Taken Away

The apostle Paul related a proper attitude toward trial and weakness in 2nd Corinthians 12...faced with what he calls a "thorn in the flesh," his idea was to ask God to take it away. But, the Lord had other plans, as we read in the chapter:
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

What we learn about life is that things will not always unfold in the manner we want them to. And, we can find ourselves powerless to do anything about that. But, we also recognize that in those difficult times, God is with us and He has a plan to work all things for our good as we continue to stay true to Him. He has given us grace - to come into a saving knowledge of Him and to experience the sanctifying power of His Spirit, and that grace, as Paul reminds us, is sufficient. 

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The book of Job describes the response of a man who experienced numerous instances of trouble to a God who operates according to His love for us in His perfect plan - it also show God's response to human beings trying to apply human understanding to the ways of God. In the first chapter of the book, we find these words after Job's realization that He had lost family and property:
20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.
21 And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord."
22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

It seemed as if it was a minor scratch, but developed into something much larger, resulting in a health scare and a lengthy ordeal for a pastor in Plant City, Florida named Nate Hille.

The Faithwire website published the story of what this pastor has gone through. The article says:

Pastor Nate Hille told WTSP-TV he lost his shoulder, arm, and nearly died after he fell off a step stool six months ago and scratched his elbow.

What should have been a minor injury turned into something far more troubling: necrotizing fasciitis, described by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a “rare bacterial infection that spreads quickly in the body and can cause death.”

According to the pastor, he had his arm amputated and endured 12 surgeries over the course of 19 days; saying that he "lost my scapula deltoid, muscle, minor pectoral muscle, lymph nodes..."  The article notes:

Hille, speaking to media months after the ordeal, said he leaned heavily on his Christian faith despite facing unimaginable horror that placed innumerable pressures on him, his wife, and his family.

“Who am I to question the Lord?” Hille told WTSP-TV. “He gave me an arm, and He took it away. That was just kind of our attitude towards this — that the Lord gives and He takes away, and we are to bless His name regardless of what transpires in your life.”

And, in the course of this trial, Hille used it as an opportunity to share Christ with people; he said, according to the TV station, “I got to talk to people about the Lord that I never would have gotten to talk to otherwise..."  He also maintained a sense of concern for the well-being of his wife, Cassie, who said:

“He woke up from sedation, and his first concern was, ‘Are you taking care of yourself? Have you been eating? Have you had enough water?'” she told WTSP-TV earlier this year.

She had said earlier this year, "Even in the tragedy of all of it, there has been so much good..."

WTSP had reported that Pastor Hille would be leading a series of special services of thanksgiving last weekend at his church, Bible Baptist Church in Plant City.

Pastor Hille had referenced a passage from the book of Job when he said that "the Lord gives and He takes away."  And, we know that Job gave praise to God even though he had experienced great loss.  Now, as a result of this infection, this pastor is missing an arm.  But, we also know, and he realizes, it was part of God's plan for Him, and I believe, the Lord will use it for His glory.  We have to be careful that when we face trials, pain, and suffering, that we maintain a spiritual focus.  That doesn't mean that we are forbidden from crying out to God in our trouble - but we can also look past our trouble and see that God will use that for our good and His glory. 

We may not see the purpose, but we can always seek the purpose. For instance, Nate Hille used his time in the hospital to talk to people about the Lord.  Who knows how God will use the countless seeds that were planted during this time?  And, he has reflected an attitude of thanksgiving.  When all seems lost in our lives, we can look to the One who is our everything, our all in all, and recognize that He is with us, even in our most challenging times.