Café Chat Feb 7th
I will give the quick version of the story. The story is about Helen Roseveare a British medical missionary in the Congo. Helen stayed in the country in 1964 when many others fled; she believed that she would be willing to make any sacrifice for her Savior Jesus. Someone tried to poison her once, her house was looted and she lost every item in it, and around her many female missionaries and medical personnel were raped be rebel armies. David Jeremiah mentions that Helen was fearful often, but she wanted to concentrate more on learning to trust God.
There is more to the story, but to shorten it for this week, on August 15, 1964 Helen was beaten, humiliated, and raped by a truckload of brutal soldiers. She barely survived and had to be taken from the Congo. During her very painful recovery she found herself closer to God than ever before, and she even longed to go back to the Congo more than ever. (Up to this point I have paraphrased what David Jeremiah has written, and now I will take up with direct quotes to finish up the story).
Thank you so much for sticking with me today. I know this is not an easy topic, but I think these kinds of questions can help us to grow closer to Christ. I so appreciate all of you, and I hope that many will participate in today’s meme.“There was no bitterness within her, though Helen had experienced terrible, mindless evil. It would have been so easy to demand of God why He allowed these atrocities, when she had been so faithful to His service. But in her heart of hearts, she felt that God’s question would be, “Can you thank Me for trusting you with this experience, even if I never tell you why?”
That question stopped me in my tracks, and for today’s Chat I would like to hear your thoughts about this question...Of course this is the question that Helen felt like God was asking her, but I think it is a good question for all of us to ponder.
Blessings, Kim
Labels: Cafe Chat, Kim's Articles
posted by Amico Dio @ 12:51 AM
18 Comments:
i so often want to understand and know why things happen. If I can figure out why He might be allowing some kind of pain in my life, it makes enduring it somehow bearable. But that is not a promise of God. He never promises me that I will understand or know why certain things happen. He only promises me that He is good and that His love is boundless and endless. I'm trying to live in that promise...even though my flesh wants so badly a human explanation for a Superhuman situation.
I think that it would be a little hard for me but if God knows that the outcome is good I will surely trust him. You have to go through pain to receive victory because God wants to know if you will stick with him through the tough times. That's how he knows that you deserve the riches in his kingdom. This was a great post!
Many Blessings,
Jamaican Princess
I decided to join this chat and shared this on my blog. I haven't reacted as gracefully as the missionary. I shared on my blog. Come visit.
Bless you!
Beth
That was hard!
Annie,
I read your post today... Thank you for posting... I could feel your emotions just by reading your post. I again am having trouble with connecting with your site... I got the post read, but couldn't comment.. Hopefully you will see this... Kim
This was a "toughie" today, but a question that I will continue to ponder for awhile. Helen's story will stick with me for a long time. May I have her heart attitude.
I posted about this topic as well today....
Annie, I couldn't post a comment on your blog either, but wanted to let you know that you touched me this morning. Dear Sister, I will be lifting you up in prayer.
My thoughts were so similar to yours...and I had just been in Jonah where GOD SENT THE STORM....
BUT Jonah was "knee-deep" in REBELLION....(but not Job)....
I DON'T believe God "sends" every "bad thing" that happens to us- child molestation, cancer, mental retardation. We live in a fallen world and we have an enemy to our soul.
But, He does allow the trials, and we see in Job and Luke 22:31 (Simon, Simon, Satan has ASKED to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you,...)that NOTHING can come without the permission of God....
Oh, Annie, you are right, it is too early on Saturday to answer these questions. I will need to continue to ponder and PRAY!
Blessings, dear Sister!
I am so glad to have "stumbled" onto this site today. I'll be back.
My blog has evolved into a site that focuses on faith, and today's topic was a natural extension of where I've been heading all week.
Blessings to all of you beautiful women of faith.
I read about this question on Beth's blog before I got here from list of blogs...
This question has really left me speechless because even though we have each experienced pain or are experiencing pain our inclination is to cry out why God. Not to think that God is trusting us with an experience.
I think we often believe coming to know Christ means a life free from heartache and pain, but that is not the case. Hurts happen, evil happens because we live in a fallen world, I guess the question becomes how do we walk out our faith in those circumstances.
What a phenomenal question.
Thanks for this post. I have read about Helen Roseveare before, and her story is truly inspirational. As humans, we tend to believe that what we need are answers, when what we really need is just Him. Remember that old song, "When answers aren't enough, there's Jesus"?
Kim, This question reminds me that if we are really walking out a life of faith and obedience than the questions will almost always outnumber the answers. That is why it is called faith. My personal issue is that I tend to want God to explain everything to me BEFORE I will take a leap of faith. My prayer is that I will be able to trust God, know that it is human nature and ok to ask why, and then move on. We truly will "Understand it Better By and By".
This is my first visit here. I posted about this on my site with a link back to here so I hope that is the correct way to do it. I am looking forward to visiting the other sites as well.
great post! This is not my first time to this site, but it is my first time commenting! Everything is so true, that you have said on this blog!
God Bless,
Lauren Ann
What a difficult question! Thank you however for posing it to us.
It is a question that i have been afraid of and i feel it is a question that God asks everyone in one way or the other.Thank you for posting Helen's story in the website. it is truly a treasure.
What I have gone through and am going through is nothing close to Helen's story and if she "had no bitterness in her" and could trust God in it, even with all that was done to her, then in my small world, how can I dare to do anything different? How dare I demand that God explain why? He always has my (our) best interest in His hand. Instead the question I should ask is "How can I use my experiences to bless and teach others and thereby bringing You the glory?" But in our human frailty, most of us are not this strong. It is a great effort to look past our flesh-what we can see and touch-and rely on God Almighty who is ultimately in control. So many of us, as myself especially, fail to acknowledge that He is in control. That all He does and allows has a purpose in the end.
No one said being a Christian would be easy, but the journey is amazing and eye-opening. We as christians get to go through our lives constantly learning about God's love. How great is this?
God certainly gave Helen an abundance of His grace for her circumstances. I have posted a devotional for this meme for the first time. I hope my testimony of God's grace in dealing with "Dreadful Deeds" will serve to encourage you and lift up our amazing God.
As an Incest Survivor I know what it's like to have someone violate you. My experience lasted for over a year at the hands of a sibling.
To this day, my family says that I liked what happened and encouraged it.
I had terrible self-hatered for many years.
I have turned my life over to the Heavenly Father, broken off my relationship with my family and forgiven them.
Post a Comment
It is good to hear from you... thank you so very much for leaving a note on the table. That makes us smile!
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home