Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Milford

March 13, 2012

James 1: 2-8 says, “Consider it pure joy my brothers, when you encounter trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”

My brothers and sisters in Christ, in this past year and a half, my family and I have encountered trials beyond our wildest imaginings, and fears. On September 25, 2010, our oldest son, Alex, was paralyzed in a seven-storey fall, and life as we had known it came to a screeching halt. On the first exhausting trip home over the George Washington Bridge from Bellevue Hospital, I remember saying through my unending stream of tears that I was so afraid I would never be able to feel joy ever again. In an instant, the evil one had threatened to rob us of our delight in being alive! Needless to say, we have journeyed many spiritual miles since that day, and all of it has been trying. I do shudder to think, however, what it would have been like without the Lord carrying my broken heart around for me. I spent many an hour talking aloud to our Savior, and asking Him to hold my family in the safety of His embrace. I also spoke confidently in His name to our enemy, letting him know in no uncertain terms that he could not have my family, that we belonged to the Lord! I screamed it in my living room, I yelled it in my kitchen.

It is important to know that God doesn’t let us suffer for no reason—hard to make the world understand that!—but 1Peter 5:10 assures us that He is making us steadfast: “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Jesus Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, and strengthen, and establish you.” Hebrews 2:10 tells us, “And it was only right that God—who made everything and for whom everything was made—should bring his many children into glory. Through the suffering of Jesus, God made him a perfect leader, one fit to bring them into their salvation.” Our savior was made perfect for us through His suffering!  The fact that Christ suffered His torment with real pain and real distress is the proof of His boundless love for us. He knows we are not always going to suffer our trials bravely or unwaveringly, but He understands that, having come to suffer with us and for us, and it is in Him that we find a limitless well of strength and courage to draw upon through our suffering in this world.

Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…”

On one of our trips home from Bellevue, those early days of what would be months of hospital stays, the radio suddenly drowned out all of the noise in my head when the lyrics “my God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save,” filled the car. I remember that my heart sang along, even though my voice was too broken to do it out loud, and it sang “Hallelujah!” and “Amen!” Alex’s trials (and ours) are far from over, but our God is an awesome God, and even (especially!) in my darkest moments, He comes to me, giving me confidence to put one foot in front of the other, confidence to smile and take joy in the gift of my life—He tells me that I am lovingly and wondrously made, that I am strong in Him, and He so, so graciously allows me to share in His glory.

I know I would never have chosen the “trials” in my life—no way! But trusting the Lord, knowing that He “causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them” gives me indescribable courage when I need it so desperately.

Dear Lord, Help us to face the trials in our lives trusting that You will help us through them.  Amen.

Melissa Montimurro