I’ve always liked riding my bicycle. I get excited this time of year, when it starts to warm up, because I know the days are coming that I can get my bike back out and have fun riding it around. I’m grateful for the trails we have here in Allen County where I can ride my bike on. When I was a kid, growing up in small towns, it was easy to get around on a bike. My brother and I would spend all day sometimes riding around on our bikes, going to friends’ houses, to the public pool, or to the church for a youth activity. When I was young, our whole family would sometimes go on a bike ride around town. My mom and dad, my brother and I having fun all riding together around town. I remember one such ride, though, that turned dark pretty quick. We were on a bike ride, and it started to rain pretty hard. We headed back home, but we were quite a way from home- at least in my 6-year-old mind we were. Being the youngest, I was the slowest bike rider, but luckily, we all got home before the worst of the storm hit.
We all face storms in life, and they usually aren’t of the rain and thunder variety. Sometimes they’re the financial kind, an argument kind, or a health kind. We found out recently that Kenny has ALS. This is a big storm. It’s not an easy storm. As of right now, there is no known cure for ALS. That’s a scary thing. But when we read the Bible, we see a lot of scary things: Adam and Eve gave in to temptation. Abraham struggled to trust God’s promises. Joseph was sold to Midianites and taken to Egypt. Israel suffered under the Egyptians for 400 years. Israel struggled to trust God. David went up against Goliath. The prophets suffered for speaking the truth. Israel was exiled because of their rejection of God. Jesus was crucified. Stephen was stoned. Paul was shipwrecked. The apostles were jailed.
These are hard things, and I can’t change that. Kenny having ALS is a hard thing, and I can’t change that. But here’s what I do know. The Bible isn’t just full of storms. It’s full of blessings too. God blessed Abraham and his family. God delivered Israel from Egypt with His mighty hand. God showed grace and forgiveness towards Israel time and time again. David beat Goliath by God’s power. Prophecies made about the Messiah were fulfilled in the life of Jesus. Israel was restored to their land again after exile. The tomb was empty and Jesus is alive. The gospel has spread all over the world, despite all the suffering of the apostles and the global church.
It’s easy to allow the storms of life overtake us. It’s easy to fix our eyes on the hard things. But that’s not where God wants our focus. In Isaiah 6, the prophet Isaiah gets a glimpse of the throne of God. It’s a beautiful picture of God’s greatness. And while it’s an amazing passage, I just want to focus on the first 7 words of the chapter. “In the year that King Uzziah died….” King Uzziah’s story is in 2 Chronicles 26. He took the throne when he was only 16 years old, and reigned for 52 years. I haven’t done the research, but I’m willing to bet that’s one of the longest tenured kings in Israel’s history. We are told in 2 Chronicles 26 that he was a good king, doing what was right in the Lord’s eyes. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. This isn’t the same Zechariah as the prophet, but clearly, he led Uzziah well. The end of 2 Chronicles 26:5 is really telling. It says, “As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.”
This was a prosperous time in Israel’s history. So when Uzziah died, it makes me wonder if Isaiah was worried about what would happen next. Would they be given another bad king, as had been pretty common in Israel’s history? Would they continue their prosperity? What would happen? So in response, God showed Isaiah His throne in heaven. I’m guessing that God was trying to get Isaiah to understand that it doesn’t matter who is king of Israel because God is the king of the universe. He is in control. He is master of His creation.
We can rest in this truth today too. I don’t know what the upcoming weeks and months will be like. I don’t know what Rousculp Church of Christ will look like in 6 months. But I know this. God is on the throne. God can do whatever He wants. My prayer is that God miraculously heals Kenny. My prayer is that we can welcome Kenny back to the pulpit again. My prayer is that everything will be okay. But even if it’s not, I can rest in the knowledge that God is in control. He’s on the throne. He is good. And He works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I encourage you to rest in these truths too. We’ll get through this, not by our own ability, but by God’s power.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
They comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
