After a recent trip, I began experiencing significant ringing in one of my ears, accompanied by muffled hearing out of what happened to be my “good ear”. After treating these for what I thought may be an ear infection, with no success, those symptoms led me to the doctor, where I learned my blood pressure was dangerously high. High enough that I shouldn’t be standing.
Over the next couple of days, I had to slow down. I spent time being still and praying, bringing my concerns before my Father. I wasn’t afraid of the possibilities of a major health issue as much as I was about my hearing.
Through it all though, my God is still in charge. I submit to His plan and His will and trust Him without question. This is an amazing place to be in your walk with the Lord… knowing that He holds all power, all authority, and that you are valued to Him. But also knowing, His plan will be accomplished, regardless of what that might look like to me personally.
It’s a good reminder that the presence of trouble is not the absence of God.
Symptoms can be real and fear can press in. Our bodies can need attention and care. But none of those things means God has lost control.
I keep coming back to this thought: If the enemy could have taken you out, he would have taken you out.
For me, that is a reminder that the enemy’s power has limits. He does not get to decide God’s faithfulness or separate us from our Father’s love.
Genesis 50:20 says: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”
Joseph spoke those words to the brothers who had betrayed him. He had suffered deeply, yet God was still at work. What they intended to destroy his future became part of the story through which God preserved many lives.
That is the reassurance I think we can take away from our own experiences. For me, I cannot explain what happened (neither could the doctors), but I can recognize the good that came through it. The symptoms prompted me to seek medical attention. The interruption slowed me down. And in the stillness, I made room for more prayer. Undistracted and focused prayer. Something unsettling became an opportunity to draw near to my Father.
When we say that weapons may form but will not prosper, we are not saying believers will never suffer or need medical care. We are declaring that evil will not have the final victory over those who belong to Christ. No hardship can overturn His ultimate purpose or make His promises fail.
So if you are facing something frightening today, take heart in these words. Bring it to God. Seek the help you need. Let others stand beside you in prayer.
You do not have to pretend you are unafraid to trust Him.
I am sharing this because someone needs the same encouragement I needed: your circumstances have not placed you beyond your Father’s reach. And whatever happens, you are still His. He has you. He always will have you.
Let go of your need for control, remember the end goal of this life and our experiences.
God is still in control. He is faithful in the middle of what you have not yet overcome. And He can bring good from what was meant for harm, whether for you, others, or both.
-Devin
Devin Osborne
The Early Church
