“I Learned to Accept God’s Plan for My Life”
In recent weeks, I’ve been spending time thinking more deeply about the beauty, simplicity, and richness of Psalm 23. A Sheep Remembers by David Calhoun has been my guide. The following paragraph, from the chapter entitled “What I Learned in the Valley”, spoke to my heart, as he shares how the Spirit used cancer to bring him to a deeper trust in the Lord’s goodness.
When I learned that I had cancer I had many questions. Why was this happening to me? Why was it happening now? Why would God bring into my life something that would hinder and shorten my Christian service? While I was struggling with these things, I read a little book by Southern Baptist preacher Vance Havner, written during the illness and death of his wife, Sara. Havner quoted Matthew 11:6, ‘Blessed is the one who is not offended by me and paraphrased it, ‘Blessed is the one who does not get upset by the way I run things? This, he said, is the forgotten beatitude? I made up my mind to claim that forgotten beatitude. I prayed that I would not be upset by what God was doing with me, but that the peace of God, which transcends all understanding would guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7).
