MONDAY MANNA: Ultimate Comfort

Today is MONDAY MANNA, hosted by our very own Joanne over at A Open Book. Go over and take a look. Joanne has chosen Psalm 34:18 as our verse for today.

Let me give you the context:

"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken" —Psalm 34:17-20, NIV.

As I read these verses a woman by the name of Betty comes immediately to mind. Betty had a terrible life, just about the worst kind of life anyone could have. When friends of mine who lived next door to her had occasion to meet her in the hallway or the elevator, they were afraid of her. Her face reflected the reality of her life.

Until she met Christ.

You knew that the Spirit of God had transformed her inside because her outside, her face, was totally changed. Betty was radiant, beautiful, even though her circumstances were just as bad as ever and, in fact, began to get worse.

To top off all the evil that touched her life, Betty got cancer. I don't think anyone has been prayed for more fervently and continually than Betty. We believed that God would heal her and when she died—radiant as always—we were devastated. It was only later that I understood that God had answered our prayers for healing. He had healed her perfectly, not only from her cancer but from all the other evils that pressed in all around her while she was living.

He delivered her, he saved her, he protected her, and eventually he comforted me with the understanding that when I pray for healing for someone, I need to remember that God's definition of healing might well be a little different than mine.