It may be, my fellow listening hearts, that some of you are in trouble. If you are, I pray you turn to the Lord when he afflicts you, instead of away from him.
The royal official in John 4:46-53 is one who turned toward God while experiencing heartache--Once more Jesus visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live."
Like this royal official, I too sought Jesus when my child was ill. Our stories are similar, but different. While living as a prodigal daughter, my firstborn son, D.J., came into the world with some medical problems. Before anyone knew exactly what was going on, the doctor chose to give my husband and me the worst case scenario. After 18 hours of hard labor, I could hardly stand under the weight of the bad news. I started praying on behalf of my newborn son like never before. The Lord graciously answered me, even though I had ignored him for years. Much less severe than the doctor’s initial diagnosis, D.J.’s condition was easily treated with surgery with success.
The first real pouring out of my heart to God was brought on by grief over my precious little one. Is it not written, "a little child will lead them" (Isaiah 11:6)? Both of us were led by our little children to Jesus whose mercy is neverending. Won't you allow the troubles in your life to lead you closer to Jesus than ever before?
Picture of the Sculpture "And a Little Child Will Lead Them" at the Jimmy Carter Center in Atlanta, GA by: R. P.-ND burbs courtesy of Flickr.com
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