03122022 All My Days

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our all-knowing God. There is much that is unknown and uncertain to us, but there is nothing unknown or uncertain for Him.

Sometimes when I'm traveling on the interstate, I get into traffic that I really can't do anything about. Both lanes may be packed full for as far as the eye can see, or I may be trapped behind a slow-moving vehicle, with so much traffic in the other lane that I can't get around. I am helpless to make the traffic disappear or go faster. In fact, all I am likely to do in attempting to control the situation is to cause myself aggravation and potentially more danger. In these settings I have learned to say to myself, “Just settle in.” I simply need to be patient, driving calmly and appropriately for the circumstances, and eventually things will clear up. (Unless it is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving or the Sunday after.)

This same concept is true in the Christian life. Very often we find ourselves in spiritual traffic jams. We are boxed in and slowed down, and there is nothing we can do about it. We just need to settle in, let things play out, and allow God to do what He wants to do and to accomplish His solution in His time.

Many verses help me to remember this concept. One of my favorites is Psalm 139:16. “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” “My members” is in italics, provided by the translators, who believed that this verse was a continuation of the previous thought about God’s forming of David’s body. The Hebrew word “ya-mim” is the word for 24-hour days, so I believe an appropriate translation would be, “In thy book all my days were written … when as yet there was none of them.” Either way, we really come to the same conclusion: whether it is the days themselves, or the body parts (and how that will impact our life-long health), God knew it all before it happened.

God knew every day and every health impact before I knew or experienced any of them. These details were written in His book before they ever happened. I believe this is more than just knowing ahead of time; I believe it also involves planning. It isn't just that God in His omniscience was aware of a future fact, but that God knows the fact because He is the one writing the plan. That knowledge brings peace.

Nothing takes God by surprise. He did form our bodies precisely according to His plan. For some of us, that means we have a genetic defect, a medical predisposition, or a vulnerability to certain diseases. I lived for many decades before I realized this was the case for me, but God knew it from the beginning. My genetic factors came significantly into play in 2006 when I began my struggle with Lyme disease, but it was only three or four years ago when a doctor finally discovered the underlying genetic weakness. Most recently, (for the past seven months), this genetic weakness has again showed itself significantly, as I have struggled with long haul COVID. I have been in a traffic jam for seven months, and I don't know if or when it will clear up. These are not easy days, and they are not always happy days, but I have learned more and more to be content with peaceful days.

I can have peaceful days when I remember that God knew and planned it all from the beginning. All these things are His coworkers in accomplishing His good plan for me (Romans 8:28). All these things are working endurance so that I can be mature and lacking in nothing (James 1:3-4). All these things are so that God can do His purifying work and I can come forth as gold (Job 23:10). All these things are so that I can bring praise and honor and glory to God (I Peter 1:7). All these things are so that God can work the peaceable fruit of righteousness in me - after the time which is not at the moment joyous (Hebrews 12:11). So I just need to settle in, be patient, keep “driving” as appropriate for the circumstances, and wait for things to clear up.

I didn't start out intending to write about myself, but the reality is that this concept of God’s knowing it all ahead of time is very practical for me right now. My circumstances are what help me to more fully understand what God meant. My circumstances give me the opportunity day after day to believe God's truth and to rest in peace because I know it. They help me to more fully learn these lessons. I'm learning more and more fully how absolutely essential it is to cling to truth. There is no hope in empty encouraging words from others, when those words are merely positive-sounding sentiment. Memes posted on Facebook can have very little meaning. The words of others, the words of hymns, and the words of devotionals are helpful only when they are firmly grounded in God's truth. Psalm 40:11 says, “Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.” There are many other verses in the Bible that talk about how important the mind is and how important truth is.

Oh, that God would help each of us to learn to be more and more faithful to go to His Word for help and to be ever quicker to run to His truth!  May God give you this week the truth that you need to help you through every traffic jam so that you can just settle in and be at peace.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

Archived letters: www.dearmissionarylady.blogspot.com.