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on the cover
This photo taken from the Oregon coast reminds me that there are times when the path God gives you and me to travel will seem rocky and fraught with danger. You won’t know where the Enemy is hiding or from which direction the trouble will emerge. In those times, you need to remember that your “help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will [not] slumber . . . The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul” (Ps. 121:2–3, 7).
on the cover
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f e a t u r e s
M A R C H 2 0 1 06
12
32
When We are
persecuted
b y c h a r l e s f . s t a n l e yif you knew there’d be a good result from bad circumstances, would that make them easier to endure?
early light
make God your top priority this month with the help of these devotions from Dr. stanley’s sermons.
the poWer of one
b y K a y m a r s h a l l s t r o m You can change the world—just keep an eye open to the needs around you and an ear open for God’s call.
d e p a r t m e n t s
solving problems
Coming Up for Air
b y n i c o l e b r a d d o c K b r o m l e y childhood sexual abuse is damaging, isolating, and far too common, yet it need not choke the life out of those afflicted by it.
by faith
Taking the Pink Slip
b y s h e r r i l a n g t o n
How far would you go to help a friend who was losing his job?
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22
family room
Another Kind of Grief
b y c y n t h i a Z a h m s i e g f r i e d mourning—it’s a painful journey that often starts before terminal illness claims a loved one.
strong in spirit
Coming to the End of Yourself
b y d e b o r a h b a t e
as much as we like feeling self-sufficient, our helplessness lets God demonstrate His power on our behalf.
26
28
F
irst Baptist Church of Atlanta invites you to become an
eyewitness to Jesus’ life—from the miracles He performed
to His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. For more
information and to order tickets, call 770-234-8400 or visit
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S
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Do you desire a personal relationship with the One who createdyou and loves you no matter what? If so, tell Him in your own words, or use this simple prayer:
Lord,
I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus died
in my place, paying the sin-debt I owed, and then rose from
the dead. I receive Him as my personal Savior and surrender
control of my life to You. Please show me how to live for You,
walk with You, and know You better each day. I pray this
in Jesus’ name. Amen.
We will gladly send you our New Believer’s Kit to help you take the next step in your walk with God. Contact our customer care department at 800-789-1473, or visit www.intouch.org.
Have you decided to trust Jesus
as your personal Savior?
A Publication of to the Glory of God Dr. Charles F. Stanley P r e s i D e n t / P U B l i s H e r C. Phillip Bowen e X e c U t i v e v i c e P r e s i D e n t c H i e f o P e r a t i n G o f f i c e r Brian R. Connor v i c e P r e s i D e n t o f G l o B a l c o m m U n i c a t i o n Tonya Stoneman e D i t o r D i r e c t o r o f P U B l i c a t i o n s Linda M. Canup a s s i s t a n t e D i t o r Sandy Feit s e n i o r c o P Y e D i t o r Erin Gieschen a c q U i s i t i o n s e D i t o r Lisa Dyches c r e a t i v e D i r e c t o r Jeff Gregory a r t D i r e c t o r John E. Courtney, Jr. D i r e c t o r o f m a r K e t i n G a n D D e v e l o P m e n t Joey Tindell m a r K e t i n G P r o m o t i o n s P l a n n e r Steve R. Lindsey D i r e c t o r o f r e s o U r c e s & f U l f i l l m e n t David Blahnik P r o D U c t i o n m a n a G e r the mission of in touch ministries
To lead people worldwide into a growing relationship
with Jesus Christ and to strengthen the local church
h
Humility
>>
The Right Attitude
How would you respond if someone accused you of something you didn’t do? What if you were fired from your job or shunned by your church for actions you never committed? Or perhaps simply misjudged by your peers? What attitude should Christians take when confronted with situations like these?
The apostle Paul knew a lot about being mis-understood. He writes, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:5-8).
Jesus chose to become a suffering servant so that we could have eternal life. This was God’s plan for Him. However, Peter could not understand the Messiah’s selfless behavior, so he fought against it. He protested, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happened to You!” (Matt. 16:22). The fisherman’s pride stood in the
way of his understanding and led him to a very different response than Christ desired.
“Get behind Me, Satan!” was Jesus’ immediate response—one that struck at the core of Peter’s problem. God’s truth always hits the mark. Peter’s pride and desire to see Jesus become a reigning earthly king had surfaced, and the Lord knew He had to address the issue head-on. “You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s” (v. 23).
Do you have the right attitude when it comes to following Christ? Peter had to lay down his personal desires and selfishness. Paul had to surrender his way and forego his claim to a respectable position in society. Humility in the life of the believer is the mark of greatness—not because you shine when you are humbled, but because when you submit to God’s will, He shines through you.
Perhaps you are faced with a difficult situation but don’t understand why God has chosen that avenue for you. Allow Him to use this time in your life to teach you how to be humble. Peter did just this. And he discovered that once humility accomplishes its perfect work, God will exalt us at the proper time (1 Peter 5:6). Blessing follows the obedience of a humbled heart.
Peter had to lay down
his personal desires
and selfishness.”
“
a
word
from
Charles
F.
Stanley
(
our response makes all the difference
B y C H A R L E S F . S T A N L E y
We all want to be respected
, accepted, and loved. No one really enjoys conflict, especially when it involves being personally and unfairly attacked. But our reality is that we live in a world with two opposing forces— good and evil—so conflict shouldn’t come as a surprise to us. The apostle Paul was speaking from experience when he wrote to Timothy, a younger pastor he was mentoring, that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). Jesus plainly told His disciples, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).Often, it’s when we’re trying to obey God’s leading that we face persecution at work or school—from bosses, teachers, neighbors, peers, or even fellow church members. At times the source of the attack can catch us off guard: someone we thought was our dear friend may suddenly turn around and become our enemy. How would God have us respond to something so painful?
I’ve met people who have truly been persecuted for righteousness’ sake in a way that awes and inspires me. Over the years, God has taught me how to deal with this kind of thing. Every pastor has to at some point.
A year after I came to Atlanta as an associate pastor for First Baptist, the head pastor resigned under enormous pressure from a group that wanted him to leave. I watched this happen and soon realized they wanted to do the same thing to me. They claimed I didn’t have the experience or skill to administrate this fellowship—and my preaching was getting under their skin. They wanted a social club, not a church.
The group wanted me gone, so they accused me of everything imaginable and tried to win anyone they could to their side. They would take people on the committee to dinner and lobby against me—they convinced 21 of the 40 to vote me out. People who once had told me they loved me stopped speaking to me. My heart broke.
Day after day, I’d get on my knees in my prayer room and tell the Lord how
we
are
perse
cuted
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we
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8 | m a r c h 2 0 1 0 I n T o u c h
desperately I needed Him. I knew He had called me to be at this church, but I felt as if I was in a losing battle. I would say, “God, from what I see, there’s just no way for me to be the pastor of this church.” But in the midst of the conflict—through my hurt and confusion—He showed me how He wanted me to respond to the persecution. I learned five things that changed everything.
1. View whatever comes your way as something God is going to use for his greater purposes (Rom. 8:28). This keeps
you from becoming bitter, hostile, or venge-ful. When the Lord allows people to touch your life, see them as an instrument—even if they cause you great pain—because He has something bigger in mind that’s completely different from their intent toward you. They are not in control; God is in control. I remember Him saying clearly, “I am engineering all your circumstances for My glory and your good. You’re going to have to trust Me. Don’t try to figure it out. Don’t fight. Don’t defend yourself. Just trust Me.” Those words mean so much to me even now, because no matter what I’ve faced since then, He has always been the same trustworthy, loving Father.
Things got very difficult during that time of conflict. At one point, during a church-business meeting, a man who was part of the core opposition group came up to give a speech about the “damage” I was doing to First Baptist Atlanta. When he was through, he hauled off and backhanded me in the jaw. A dear lady sitting there bolted from her seat and said, “How dare you hit my pastor!” Amazingly, it didn’t even faze me because I had just read Isaiah 54:17: “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper.” It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened, because it revealed how out of control the people who hated me were. While there was more opposition to deal with later, that particular group was gone just ten days later.
2. Keep your focus on the Lord, no matter what. If you don’t, you’re going
to react. When you stay focused on God, the things Satan uses to paralyze you will lose their power to distract. You will no longer listen to the accusing or false voices around you. In Isaiah 41:10, God reassures us: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you.” Satan amplifies everything that looks like opposition. He wants you to think the situation is worse than it is. That’s why God wants you to focus your mind and heart on Him.
Every Sunday when I’d come to church, I knew there were about 300 people who wanted to get rid of me. One morning, someone filled the entire sanctuary with leaflets speaking against me. So I’d go straight into the prayer room, get on my face, cry out to God, and set my focus on Him. As strange as it sounds, when I would walk back out into the sanctuary, I felt as if everybody just loved me. All the animos-ity was blotted out by the Father’s love; no matter what my attackers in that group said or did, I felt no resentment or fear. The Lord completely covered me.
One Sunday, I came to the morning service with no sermon. I’d planned out the message for the evening service, but when I began an outline for this one, I sensed God telling me to throw it in the trash and just focus on Him. So there I was with absolutely nothing prepared, and all my “enemies” were sitting there waiting for me to trip up. I opened my Bible and it fell open to Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” I stepped back and for 40 minutes the words poured out of me like a torrential stream. It was as if the Holy Spirit just took over. When I gave the invitation at the end, there were people leaving and others coming down the aisle to get saved or join the church. Later, my opposition accused me of “dropping an atomic bomb”
with my sermon. All I could think was,
Blame God! That sermon He gave me
gal-vanized the people who supported me. If I hadn’t set my mind on the Lord week after week back in the prayer room, that would not have happened. I could not have done it; I would have been scared to death to walk out there with no sermon.
3. completely rely upon God’s strength.
Conflict, persecution, and spiritual warfare can drain your physical, emotional, and spiri-tual energy. You wake up thinking about the situation. You go to bed thinking about it. Your “enemies” know you have weaknesses, so they’re looking for the first little sign of fear. And when they see it, they’ll come after you like a herd of stampeding cattle. You may be perfectly right in what you’re standing for. But extreme pressure can cause you to doubt the Lord’s strength in your life. That’s when the Enemy starts to harass you by saying, “He’s not going to protect you. You’re on your own!” You have to resist that kind of thinking and throw yourself on the strength of God.
At this point in my life, I felt I didn’t have anybody but the Lord. I didn’t know who my friends were because they seemed to change every week. But God taught me that I was absolutely, helplessly depen-dent upon Him, and there wasn’t anything I could do but rely on His strength.
In Psalm 28:7, King David acknowl-edges the Lord as the only source of his strength and the only defense needed in the face of vicious attack. Again, in Psalm 61:2-4, this battle-hardened warrior eloquently expresses complete dependence: “From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.”
4. Recognize that you’re fighting a spiritual battle. It’s important for you
to understand the nature of the battle you’re in. Take inventory and ask your-self these questions:
Does this battle have any effect upon the work of God?
Am I in the place where the Lord wants me, doing the job He wants me to do?
Is my stand scriptural, and am I actually doing something God has called me to? Or is my main objective based more on my personal opinion or preference? What’s at stake if I
(
The Lord is
the One who
your job is to
fights the battle;
“
resources
leave the fight or stay in it—if I win or lose? How will others be affected by my response to this persecution? . . . by its ultimate outcome?
Am I going to be glorified in this—or will all glory go to God?
Sometimes “winning” doesn’t mean running somebody else out. Rather, it’s being able to endure and keep moving without defending yourself, blasting some-one else, or seeking vengeance. Oftentimes, winning is just standing firm (even silently when necessary) so that God’s witness is strengthened. Paul told fellow believers, “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Eph. 6:10-12). He didn’t say, “Launch an attack on your enemies!”; he said “Stand
firm.” The Lord is the One who fights the
battle; your job is to stand firm. Of course, you should be careful not to manipulate circumstances. But if you’re truly in the place where God has called you, then don’t give up—no matter what.
Before we had radar and other commu-nications technology, sailors had little or no warning as to when a storm was coming. But when severe weather came upon them, they would tie themselves to the mast of the ship so the waves that engulfed the deck wouldn’t wash them overboard. This is a perfect example of what God wants us to do in the midst of a spiritual battle. When we’re attached firmly to Him, determined to be unmoved until the storm subsides, we develop such oneness with
Him that He has complete freedom to act as He pleases. We don’t have to be afraid. Instead, we rely on the Lord, believing that He’s actually up to something fantastic. And remember, we don’t have to fight by ourselves. God says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5 nkjv).
5. Expect to be victorious. We can
expect to win every battle God allows in our lives—because of His ultimate sovereignty, not because of our strength, our wisdom, or our experience. Since our heavenly Father is sovereign, He has everything in perfect control. If you choose to believe that you’re a victim of people and circumstances, you are really saying that they have more control over your life than God does. But if you’re walking obediently with the Lord, whatever He allows will eventually be for your good and His glory (Rom. 8:28).
When Paul wrote, “We are more than conquerors,” he was implying that when we come out of the battle, we have more than we did going in (Rom. 8:37). We now have a greater understanding of God, His grace, and His ways, knowing that nothing can change His omnipotence, His absolute wisdom, or His love (vv. 26-39). When you reach that conclusion and truly believe it, you become fully free. If you believe He’s sovereign and have committed yourself to Him, what is there to worry about? Nothing can touch us except what He allows.
That’s why we can expect to “win,” even if a worldly perspective assumes we’re defeated. The world says to manipulate circumstances or run away. But our responsibility is simply to obey and trust our wonderful, loving, sovereign Father to take care of us.
See the big picture. In this four-part series, Dr. Stanley explains
how a deep relationship with Christ helps us see the big picture and our place in it.
In Step with God
u4-CD Set |$14 U.S. u4-DVD Set | $30 U.S.
a
“
the law
>>
The Tutor That Leads Us to Christ
As believers in Christ, we have a rich Judeo-Christian heritage which includes the law, God’s standard of right and wrong. Throughout history, many have pursued righteousness by trying to obey the commandments, but none have succeeded. If we examine the law, we can discover why salvation is by faith, not by works.
God and the Law:
uGiven by God (Ex. 31:18; 32:15-16)
uWas a conditional covenant between God and the people
of Israel (Ex. 19:3-8)
uRevealed the character and will of God (Ps. 19:7-11)
Effects of the Law:
uReveals and arouses sin (Rom. 7:7-14) uDeclares all men guilty before God (Rom. 3:10-20)
uPlaces those who do not obey under
a curse (Gal. 3:10)
uJustifies no one (Gal. 2:16)
christ and the Law:
uCame to fulfill the law (Matt. 5:17-20) uExplained and expanded the require-
ments of the law (Matt. 5:21-48)
uObeyed the law perfectly and never
sinned (Heb. 4:14-15; 2 Cor. 5:21)
uBore its curse in our place (Gal. 3:11-14) uRedeemed those under the law and
made them sons and heirs (Gal. 4:1-7)
Believers and the Law:
uLed to Christ by the law, which is
a tutor (Gal. 3:22-29)
uNo longer under the old covenant, which has been replaced by a new covenant
in Christ’s blood (Matt. 26:27-28; Heb. 9:11-15)
uHave died to the law and live for Christ (Gal. 2:19-21) uJustified by faith in Christ (Rom. 3:21-31)
uNo longer under its condemnation (Rom. 8:1-4) uUnder grace, not law (Rom. 6:14-16)
uNot to return to living under the law (Gal. 5:1-18)
Salvation
is by faith,
not by works.”
15-minute
Bible
study
Questions for reflection
1. after studying the standard of God’s law, what words would you use to describe the father? What can you learn about christ’s character, based on all that He has done to bridge the chasm between you and God?
2. Have you been trying to be good enough for God instead of living in the goodness of christ through the power of the spirit?
3. How can you live in the grace of christ without turning your freedom into an opportunity for the “flesh” (Gal. 5:13)?
w w w . i n t o u c h . o r g | 11 E x O D U S 2 0 : 1 - 1 7
The little boy peered
over the edge of his family’s rough-hewn cart as a bull labored to pull it across the vast south Indian countryside from one remote village to another. The sight was the same as the day before, and the day before that: starving village people, beggars stag-gering along the road, and bonded servants— oppressed and always hungry—carrying crushing loads or toiling endless hours in the fields under harsh taskmasters.t h e
power
One
o f
B y k A y M A R S H A L L S T R O MDr. B. E. Vijayam proves
that a single person can have
a great impact on poverty.
14 | m a r c h 2 0 1 0 I n T o u c h
“Why does God make so many poor people?” Vijayam asked his evangelist father, once the bishop of the church in South India.
No answer could satisfy the child. Surrounded by poverty, injustice, and the devastating consequences of caste discrimination, Vijayam continually felt the question burning in his heart as he grew up.
When he was a teenager, the problem of injustice tormented him so intensely that Vijayam turned away from God and embraced atheism. So when Marxist leaders marched into Indian schools, railing against the government for its failure to help the poor—and against the church for piously focusing on religion and politics while people starved—Vijayam defied his family and joined the Communist Party.
Still, his father insisted that was no excuse for him to skip daily family devotions. And Vijayam complied, figuring that any opportunity to argue and point out weaknesses in Christian beliefs was worth the trouble. But one evening, Vijayam’s father read
Colossians 2:13-14: “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircum-cision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” Then he looked straight at his youngest child with the hardened heart and said, “You cannot realize you are a sinner. But Jesus took away the consequence of your sins when He nailed the ‘certificate of death’ on the cross.”
Suddenly it all became shockingly clear to Vijayam. Communism was his way of try-ing to change society without givtry-ing up his own sin. His answer to the deep poverty in India was to liquidate the oppressors. But that would never work, for he could never change other people. The result would simply be other oppressors replacing the ruthless landlords. Only Jesus Christ could change hearts. Only Jesus could bring about a new order based on justice and human equality.
It’s one thing to have a heart for the poor; it’s another matter to actually do something of substance. So many people exist in desperate circumstances. The poor From author kay Marshall Strom:
I sit on the concrete floor of the Women’s Bank in a small Indian village, its board members clustered around me. Two years ago, their low-caste community was impoverished. Now they’re running a bank, a newly opened school, and a profitable dairy with a herd of 20 cows. This is just one of the many successes of MERIBA, the self-help organization started by Dr. Vijayam.
“We had to save one rupee every week,” one woman explains. “At first we said, ‘Save money? What does that even mean?’” In a village where a day’s pay scarcely buys enough rice to feed a family, a concept like sav-ing isn’t an easy sell.
“But we wanted a better life for our children,” the woman says. “So every day we ate less. We were always hungry, but by the end of the week we had our rupees to save.”
A woman in a bright blue sari pointed to the woman beside her. “Devi learned to read. Then the landlord could not cheat us anymore.”
With a loan from MERIBA, the women bought their first two dairy cows. “We took turns gathering grass from the side of the road to feed them,”
saving
for
are everywhere. Throngs of abandoned chil-dren; village after village of impoverished families; masses of destitute men and women so hopeless that death seems their only escape. What difference can one person possibly make? A meal may calm a few hunger pangs, but for how many? And for how long?
Vijayam finished school at the top of his district, and three of his older brothers took on extra work to send him to college. Eventually, he earned a Ph.D. in technical geology, became a Fulbright scholar, and received India’s highest science accolades. After significant fieldwork, he settled into an illustrious career as a university professor. Vijayam was now an activist scientist with the heart of an evangelist, and his childhood question had changed: What can I do to help
the masses of the poor?
Dr. Vijayam came to firmly believe that what he had been given—technology— could be offered as their bridge of hope. At his prodding, other Indian scientists also ventured outside the protected halls of academia to help him bring technology to the disadvantaged and oppressed.
The results have been stunning. There is now clean water for villages where such a luxury was never before imagined. Agricultural innovation has brought new enterprise opportunities for the poorest of the poor, such as grafted mango trees that grow no higher than a woman’s reach but bear four times the normal yield of fruit. Animals specially adapted for local dairy farming have been made available.
And micro-enterprise programs specifically geared to people with no access to land have turned life around for many families.
Through self-help groups, Dr. Vijayam and his wife Mary introduced a savings program—a new concept to people used to living from one handful of rice to the next. They also offered literacy classes to empower those whose parents could not afford to send them to school when they were young. And they exhorted villagers to unite and peaceably demand that their lawful rights be respected. For countless people, this meant a way out of the spiral of despair. It meant hope for a future.
“It is wonderful to help the poor,” Dr. Vijayam’s aged father said to him. “But I must ask you: What are you doing for evangelism?”
On September 30, 1993—the great high day of the Hindu festival of Ganesh—idols of the elephant-headed god of wisdom and prosperity were paraded through the streets, then down to the Ganges River and on into the “holy waters.” The celebration lasted into the night, at which time the festivities were accompanied by an endless crackle of firecrackers. Suddenly, a major earthquake tore through the district least prone to tremors, and in less than a minute’s time, thirty thousand people were dead.
Followers of Ganesh were beside them-selves with horror. It was widespread famine that had driven them to seek the favor of the god in the first place—desperation for a new beginning, a frantic search for good fortune. Over the next few months, 18 more another woman explains. The children of the village grew healthy on the milk. What was left, they sold.
The profit? “We used it to start this bank, so we could make loans to other women like us. We charged only a small interest, but everyone paid the money back, so we made more money. That’s how we could start the school.”
I ask, “How will your children’s lives be different because of what you have done?” “People tell us we are untouchable, worthless,” said Devi. “They look at us and they see no one. But our children—people look at them and see real people. Our children have a future.”
earthquakes hit in unexpected places around the world. Right at that time, Dr. Vijayam’s Bible reading led him to Luke 21:11: “And there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines.” It was happen-ing before his eyes.
Then in Matthew 24:14 he read, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Preached to all
nations? Of the world’s almost 12,000
people groups, close to 5,000 are in India. If nations are based on race,
culture, and language, then 40 percent of them are located in that one country alone!
With his father’s words in his heart, Dr. Vijayam started a school for Indian evangelists, uniquely adapted to take the gospel to the unreached corners of India. During an intensive year-long program, men and women are trained in theology and armed with Indian methods of communication, such as music and drama.
In a poor country like India, ministers must support themselves. This arrangement not only allows them to be self-sufficient, but also facilitates teaching others by example. It was a perfect opportunity for
Dr. Vijayam to harness scientific technology for God’s kingdom. Today, each graduated evangelist—called a Master Trainer—is equipped with a technology-enabled job.
First came a little boy’s question:
“Why did God make so many poor people?” Then a young man’s
convic-tion: “What can I do to help the masses
of the poor?” And finally, a father’s
challenge: “What are you doing for
evangelism?” The result is a swath of
Vijayam’s country forever changed, and a movement that is altering its future.
And what of the questions that press on our hearts, yours and mine? What of the challenges we encounter in our own worlds? If one man can accom-plish so much in such a challenging place and circumstance, imagine what each of us can do in the privileged positions where God has placed us. More from kay Marshall Strom:
Amit set out toward home with every intention of breaking the law.
In Orissa—his home state in India—an anti-conversion law makes it illegal to influence another person to change religions. “But there are dark places there,” he says. “Someone must tell the desperate people in the villages there is hope in Jesus Christ and that they do not need to live in terror of evil spirits.”
Fear and terror are ways of life in that forbidding area, a fact Amit knows only too well. “Where I live, the church was bombed, and the houses of all the Christians were burned,” he says. “Christians ran to the mountains to hide. It is very difficult to give the gospel to people who live in terror.”
Amit has been hit with rocks, and his life has been threatened. “But the people are desperate, and they are hungry, and in entire villages, not one person can read or write. I am going to them with a technology that will help them grow crops so they can support their families. It will help their lives and earn me the right to show them spiritual answers.”
Amit set out with every intention of obey-ing the call in his life: The gospel will be
preached in the whole world . . .
into the hardest
corners . . .
Be challenged by this moving account of how Dr. Vijayam’s burden for the poor made a huge impact for the kingdom of God.
In the Presence of the Poor
t
Tom has a large estate subject to considerable taxes at his death. When he requested advice on how to leave less to the government and more to ministry and family, his attorney recommended establishing a Charitable Lead Trust (CLT). This type of trust would allow Tom to continue charitable giving and also benefit his family in a way that reduced estate taxes.A Charitable Lead Trust is typically established to last for a certain “term,” such as ten years. During this term, yearly payments are made to designated charities. At the end of the time period, the CLT is terminated and any
remain-ing trust assets are passed to family members. This planned gift can reduce estate taxes at death and can also lower the amount of gift taxes on property transferred to children or other family members.
Tom established a CLT and funded it with $600,000. The CLT provided that $42,000 per year would be paid to a charity of his choice for ten years. At the end of that period, the trust would ter-minate and any remaining trust property would be distributed to his children. Because they do not receive their gift until after the ten years, the tax law allows for the value of the gift to be discounted.
Tom thinks that the trust investments can be managed to earn seven percent over the life of the CLT, thus maintaining the principal and allowing payments to charity to be covered by investment gains and income. The plan is that his specified charities will receive $42,000 yearly for one decade and then his children will receive about $600,000 or more at the end. The
transfer tax on the value of the gift to Tom’s children will be based on the present value of the remainder interest (less than $250,000) instead of on the projected $600,000 or more that the children hope to receive in
ten years. This ultimately reduces the amount of taxes due on the estate. Tom has exercised wise financial stewardship in supporting God’s work and providing for his family through a CLT.
If you would like to know more about a CLT or other planned gift opportunities, please contact In Touch Foundation at 800-967-2200.
This article is not intended to provide specific legal, tax, or accounting advice. You should seek the advice of qualified professionals in planning for your family’s future.
using a charitable
lead trust
>>
Benefitting Ministry and Family
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charitable lead
trusts (clts)
can ultimately
reduce the amount
of taxes due on
an estate.”
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In Touch Foundation [email protected] or call 800-967-2200 B y G E O R G E M . H I L L E R , J D , L L M , M B A , C F P®c
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Think of your deepest, darkest secret. The one that makes your palms sweaty and stomach churn when you imagine admitting it in public. The one you intend to carry to your grave, if it doesn’t kill you first.Too many of you are thinking of childhood sexual abuse.
The statistics are horrifying. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that one out of every three women and one out of every six men have been sexually violated, and America is home to an estimated 39 million survivors.
Childhood sexual abuse shatters many areas of a victim’s life. But for most survivors, the more obvious results of injury don’t even compare to the relational damage that can last far into adulthood. Whether it was a one-time exploitation or long-term trauma, the effects impact relationships for a lifetime.
trapped in silence
Healthy bonds with other people are what get us to a deeper level of healing. But as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I understand the fears and anxieties that come with trying to build close friendships. My stepfather molested me for nearly a decade until, at age 14, I finally found the courage to tell my mom. Unlike many survivors I’ve met, I was fortunate to have a mother who believed me and did everything she could to protect me and seek justice. But a week after I broke the silence, my stepfather committed suicide.In one sense, I was free; I would no longer face his debasement. I could bury the past right along with him. But the wounds he left on me didn’t heal; they just festered quietly. On the outside, I looked like the perfect girl who had it all together: straight-A student, star athlete, homecoming queen. Yet on the inside, I was dying. I felt dirty, damaged, and alone, and was afraid of what people would think of me if they knew the truth. I deeply feared close relation-ships and struggled to trust anyone—especially men.
I now know I was not alone in this struggle. So many stories—all unique and yet painfully similar—attest to this fact:
u Molested by his uncle, Parker never felt he could talk about what happened or how it affected him. Although he desperately wanted his parents to notice what was happening and help him survive, he bottled up all his anger toward his abuser, himself, and his mom and dad. Isolated by pain and loathing, he vowed never to trust or love again—or get close enough for anyone to love him.
u Stacy was abused by a cousin and eventually went to her grandmother for help. But the woman didn’t want to “ruin the family name” and demanded that she never mention it again. So Stacy grew up believing the lie that what her cousin did was her fault, and that she was worthless, undeserving of love, and good only for sex. Based on those misbeliefs, she fell into a cycle of one promiscuous relationship after another.
u Jennifer’s school principal chose not to believe her when she reported
Learning to thrive after childhood
need to connect with the people who can support us, we withdraw, clam up, and try to go it alone. Safe and healthy friendships are the very breath of life that can help us survive hardship; in isolating ourselves, we take a step backward from the path to recovery.
In my own experience, sexual abuse had the greatest impact on my relationships with my parents, friends, mentors, spouse, church, and God. At the same time, it was these
connections that, when I was open to them, helped me vanquish the past.
I call the compassionate people in a survivor’s life a “circle of inspiration.”
Because they care, they inspire us, breathing new life into us by encouraging us to let go of dysfunctional coping mechanisms and embrace new ones. By surrounding us, they create a protected space where we can become all that God intended for us to be. We desperately need such a circle. It’s our habitat for healing—a place of mutual speaking and listening, learning and teaching, supporting and being supported, giving and receiving unconditional love. It’s where we can share our story, build intimacy, and learn healthy communication.
We can’t do this alone. God wants us to lean on each other as we seek healing. We need each other. We need community. We need friends with whom we can talk about our day-to-day struggles. Yes, it’s frightening to think of laying out all of our “junk” and our burdens for others to see, but we’ll never find true freedom if we keep all that inside and try to deal with it on our own.
To break free, we must be willing to 20 | m a r c h 2 0 1 0 I n T o u c h
being raped by the gym teacher, a highly successful and influential coach in the com-munity. So Jennifer grew up believing that she wasn’t important enough to be listened to or protected. As a result, she isolated herself from others and tried to drown her pain in alcohol and drugs.
I can relate to these stories because I was also there for a season of my life. It wasn’t that I isolated myself outwardly. In fact, I
was quite the social butterfly. But inwardly, I wasn’t willing to let others know me too deeply and would never soften my heart enough to have an emotional relationship of any kind.I was a “tough girl” who would never let herself cry or be vulnerable. After all, I couldn’t give anyone an open door to bring more pain or betrayal into my life. I thought that if I could wall off my heart from others, no one could get close enough to hurt me. Putting on a mask of toughness, perfectionism, and people-pleasing compul-sion seemed to be the only way to conquer my fears and stay safe. But in the end, I found that this approach only fueled my fears and prevented me from finding the life of freedom and the healthy relationships I longed for.
out of hiding
Trust and open, honestcommunication are the basis of all healthy relationships. But when life gets difficult, survivors of childhood sexual abuse often stop communicating. Just when we most
h
e
a
l
i
n
g.
God wants us to
lean on each
other as we seek
pursue authenticity. We have to remove our masks, come out of hiding, disentangle ourselves from the addictions we may have used to replace relationships, and learn how to tell others the truth about what we’ve been through.
learning to breathe
It will take a lot offortitude to begin seeking your own “circle of inspiration.” Abused children are told time and again to hide their greatest pain. Even if you are an adult survivor, your mind may still be telling you to hush. I under-stand that. But I also underunder-stand some other things that can help you overcome your fear.
First, consider that courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s the willingness to act in the face of fear. It’s what enables you to tell your story despite your fear.
Second, consider how telling your story to someone you trust can aid in rebuilding your life and establishing healthy connections with others. Doing so will help you:
uValidate your feelings and experience. uUnderstand your innocence and your
abuser’s guilt.
uRealize you’re not alone.
uOpen up to others so they can comfort
and encourage you.
uExperience healthy emotions and honest
relationships.
uRestore your trust. uAffirm your self-worth.
uBecome a source of comfort and encour-
agement for others.
A survivor named Elissa wrote, “I’ve been blown away by how telling my story brings people closer together. As much as I trusted the women in my Bible study group, I was terrified to tell them my story. At the same time, there was a nagging in my mind that just wouldn’t leave me alone. It kept bugging me to tell the secrets rotting deep inside my heart for 37 years. I thought that revealing these terrible truths
would destroy me, but God had other plans. Once I told those trusted friends my story, something miraculous happened: others started telling their stories.”
Speaking out is the first step toward com-ing to terms with the past—and toward breaking its power over your life. The fact that your suffering was kept in the dark in the first place was part of the wrong done to you. Find someone you trust who will listen. If you need to, write your story down first and read it. And then, as you grow in strength, tell your story again. When a skeleton in your closet—especially one imposed on you—comes into the light, it loses its power over you.
You deserve to be whole, safe, and in fruitful relationships. Remember that the past you have endured is not who you are— it is something done to you that doesn’t have to define you for the rest of your life.
And if you’ve never been a victim, chances are you know someone who has. People holding in a lot of private pain walk by us every day, and it would give them great relief to talk about it with a friend who will really listen. We all have baggage in our lives, and many of us are just waiting for a person who cares enough to reach out and provide us a safe place where we can set down our burdens and talk it out. We can profoundly impact the lives of oth-ers when we each refuse to turn our eyes and hearts away from them—and choose to be a part of their journey forward.
May the silence be broken.
Those who have endured sexual abuse can attest to its impact on relationships. Breathe serves as a helpful tool for survivors and those who love them.
Breathe: Finding Freedom to Thrive in Relationships
uSoftcover | $12 (U.S.)
T
22 | m a r c h 2 0 1 0 I n T o u c hRalph should be the one to go.
Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Especially since Ralph had seniority over Mike in the state system and was within seven years of retiring. But Mike and Ralph had become close friends. Plus, Ralph was in his mid-fifties with a grown son; Mike was just forty years old and married with four young children between the ages of six and ten. “The youngest, Aaron, was severely autistic,” Ralph explains. “He had been making remarkable progress in therapy. Jenny and I felt that we couldn’t just stand by and let a layoff end a salary and medical benefits the Camps needed.”
Prayer and ScriPture
As they prayed about the matter, Ralph and Jenny found guidance in the Scriptures: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends,” Jesus said (John 15:13 niv). They related this verse to Ralph’s job situation. “I wouldn’t Things didn’t look good at work for Ralph
Hanahan. In late summer 2008, the state of South Carolina—his employer for 22 years—struggled with budget problems. All agencies would be cutting expenses, and some might reduce their workforce. The one in which Ralph served three years as a computer tech, Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville, was a likely candidate for cutbacks.
Over the next few weeks, Ralph and his wife Jenny discussed how a layoff would impact them. “Things would be tough,” Ralph recalls. “The national economy had begun a severe downturn. Layoffs were in the news almost nightly. Jenny worked as a real estate agent but was bringing home little because of the hous-ing market slump.”
Despite these realities, Ralph and Jenny came to the same conclusion: If the choice of a layoff came down between his co-worker Mike Camp and him,
taking the
Pink SliP
Ralph hanahan took ChRist’s woRds seRiously—and laid down
his livelihood foR his fRiend.
B y S H E R R I L A N G T O N
be literally laying down my life for Mike, but I did see my job as part of my life. I felt that God wanted me to lay it down for Mike’s sake.”
The Hanahans also read this verse from Luke’s gospel: “Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it” (17:33 niv). Most people protect themselves when hardship comes along. Could Jesus have been telling Ralph that self-sacrifice was the best way to preserve his life?
Those scriptures, along with prayer, cemented the Hanahans’ decision. Ralph notified Governor’s School that if someone had to be eliminated, he would take the layoff for Mike. God’s peace held him and Jenny steady.
Final word
As weeks went by, the economy worsened, and the school began laying off some part-time, non-permanent staff. When Ralph
returned to work from a short vacation in October, rumors of more layoffs were circulating. Sure enough, the Friday before Thanksgiving break, Ralph was called to the human resources office and told that a job was being cut. “Why don’t you think about it over the weekend,” the HR director suggested, referring to Ralph’s offer to take the layoff for Mike. “But I didn’t need to think about it,” Ralph remembers. “My mind was made up.”
Ralph got home around 4:30 that after-noon—earlier than usual. His wife took one look at him and knew instantly he’d been let go. He wasn’t sure how she’d react. “With the real estate meltdown, Jenny needed help with her personal bills,” Ralph says. “I knew this decision would financially hurt her as well as me.”
When Ralph explained the circumstances to Jenny, she told him, “There isn’t anything else you could have done.” That relieved him. They both knew his taking the layoff
Pink SliP
24 | m a r c h 2 0 1 0 I n T o u c h
“
knew things wouldn’t be easy. But at the time of his layoff from the school, South Carolina ranked second in the nation for unemployment. Ralph filed applications online and fought discouragement when no work came through. To make things worse, Jenny didn’t have one house sale during that time. “We depended on the prayers of our family, friends, and concerned strangers,” Ralph says. “Thanks to them, we continued to thrive on God’s peace. Even on our hardest days, neither Jenny nor I regretted my taking the layoff for Mike.”
In April the Hanahans’ prayers were finally answered: Ralph was offered work from the state at a different agency, and then a second offer came at a higher salary. The job allowed him to reenter the state’s retirement system as well. He and Jenny knew this extra blessing came from God, since most state jobs were frozen at the time.
Recently Ralph accepted a position as IT project manager for a technical college. His salary is close to what he was making at Governor’s School.
Looking back, Ralph wonders how they survived financially during those five months without work. Except for small sums generously given by a friend and a one-time small gift from a well-meaning stranger, the Hanahans received no assis-tance from anyone. Through the comfort and providence of the Lord, they made it. Ralph also learned several lessons along the way. He learned how a couple supports each other during job loss. He learned that sometimes God uses a bad situation to teach what it means to do the right thing, that God is still in charge of the affairs of His people, and that He will not abandon His children; He will provide in His time and way if they’re patient.
was the right thing to do and that God would provide for them somehow.
national exPoSure
All this time, Ralph and Jenny thought the layoff was just between the Camps and them, but Mike’s mother contacted Good
Morning America about it. In December
2008, the whole story came out with Mike’s family, Jenny, and Ralph on national TV— the Camps’ way of saying thanks.
But Ralph was surprised and embarrassed by all the attention. “We hadn’t intended for this to go any further than Mike and his family,” he says. “It saddened me for our nation, that what we did was considered a big deal. Not long ago, it would have been part of the ‘American way,’ but now people saw it as newsworthy. Has compassion died in America? Maybe it’s declining, but my heart says that many others are doing similar things that aren’t being noticed.”
The Hanahans received numerous e-mail messages, blog posts, and well-wishes after that TV appearance. The comments ranged from “My faith in humanity has been restored” to “You have shown us what a true Christian example is.” Though grateful that others were inspired by what they’d seen or heard, Ralph agonized over why the spotlight should be on him and how he could focus all the praise on God. This led him to think of Jesus’ words: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill can-not be hidden . . . In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:14,16 niv).
challengeS and bleSSingS
The next few months of job searching proved tough. Ralph had been without work when their son was young, so he
God will not abandon his ChildRen; he will
pRovide in his time and way if they’Re patient.
a
unstoppable!
>>
What’s Holding you Back?
An influential business magnate once said, “The most important characteristic for any entrepreneur is to be unstoppable. Once in motion, my team and I cannot be stopped.”
I was studying Paul’s letter to the Philippians when it struck me how true this statement can be for a Christian. Paul was one of the most unstoppable entrepreneurs in history. His business? Sharing the gospel of the risen Christ.
While all businesses and ministry endeavors face challenges, the first-century evangelist seemed to have more than his fair share (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). Unlike the obstacles of the average entrepreneur, his included prison stays.
We often think of prison as a place meant to stop people from doing what got them there in the first place. But Paul continued spreading the gospel, both inside and beyond the walls of his jail cell—from the guards and his fellow prisoners to the readers of his letters throughout the ages. It’s almost as if the barriers never existed. He actually described his situation as an advantage, saying “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (1:12 niv).
The apostle could do anything God asked of him (4:13). Beaten, left to die, imprisoned, or plagued by an undefined thorn in the flesh, Paul dwelt on the hope of a great eternal future, “forgetting what [lay] behind and reaching forward to what [lay] ahead” (3:13). This attitude allowed him to focus on his mission and find a way to accomplish it, regardless of his physical circumstances.
Even now, nearly 2,000 years after he was put to death, his words continue to change men’s hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit. I read them today and am spurred toward a greater diligence and obedience to God’s call on my life. By God’s power, I, too, am unstoppable.
Are you unstoppable in praying for a friend’s salvation? In caring for those in need? In applying Scripture to your life? Look past the obstacles you face, and strive for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (3:14).
Paul continued spreading
the gospel, both inside and
beyond the walls of his
jail cell—from the guards
and his fellow prisoners to
the readers of his letters
throughout the ages.
”
“
Rebecca’s
corner
learned that Kübler-Ross applied them to any catastrophic event in a person’s life. And anyone who has a family member with cancer knows how catastrophic that is.
In the wake of a life-threatening diag-nosis, both the patient and the family are likely to go through some or all of these emotional stages of grief from merely anticipating the impending loss. I found myself constantly thinking, How will I
handle Jim’s death? Will I spend the rest of my life alone? Will this sadness ever leave me? Even if the disease isn’t
termi-nal, there’s still tremendous loss—loss of health, loss of occupation, loss of shared activities, loss of intimacy.
I didn’t think I had a right to my feelings. After all, I wasn’t the one who was sick. I was immeasurably depressed and afraid,
By the time
we reach middle age, most of us have lived through the death of a loved one. When each loss occurs, we learn something about the process of handling death and grief as a part of life.Although I’d experienced that kind of grief before, nothing prepared me for the sorrow I experienced when my husband Jim was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. I didn’t even recognize the torrent of emotions as grief.
I knew about the grieving stages first out-lined by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (in her 1969 book On Death and Dying), but I didn’t think her theory applied to me as a caregiver whose spouse was still alive. Though the stages—anger, denial, bargaining, depression, and acceptance— are most often associated with death, I
Another Kind of Grief
B y C y N T H I A Z A H M S I E G F R I E D
Life-altering illness can elicit devastating emotions of loss—for both patient and caregiver.
26 | m a r c h 2 0 1 0 I n T o u c h
but guilt plagued me whenever I felt like complaining. I berated myself over and over like a merciless coach: Stop this self-pity.
You should be able to handle this. What kind of wimp are you? Where’s your faith?
I’ve since learned that all those emotions are, in fact, valid. Whether we’re grieving the loss of a parent, a marriage, our job, or even a beloved pet, our pain matters to God—Scripture is clear on that. But it also shows us how to handle emotions result-ing from loss so that they don’t control or paralyze us.
Here are some of the simple actions that made all the difference for me throughout Jim’s illness.
Immerse
yourself in God’s Word. In Psalm 119:28, David cries to the Lord, “My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according unto your word” (niv). We can’t find strength in Scripture if we don’t know it. Read from the Psalms if you’re unfamil-iar with the Bible; these transparent prayers reveal God’s heart and character and can often give us the words to pray when we’re at a loss ourselves.PraIse
God for who He is. Psalm 147:3 says that the Lord “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (niv). But immediately before that, we read David’s words, “How good it is to sing praises to our God” (v. 1). Choosing to honor God and willing ourselves to take joy in who He is opens the door that allows us to fully receive His comfort.Thank
Him for His past faithfulness. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us that to attain true peace, we should come to the Lord with “thanksgiving.” Often, it’s the very times we feel least grateful that we most desperately need to give thanks ; doing so actually opens our eyes to God’s ever-present goodness. At first, the words gotstuck in my mouth, but as I actually forced myself to sing worship songs, gratitude began to flow more naturally. Then I made a list of everything I was grateful for— which amazingly wasn’t as difficult as I’d imagined. I thanked the Lord for doctors who had found Jim’s cancer, for our loving family and friends, and for the countless ways God had provided for my husband and me during our 35-year marriage. And then I thanked Him in advance for the good He would bring out of our situation. It was during this grueling time that I finally came to understand what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “Most gladly there-fore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (kjv). My grief didn’t disappear overnight, but when I chose to press into God each time I was downhearted, He comforted me profoundly. To experience joy in the midst of trial seems like a paradox, but joy and sorrow are actually arms extending from the same emotion. And when emotions are raw, our senses are sharpened so that both extremes are far more acutely felt. Jim and I discovered a deep joy possible only when sorrow is hovering close by.
So if your heart is breaking, choose to inject your grief with hope in the One who will never leave you. When you take that step, you become aware of how His Spirit has come to walk alongside you through this valley. And miraculously, you’ll find that His grace and peace beyond human understanding are, indeed, truly enough.
This book inspires caregiv-ers to seek undcaregiv-erstanding and peace in their loved one’s situation with cancer.
When Someone You Love Has Cancer
uHardcover | $10 (U.S.) See order form or visit www.intouch.org.
stronginspirit
W
Coming
to the
End
of
YoursElf
Hopeless situations are God’s “invitations
to risk” tHat can cHanGe your life
W
eak from hunger and overwhelmed with despair, the woman stumbled from her home to fin-ish one last task before surrendering to death. Not long ago, her husband had died, and now she and her son were running out of food.But the widow of Zarephath had no idea that on her most hopeless day, God was about to step into her world and reveal Himself to her through His prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17:9).
a cHallenGe and a promise
The entire region was suffering from drought due to Israel’s Baal worship, which was led by the wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel (16:31-32). In spite of God’s warning through Elijah (17:1), they refused to repent, and the rain stopped completely.
Food was now scarce, and Elijah was totally dependent upon the Lord for his most basic needs. When God directed him to go to Zarephath to find the widow, he might have assumed that it was merely for his own provision, but the Lord had a dif-ferent reason.
Zarephath, a town in Sidon just north of Israel, was subject to Ahab’s rule, although its people were not Hebrews and were considered outsiders. The widow knew
about the God of Israel, but she didn’t
know Him. Her misconceptions of Him, most likely shaped by her concept of Baal, had to be burned away so that she could clearly see the true God—who loved her and wanted her to learn to trust Him.
The Lord began to build the woman’s faith during her first encounter with Elijah. Upon entering the town, the prophet saw her gathering sticks and asked for a drink of water. She took her first small step of faith by doing what the stranger requested. But while she was getting the water, he
asked her for something a little more difficult—a piece of bread.
The widow explained to him that she had no bread but “only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar” (v. 12). She was gathering a few sticks so she could cook one last meal for herself and her son before they died.
By asking for increasingly difficult acts of obedience, God was slowly growing her faith in Him. Getting a drink of water for Elijah required only a little effort and kindness, but sharing some of her meager provisions with him would be a sacrifice.
Elijah told her not to be afraid but to first make him some bread, and afterwards she could make some for herself and her son. Then he gave her a message directly from the Lord: “The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth” (v. 14).
an invitation to risk
Now she had a promise of an amazing miracle. Would she believe it and risk entrusting her life to this God of Israel? If she believed the prophet’s words, she had only a small piece of bread to lose and an unending supply of food to gain. But before you conclude that this must have been an easy decision, put yourself in her shoes. What would you do if you’d lost nearly everything, and the Lord asked you to give Him what little you had left? Could you trust Him enough to obey, believing that He would provide for you as promised?
Lean times are God’s invitation to believe Him. When we’re facing financial insecurity, we realize what’s always true: our only real security is in the Lord and His Word. We basically have two choices: hold on tightly to the little we have and do our best to make ends meet, or release our grip, acknowledge our helplessness, and accept His offer to supply our needs.
30 | m a r c h 2 0 1 0 I n T o u c h
“
But Elijah knew his Lord, and his first response was to pray for the impossible: restoration of the child’s life (vv. 19-23). And God revealed more of Himself to the widow by again doing the unheard-of. When her son was raised to life, her eyes were opened His true nature—His mercy, love, and redeeming power—and she declared that the Word of the Lord is truth (v. 24).
Never underestimate the importance of believing that God’s Word is truth. This is our foundation for faith. Without it, we will let circumstances determine our per-ception of who God is and whether He can be trusted. But if we believe that He never lies, we’ll rely on His promises instead of our own plans and resources.
Like the widow, we may find that our first steps of faith feel like a blind leap into an uncertain future. But as we experience God’s faithfulness, each successive step will seem more secure than the previous one. In time, we’ll develop faith that trusts in this firmer reality than in all the situa-tions that tempt us to believe God is untrustworthy.
A victorious walk with the Lord is available to all who will believe Him and risk obeying what He says. I can’t help wondering how different the widow’s life would have been if she hadn’t taken that first step of faith. She would have remained in her hopeless condition, never meeting the one true God, never seeing His miraculous provision and power, and never learning to trust Him.
Our difficulty isn’t so much in accepting God’s provision as it is in cooperating with His method. So often we want Him to just drop what we need into our laps. But throughout Scripture, the Lord’s promises to provide materially are accompanied with the request that we give Him back a portion. This can feel like a huge step of faith when your bills are greater than your income, when you’re unemployed, or when your IRA is melting away.
The widow of Zarephath decided to believe and obey the Lord. After first making a piece of bread for Elijah, she discovered that almighty God does what He says He will do: as promised, her little bit of flour and oil miraculously didn’t run out (vv. 15-16).
dynamic faitH
She must have been overwhelmed with the power and goodness of Elijah’s God. But faith isn’t a static condition. As long as we live in this world, our faith will be tested; these tests are invitations to grow in intimacy with Him. The widow’s newfound confidence in the Lord was shaken when, soon after the miracle, her beloved son got sick and died. In grief and despair, she blamed Elijah: “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?” (17:18 niv). She had seen God do the miraculous yet still didn’t understand His character; she thought He was punishing her for her sins.
