open and performing abortions.

Specialists of all kinds have been asked to stop seeing patients, while citizens are asked to postpone all elective surgeries so we can preserve sorely needed medical equipment like masks and gowns.

But abortion services continue?

Last week, the National Abortion Federation announced the following: “During this public health crisis, pregnancy care, including abortion care, remains an essential health service.” Calling abortion a “time-sensitive service,” the NAF argues that deferring abortion to a later time is unacceptable, as abortion is an “essential business.”

Even a headline from pro-choice news outlet, vox.com, says, “Advocates say all abortions are essential.” (emphasis mine)

But doesn’t this contradict much of what the industry promotes? Haven’t we been told that abortion is about “choice”? If so, then abortion seems to clearly fall in the elective procedure category.

Read the rest

You might also like to check out the April 1 episode of Focus on the Family, featuring Drs. David Hager and Bill Lile, who provide a prolife perspective on the growing national controversy about whether abortion should be considered essential healthcare during the coronavirus crisis.

Focus on the Family has put together a great prolife prayer guide during this coronavirus crisis. It includes prayer ideas for foster children, the elderly, and those with special needs, as well as these prayer points for single moms and pregnant women:

Pray for those women who are pregnant and considering an abortion and don’t know where to turn. Pray that they will receive love, compassion and support from God's people, and that they would choose life.

Pray for the mothers who have chosen life. Ask that God would provide for them and their children.

Pray that local churches will rally behind Pregnancy Resource Centers with supplies, prayer and support.

Pray for local Pregnancy Resource Center directors across the country—that they would be encouraged, uplifted and protected.

Browse more prolife articles and resources, as well as see Randy's books Why ProLife? and ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments.

Photo by Christopher Boswell on Unsplash

Max Lucado on Three Essential, Emotional Tools to Survive This April

Matthew Henry said, “Happy are those who have the Lord for their God, for they have a God that they cannot be robbed of. Enemies may steal our goods, but not our God.”

Joshua 1:9 offers this encouragement: “The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Jesus promised His disciples, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). Here is a source of both comfort and courage: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

God is always with us: “God’s Spirit dwells in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Of course, sometimes we’ll sense His presence more than other times. But He is there for us when life is stressful, difficult, frightening, or traumatic, helping us and even praying for us: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. . . .The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26).

The stories of many prisoners—including Corrie ten Boom, Richard Wurmbrand, and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn—document that they survived imprisonment and torture because God’s supernatural indwelling presence was their lifeline. We who know Jesus have the same.

“God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5, NIV). Such a promise offers us happiness in the most difficult times and places—including during the coronavirus crisis.

I love these thoughts from Max Lucado about not just surviving but thriving in the coming month, despite the difficulties and disappointments we may have right now. Hope this encourages you, too. —Randy Alcorn

Surviving April

By Max Lucado

This isn’t the April we wanted.

We wanted spring training. We wanted to go to church on Easter Sunday. We wanted a weekend trip to see the spring flowers. We wanted the Masters golf tournament. I love the Masters. I don’t just like it, I love it! I keep pictures of Amen Corner on my computer screen. I love April.

But this April? This isn’t the April we wanted.

But this is the April we’ve been handed: daily reports of disease and death. An economy that’s in freefall. Dwindling supplies. Another 30 days of distance and isolation. And, most of all, a month of fear. We fear for our family. We fear for the health of our health workers. We fear this microscopic, COVID-19 culprit that stalks our streets like a thief.

So we need to brace ourselves. Adjust our expectations. April as we wanted will not happen. God willing, it will reappear in 2021. But the 2020 version? It’s time for a deep breath, a steady resolve and a few decisions. I’m thinking of three essential, emotional tools.

Gratitude. Collect your blessings. Catalog God’s kindnesses. Assemble your reasons for gratitude and recite them. “Always be joyful,” the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Thessalonians. “Pray continually, and give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.”

Look at the totality of those terms. Always be joyful. Pray continually. Give thanks whatever happens.

Gratitude is always an option. Matthew Henry made it his. When the 18th-century British minister and scholar was accosted by thieves and robbed of his purse, he wrote in his diary, “Let me be thankful, first because I was never robbed before; second, because, although they took my purse they did not take my life, third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and, fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”

Quarry some gratitude. And, be kind to others. Be the family member who offers to wash the dishes. Be the colleague who reaches out to check on the team. Be the neighbor who mows the grass of the elderly couple.

You’ll be better because of it. Research bears this out. Studies have shown that giving to help others triggers dopamine. (New fundraising slogan, perhaps?) When volunteers wearing a functional MRI scanner were told they would be giving money to charity, the areas of their brains associated with pleasure — like food and sex — lit up like Christmas trees.

Seeking joy? Do good for someone else. It really is better to give than receive.

It’s time for gratitude. It’s time to serve others and it’s time for determination. Good, old-fashioned grit, a resolve that says, “I’m not giving in to fear. I’m not caving in to despair. With God as my helper, I’m going to weather this storm.”

Some years ago, I had the honor of meeting an American hero, Gen. Robbie Risner. For seven and a half years, North Vietnamese soldiers held him and dozens of other soldiers in the Zoo, a POW camp in Hanoi.

Misery came standard issue. Solitary confinement, starvation, tortures and beatings were routine. Interrogators twisted broken legs, sliced skin with bayonets, crammed sticks up nostrils, and paper in mouths. Screams echoed throughout the camp, chilling the blood of other prisoners.

Listen to Risner’s description: “Everything was sad and dismal. It was almost the essence of despair. If you could have squeezed the feeling out of the word despair it would have come out gray, dull and lead-colored, dingy and dirty … ”

How do you survive seven and a half years in such a hole? Cut off from family. No news from the U.S. What do you do?

Here is what Risner did. He stared at a blade of grass. Several days into his incarceration, he wrestled the grate off a floor vent, stretched out on his belly, lowered his head into the opening, and peered through a pencil-sized hole in the brick and mortar at a singular blade of grass. Aside from this stem, his world had no color. So, he began his days, head in vent, heart in prayer, staring at the green blade of grass. He called it a “blood transfusion for the soul.”

You don’t have to go Hanoi to face a “gray, dull and lead-colored, dingy and dirty” existence. A pandemic will do just fine. Do what Risner did. Go on a search. Crowbar the grate from your place of isolation, and stick your head out. Fix your eyes on hope.

Gratitude.

Others.

Determination.

G-O-D.

He is still in charge. He is still Emmanuel, God with us. Heaven still awaits. The tomb of Christ is still vacant. Children still laugh and grass still turns green in April. Find a blade and set your gaze on it.

It’s not the month we wanted, but it is the month we’ve been given. And we will get through it.

© Max Lucado, March 2020

This article was originally posted on MaxLucado.com and is used with permission.

Photo by Dhaya Eddine Bentaleb on Unsplash

10 Great Books to Read While You’re Staying Home

The verse “Make good use of every opportunity you have” is sometimes translated as “Redeem the time” (Ephesians 5:16). Here are some resources that I hope will help you now when you may have more time than ever to dive into them.

First, check out this article that talks about how this is a great time to pray with your family. It’s also a great time to do online courses on great biblical themes and doctrines, church history, etc. On this site you can choose from hundreds of free solid teaching videos and entire courses. For instance, this is the first of nine videos (11-12 minutes each) on God’s Big Picture that may open your eyes to the Bible in fresh ways.

You can also use this time to phone/email/text people in your neighborhood and church and extended family and ask if you can do anything to help them, whether that’s get them groceries or anything else. “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Hebrews 6:10). “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

Finally, and this brings me to the subject of this blog post, it’s a great time to read books! If any of the following suggestions sound good, you can find them on Amazon Kindle or download the audio book. You can also order the physical book from Christianbook.com or in some cases, directly from the publisher. (Some people are experiencing delays in getting books from Amazon since books are the lower priority to food and medicine and other things that Amazon is rightly prioritizing shipping.)

The Book of God: How We Got the Bible (Christianbook.com, Kingstone Comics)
by Ben Avery

Ben Avery has written a fascinating story of how the Bible we hold in our hands came into being. Javier Saltares has illustrated it with art that ranges from beautiful to breathtaking. I read a lot of big books and deep theology, but I was raised on comic books and I love an interesting and visually striking graphic novel. For this work of nonfiction to be so well researched and so magnificently illustrated is a marvelous combination. Though I’ve read several books on how we got our Bible, I learned a lot more in The Book of God and had fun in the process. This book will reach an audience that would never read the same information in a conventional volume.

Jesus Revolution (Christianbook.com, Amazon)
by Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn

Rarely have I read a book so entertaining, informative and spiritually significant as Jesus Revolution. I relived many formative historical events of the 60s and 70s and learned new and fascinating things about the Jesus movement. I can’t think of anyone better than Greg Laurie to be a central character and voice, nor better than Ellen Vaughn to skillfully craft this fascinating story of a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit. I loved it, and pray God would do such radical works of grace in our midst today!

Knowing God (Christianbook.com, Amazon)
By J.I. Packer

I’ll never forget reading J.I. Packer’s Knowing God when it first came out in 1975. Right at the beginning of the book Packer quoted from an incredibly deep and profound sermon Spurgeon preached on God’s immutability. Then it stunned me when Packer said that Spurgeon had written and spoken that sermon at the age of twenty. I was twenty-one when reading the book, and like Spurgeon I had come to Christ at age fifteen. But this man was worlds beyond me in the knowledge of God. I wanted to read more Spurgeon, and above all to know God like Spurgeon did.

Introducing me to Spurgeon is just one of the ways God has used Knowing God in my life profoundly. It is still one of my top five books of all time.

Live Like a Narnian: Christian Discipleship in Lewis's Chronicles (Amazon)
by Joe Rigney

As a long-time lover of C. S. Lewis and the world of Narnia, I have read countless books about both. Joe Rigney’s Live Like a Narnian is one of the best. It overflows with an authentic sense of Narnian brightness, wisdom and wonder. Rigney seems equally at home with Lewis’s fiction and nonfiction. He draws them together beautifully, with truth and imagination. I highly recommend this delightful book!

Mere Christianity (Christianbook.com, Amazon)
by C. S. Lewis

Lewis argues brilliantly for the Christian worldview that he came to from atheism and agnosticism. I first read this book as a young Christian over forty years ago, and I’m amazed that it seems to get even better with time. (In fact, it plays a pivotal role in my novels Deadline and Deception.)

Not By Sight: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Walking by Faith (Christianbook.com, Amazon)
by Jon Bloom

Jon Bloom is a Christ-centered, God-worshipping, kingdom-oriented guy, and a gifted writer of something we need more of—truthful nonfiction full of imagination. For years I have read Jon’s Desiring God blogs, and pondered them, saving some of them to quote from in future books. I love how John repeatedly takes me back to Scripture. God says his words won’t return to us empty. He never says that about my words, yours or Jon’s. That’s why Not By Sight will endure beyond this world—it is infused with the dynamic eternal Word of God that will never die.

The Singer Trilogy (Christianbook.com, Amazon)
by Calvin Miller

Calvin Miller baptized my imagination when, as a young Christian, I read (and reread) his Singer trilogy. It greatly shaped and influenced me, which I got to tell Calvin personally twenty-five years later when we were the co-speakers at a Christian Writers’ Conference.  Once Upon a Tree is poetic craftsmanship infused with grace. In the final book of the trilogy, The Finale, Calvin wrote: “The world is poor because her fortune is buried in the sky and all her treasure maps are of earth.” The whole thing is wonderful.  

Something Needs to Change: A Call to Make Your Life Count in a World of Urgent Need (Christianbook.com, Amazon)
by David Platt

David Platt and I tend to be at the same conferences and I have often heard him speak. I skip some sessions but not David’s, because I never tire of his heart, his stories, or his sharing of God’s Word. This is a different book for David, but every bit as important as his others. I wholeheartedly recommend Something Needs to Change. God spoke to me through it and that’s the best I can say about any book. 

Steal Away Home: Charles Spurgeon and Thomas Johnson — Unlikely Friends on The Passage to Freedom (Christianbook.com, Amazon)
by Aaron Ivey & Matt Carter

I’ve long been a great fan of Charles Spurgeon. I wasn’t familiar with Thomas Johnson, and enjoyed reading about his part in the drama. As a fiction writer I appreciated the creative storytelling elements of this account. Matt Carter and Aaron Ivey have done a great job selecting historical realities and weaving them together into a compelling story. I really enjoyed Steal Away Home.

Your God Is Too Safe (Christianbook.com, Amazon)
by Mark Buchanan

Mark Buchanan shows us that the undemanding God-in-the-bottle genie who exists to serve us is a modern heresy. It’s the God of the Bible who calls the shots. We are servants of a fierce King, who is gracious, but never manageable. Your God Is Too Safe reminds us what it means that Jesus is God—and we’re not! Dangerous faith in our untamed Savior leads us to the joy we crave. The breath of life rises off the pages of this book.

For many more suggestions, see my list of favorite books, both fiction and nonfiction. There’s plenty there to keep you busy!

Finally, you might be interested in reading my devotional 60 Days of Happiness (Tyndale, Christianbook.com, Amazon). Someone kindly sent me this message: “I’m finding 60 Days of Happiness to be one of the best possible books (other than the Bible) for this particular time in history. I’ve ordered copies to be sent to all of my family and some friends, too. I gave some out at Christmas, and one dear friend of mine says it has totally changed her view of God and life—and this is a woman whose husband was a pastor for 30 years! She was saved, but didn’t seek happiness or even think about it.”

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It Can Be Well with Our Souls, Even with the Coronavirus Crisis

This worship, posted a few days ago here in the Age of Corona, is beautiful. It demonstrates separation but the wonderous ability to transcend it. Technology isn’t always the answer, but in this case it is truly a gift of God. Here is “It Is Well with My Soul” from a cell phone choir:

(A friend I shared the video with loved it but pointed out it doesn’t include her favorite verse: "My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, / My sin, not in part, but the whole / Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, / Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, oh my soul!" She wrote, "I was asking myself why I like that verse so much. Whenever we sing the song, that particular verse fills my heart with joy and sorrow at the same time. Joy because my sins are washed away! Sorrow because I think of all the people who don’t know the Lord and are weighed down by the heavy burden of sin. Imagine how that burden must be so desperately hard! We know that the Holy Spirit is here to convict the world of sin, and righteousness, and judgment to come. And we know that He does His job well. So there are many people carrying a heavy burden. Imagine their joy when that sin is lifted and cast as far as the east is from the west. May many people turn to Jesus during this time of social isolation when there are moments to contemplate and listen to God.")

Either before or after you listen to the song—or maybe both, listen to it twice as I just did—consider the history behind the song “It Is Well with My Soul.” I wrote about it in my book If God Is Good:

Horatio Spafford, a prosperous lawyer, real estate investor, and devout Presbyterian elder, lived comfortably in Chicago with his wife, Anna, and their children.

The year of 1871 was a difficult one for the Spaffords. Much of Horatio’s real estate investments disappeared in the great Chicago Fire. Not long after, they lost their 4-year-old son to scarlet fever. But worse still was to come.

Knowing that his friend D. L. Moody would preach in England in 1873, Spafford’s family decided to vacation in Europe. Last-minute business detained Horatio, so Anna and their four girls sailed on the ocean liner S.S. Ville du Havre. En route, a British vessel rammed the ship, and it sank within minutes. Rescuers picked up an unconscious Anna on a floating spar, but all four daughters drowned. When Anna arrived in England, she sent a telegram to Horatio with the words, “Saved alone.”

Horatio immediately left Chicago to bring his wife home. On the Atlantic crossing, the captain called Horatio to his cabin to tell him that they had nearly reached the spot where his four daughters had perished. As he passed over their watery grave, Spafford wrote a hymn of profound depth that has touched millions: “It Is Well with My Soul.”

He later wrote to Anna’s half-sister, “On Thursday last we passed over the spot where she went down, in mid-ocean, the waters three miles deep. But I do not think of our dear ones there. They are safe, folded, the dear lambs.”

The pain was great, but God’s grace rose to the occasion. Despite his heartbreak, Spafford could say without pretense, “It is well with my soul.”

Only God can perform such a miracle of grace. And that kind of miracle is available to us all.

Knowing the story, listen to that song again, and it will be even more amazing than before!

Photo by Corinne Kutz on Unsplash