In a world of pain, sin, death, and separation, how do we find purpose to life? Where do we get the strength to continue on? This is the answer most callers are seeking when they contact 3ABN’s Pastoral Department.
I want to share a few texts from my friend, Beverly, who is in the process of finding a new rhythm to life after the death of her spouse. In her own words, this is the first of three text messages she sent me that will bring you hope:
“One year. Twelve months. Fifty-two weeks. Three hundred sixty-six whole days (taking into account a leap year). All measurements of time to identify how long it’s been since David—the love of my life, my husband, my sweetheart, my soulmate, my human rock—took his last breath and went to sleep in Jesus.
“Oh, how I miss him, but I have a blessed assurance I will see him again (1 Thessalonians 4:16). I have the promise that when Jesus returns, the dead in Christ will rise first and those who remain will be caught up in the air with them. Oh, what a day that will be! Not only will I meet Jesus face-to-face, but I will be reunited with David, as well as with countless family and friends who fell asleep in Jesus.
“ ‘For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten,’ (Ecclesiastes 9:5). I am so thankful David hasn’t had to watch me grieve over him. He hasn’t had to watch my struggle at times, or worry about mistakes I’ve made. If he had the ability to watch me, I know he would be stressed to the max, but instead, he sleeps peacefully.
“If nothing else, this year has taught me to rely on my never-ending source of strength. The strength I receive in abundance from God. He has given me peace. In the midst of all of the turmoil in the world around us, I know God is watching over me. He’s got my back. I’ve read the end of the book, and my Almighty God, Creator of all things, wins!”
Beverly does her best to keep her eyes focused on the Lord to overcome her loneliness. Overall, she does well—by the grace of God—but admits that some days are tougher than others. To fill the void, she often hangs out with her neighbor who, like her, is facing life alone without a spouse or children.
One day, she sent a text expressing a bit of discouragement about finding God’s purpose for her to minister in His harvest fields. My response was to assure her that God would make it clear, and within a couple of hours, I received this message back:
“JD! JD! JD! You guys are going to have to peel me off the ceiling!! I gave a copy of Spotless* to one of my neighbors last week. She called me to thank me and tell me how much she is enjoying the book. She said she’s gone to church her entire life but never studied the Bible. Now she says she wants to study the Bible, too!
“Another neighbor came over this afternoon. She was raised Catholic and didn’t own a Bible, doesn’t really know how to pray. She came over because she is really struggling with anxiety over some personal family issues. I prayed with her, gave her Spotless, and one of David’s Bibles. When I get back from my trip early August, we are going to do Bible studies together! Please tell Shelley thank you for the book and please continue to pray for me as I ask God to empty self so there is room for the Holy Spirit! Love you both!!”
God heard Beverly’s prayer and knew her sincere heart. He immediately sent encouragement to demonstrate she can and does have a ministry purpose. Now Beverly is feeling led to write for the Lord’s glory. A couple of weeks ago, she texted a profound thought:
“Recently, during my morning prayer, I repeated a favorite thought from the book Steps to Christ, telling God I wanted to consecrate myself to Him that day and be used in His service. Of course, that comes from Leviticus 20:7, ‘Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy for I am the Lord your God.’
“As I continued the quote from memory, I added, ‘let all my plans be wrought in Thee.’
“Then I thought, Wrought?
“Although I’ve often repeated those words in prayer and shared them with others, I realized I needed to understand the idea of ‘wrought’ more deeply. I was missing something—what was it? So, I Googled the word, and learned it was an antiquated word that means ‘to make, mold, or to make a change.’ That was in line with what I already understood, but I couldn’t quit thinking there was more.
“Suddenly, ‘wrought iron’ came to mind. Well, I know what that looks like, but I knew nothing of the process of its development. So I searched the Internet and learned that in the process of removing impurities from iron, blacksmiths heat the metal to just below the melting point and then, placing it on an anvil, they use tools to hammer the impurities out.
“This thought struck me: When I ask God to let my plans be wrought in Him, I’m asking Him to mold me—to change me. Am I willing to ask Him to remove the impurities from my life? Am I willing to be “wrought” by God? Am I willing to be placed on the anvil and allow God to remove the impurities from my life?
“I prayed, ‘Dear Father, please send Your Holy Spirit to fill me and to place me on the anvil of life to remove the impurities from my heart and mold me into the person You would have me to be.’”
Having purpose in life is key to recovering from sorrow or depression. Beverly is finding her purpose. What about you? I think the secret to being used by God is that we must be willing to allow Him to remove our impurities. Like Beverly, let’s ask ourselves, Am I willing to be “wrought” by God?
*Spotless—Experiencing the Everlasting Covenant through Righteousness by Faith, by Shelley Quinn is available at 3ABNStore.com
