Trusting God in Tragedy
Two years ago, in December 2006, my wife miscarried. Seven weeks into our first pregnancy, the child that was once there suddenly was gone. I will never forget the 48 hours that followed. Numb to the news we came home and told those close to us. They consoled us and brought us meals. I took time off from work.
It was a surreal experience. We had not seen the baby, so there were no images to accompany our grief. Only vague visualizations of what might have been.
It was also a real experience, very real. This was not the passing of a family pet, but the loss of a child. Our child.
Two things got us through this time: the truths of Scripture and the support of the body of Christ. With these two we stood in our weakness. Without them we would have been like a ship lost at sea.
We stood on biblical truths in particular about the character of God. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble…the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Ps. 46: 1, 11). God as rock and fortress became intensely real to us in the midst of our loss.
We knew that God was sovereign over every detail of the universe. We had studied about his immense, vast and complete rule over all things (Eph 1:11). We knew that He was great.
We also knew that God had redeemed us in Christ (Eph 1:7-8). We knew that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). And we knew that since God had saved us in Christ, He would also bless us with every good thing (Rom 8:32). We knew that God was good.
Because we had read about, studied and meditated upon these truths before the trial of miscarriage, we were able to work through the difficulty by the strength and grace of God. Had we not already been firm in our beliefs, we would not have fared so well.
We also would not have fared well without the support of the body of Christ. Our Sunday School class brought us meals. My co-workers took up a collection on my behalf so I could take time off from work. People we knew prayed and called and gave us their support.
Thanking God in Triumph
Five months ago, on July 13, 2008, my wife gave birth to a son. Timothy Robert Wishall, a healthy baby boy, entered the world. I will never forget the 48 hours that followed.
We had several visitors in the hospital. Once we were home, people congratulated us and brought us meals. I took time off from work to help my wife with our new son.
Two things made this experience particularly sweet: the truths of Scripture and the fellowship of the body of Christ.
We knew from Scripture that our son was a gift from God. We knew that both of our children were gifts: the one who miscarried and the one who did not. We rejoiced that God blessed us to be able to see, hold and touch the second one.
The experience was surreal: could this child, this boy, be my son? It was also very real: this child was indeed my son, my responsibility, my charge.
The experience would not have been the same had we not been able to share it with friends. They rejoiced at the birth of Timothy with us, celebrating the blessing.
Why this Blog exists
These two experiences and thousands others like them are the reason for this blog. Life is real, but Scripture is just as real. And God has designed people to walk through life together.
Life is filled with business failures, severed relationships and the death of loved ones. It also brings job promotions, close friendships and the laughter of children. Scripture brings clarity, direction and hope to all of these experiences.
Scripture brings hope because the words of Scripture are the very words of God. The same God who spoke the world into existence speaks in Scripture through words he inspired men to write (2 Tim 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21). These words are sufficient to train men in righteousness, equipping them for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17).
Wielding the Sword
Scripture is a sword (Eph 6:17). To Wield the Sword of Scripture you must first submit to it: to the text and the person. Scripture is both the words of God — His instruction for man — and the Word of God — His Son Jesus Christ.
To Wield the Sword you must also embrace it. Submission to the Word — to Christ and to Scripture — makes you receptive to the text. Embracing Scripture enables you to confidently live according to the text, to live in light of its promises and commands.
Once you submit to and embrace the Sword, you can then wield it rightly, applying it to every circumstance and situation of life (2 Tim 2:15).
This blog is designed to serve Christians in the local church — helping pastors, teachers, small group leaders, nursery workers and other congregants minister more faithfully; in the home — helping men love and lead, women submit and serve and children obey and honor; and in local communities — helping believers image Christ in the workplace, at the grocery store and on the golf course.
This blog will cover a variety of topics from biblical counseling issues, to spiritual disciplines principles, to marital communication, to expository preaching, to heeding godly advice and seeking godly accountability.
In short, this blog is designed to help people navigate through life together, and to submit to, embrace and Wield the Sword of Scripture.