This past week I had the bittersweet joy of leading my senior bible study for the last time. I have been with these girls for the past three years, and I wanted to encourage them as we get ready to graduate from college next month. I just didn’t know how. I am in the same place they are. It has not been an easy year for any of us, and there have been several times I felt that I had nothing left but to trust the Lord to get me through it.
This past fall I lost a dear friend of mine. Sean Lathrom was a gifted teacher, and close family friend. He has been a mentor to me over the years, and I know I would not be where I am today without his guidance. Sean encouraged me to consider a path outside of medicine, and in the process I learned my heart is more focused on people—and learning how to listen to them. When my dad called to tell me Sean had passed away, I was shocked and utterly heartbroken. In that moment it felt as if the Lord was presenting me with two options—crumble, or trust Him. So I prayed. I prayed that the Lord would get me through. I prayed for peace. I prayed that I would hold my life with an open hand, knowing that anything I am given can be taken away, and that I would trust the Lord with either.
Elisabeth Elliot offered words of encouragement in her book, Keep a Quiet Heart. She references a short poem and prayer of peace.
Lord, give to me a quiet heart
That does not ask to understand,
But confident steps forward in
The darkness guided by Thy hand.
I have prayed this prayer countless times over the past few months. It reminds me to keep joy in the Lord, and in his promise that He will never abandon us. Even now, I am sitting in my room at my parent’s house. Today I will visit my dad in the hospital. He has a heart condition and will be going into surgery this coming Tuesday.
Lord, give to me a quiet heart
That does not ask to understand,
But confident steps forward in
The darkness guided by Thy hand.
When I led Bible study this past Thursday, I knew what I wanted to share. I am learning the same lesson that everyone must learn at some point if they hope to find peace. I am learning what it means to have enduring faith. There are so many references in the Bible to how faith is a life-long race, but how do we run it? How does one keep moving forward and trusting even when it’s hard, or when your surroundings seem completely foreign? How do we keep running, when we are exhausted and overwhelmed with the need for a break? We have to remember that it is the same Father that walks beside us in these times, the same Son, and the same Spirit. We have to trust Him, and take confidence in his promise of sustaining grace.
What is sustaining grace? John Piper gave a sermon on this topic in 1996. He sums it up in a few lines:
“Not grace to bar what is not bliss
nor flight from all distress, but this:
The grace that orders our trouble and pain,
And then, in the darkness, is there to sustain.”
Sustaining grace does not mean that we will never face hard times. It is a promise that we will be confronted, we will sometimes suffer, but we will not do it alone. If life were perfect, we would see no need for the Lord. We would go through our daily routines, and possibly never turn to Him. But when we go through trials, we see our dependence on the Lord more clearly than ever. We see that we need him, and cannot do this alone. We were never meant to.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” ~Matthew 11:28-30
Please be praying for my father and my family. Pray that we would keep a quiet heart, and find rest in the Lord’s sustaining grace. And if there is anything you would like prayer for, please post below. I would love to hear from you.
God Bless,
Taryl
