One of my friends recently called me to say
that he would like to talk to me for two minutes about something. I thought he
wanted to consult me regarding some illness. But it was something very
different.
“I am going to tell you something about your
spirituality,” he said. The Holy Spirit revealed to him to tell me that I had
to seriously consider about an issue which was going to act adversely in my
spiritual well-being.
“I don’t know what the Holy Spirit was
referring to,” he said. But I knew the issue. The realization was sudden and it
came to me like a bolt from the blue. I realized it was a kind of signal from
God. The Holy Spirit pointed out to me
about something (which I don’t want to reveal) I should be careful, through
another person.
The amazing thing was that I was very much
upset about this problem and was praying for the past many hours. When the Holy
Spirit conveyed it through my friend, I was able to take a very positive
decision which helped me to solve this problem that was haunting me for many
days.
I was then filled with the “Joy of the Lord”,
which I had enjoyed many times before. My dear friend, I still enjoy it.
See how great is our God. He is very much
concerned about us. What you need is the
power to take a firm decision and listen to His voice. The Helper, the most
loving Holy Spirit, will help you in one way or other. You will be overwhelmed
with the Joy of the Lord after taking the decision according to His will.
Are
there any problems in your life? Yes, you have. You come across problems very
often. What is your attitude when you approach a problem? Of Course, you are
upset. Why? Because you don't know how to handle that and what's going to
happen? The outcome may be something adverse in most of the cases. Let us see
how one can tide over this situation.
Nothing will happen without the knowledge of
your Father in heaven, the Almighty God. St. Paul’s letter to the Romans (Rom
8:28-30) says, “We know that in all things God works for good in all those who
love him; those whom he has called according to his purpose, those whom God has
already chosen , he has also set apart to become like his son, so that his son
would be the first amongst believers. And those he called, he put right with
himself.”
Haven’t
you read about the adversities that Joseph, in the old testament, had to
suffer? He was thrown into the well, sold to merchants and sent to the prison.
Joseph suffered everything in his faith in God. He was then raised to the level
of the top minister of Egypt,
next to Pharaoh.
Personally speaking, my story is not much
different from Joseph’s story. I suffered financial hardships one after another
for ten sleepless years. I used to cry and wet the pillows all through the
night like David. If I go on detailing the adversities I had to suffer, one
after another, it would be a big story. I don’t want to do it now. I can
confidently say that God helped me to rise like a phoenix from the ashes. I was
a financial and
emotional wreck for 10 years,
but this changed in a month’s time. It was a magical experience and I know it
was God’s work that brought me back to the previous position.
What I want to convey is that we have to go
on thanking God whenever you encounter an adversity in your life. The Holy
Spirit is always ready to lift you up. The grace that follows will be great,
many times greater than the adversity you are facing, because you are worth
much more than anything to Him. “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet
not one sparrow is forgotten by God. Even the hairs of your head have all been
counted. So do not be afraid, you are worth much more than many sparrows”. (Luke
12: 6-7).
My dear
friend, I thank God and go on thanking God, rather than cursing someone, whenever
I am faced with a setback. I know that my Father in heaven is going to shower
His grace and great joy after helping us to tide over the situation. Why don’t
you try this and see the result whenever you are faced with an adversity in
your life?
(The
writer is the Director and Senior Consultant in internal medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Thodupuzha)
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