You’re Still There, God?

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10 (ESV) After lifting something too heavy, things went very wrong with my health. I ended up in emergency surgery for an umbilical hernia that strangulated. After surgery, my body rejected the mesh they’d put in, and I had three surgeries in three months in an effort to save my life. I spent over 120 days on a couch, as my body tried to heal. Home Care workers were my daily visitors as they dressed the wound, and cared for the vacuum pump machine I was hooked up to. I was in so much pain, and it had been a long journey. One day I walked to a window that was open, looked up to the sky, and said, “You’re still there, God?” In that moment, a gust of wind blew through the open window, with the sweetest smell of blossoms . . . but it was not the season for flowers or blossoms! With tears streaming down my face, I felt God’s beautiful reminder to me—I was not lost to Him. If you’re going through a valley, God still sees you. You might not understand the circumstances, but He has not left you as you face these trials. In the Bible, we read of Daniel being thrown into a lions’ den (Daniel 6), but God closed the mouths of the lions, so he was not harmed. In the same way, God can keep you as you walk through life. Stay rooted in the knowledge that God is present with you no matter what you are going through. He was with me through my health crisis, and because of this, I know that He will be with you in everything you might face. Trust Him in all things, and you’ll find that He is faithful with the promise of His presence. – Corrie Hill   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org