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The Savior is
waiting...even in the pain
by Robert Gray
One of the first hymns
I learned to sing was “The Savior Is Waiting” by Ralph Carmichael. It begins
by stating the obvious…the Savior is waiting to enter your heart…it
follows with a question…why don’t you let him come in?...back to the
obvious…there’s nothing in this world to keep you apart…time for a
decision…what is your answer to him?
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The first time I sang this song in public I was eight years old. My
father had me sing it as the invitation after one of his sermons.
This simple hymn is one that I have sung many times since and it
never ceases to amaze me that Jesus Christ is always ready and
waiting for the lost of this world to make a decision and take just
one step in faith.
I have been
blessed by God in many ways. I was born and raised in a Christian
home. My parents were my first and best examples of Jesus Christ.
Through them I came to know Jesus personally. They modeled for me
lives filled with the Holy Spirit.
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I cannot remember a time
when I did not know God. |
I cannot remember a
time when I did not know God. My parents introduced me to my larger church
family and taught me the importance of corporate worship, Sunday school, and
personal Bible study. As I grew in age and in faith, my parents helped to
guide me to a deeper relationship with Christ. We talked about faith, the
Bible, the church and how it functions in the world. We talked about my
relationship with God and my relationships with the people in my life.
Learning about God was a natural part of my youth. The Savior is waiting.
Through the men and
women of the churches I have been a part of, I have continued to grow, as
they have shared their lives of faith with me.
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses
surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so
easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who
for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2, NASB).
| Faith is
developed not only by personal Bible study, but also through the
contributions of people we come to know and love. |
There are
so many people that God has placed into my life that have provided
me with opportunities to learn and to serve. Ministers, teachers,
professors, friends and mentors, have all had a part in helping me
to become the person that I am. Faith is developed not only by
personal Bible study, but also through the contributions of people
we come to know and love. Participating in regular Bible study, both
as a student and as a teacher, has helped to refine my understanding
of God. Serving as a deacon and on various committees has developed
a sense of service and commitment to the local body of Christ.
Sharing the love of Jesus through missions…going out and working
with others to let people know what Jesus means to me…becoming the
hands and feet of Jesus. I have learned to help others and also to
allow others to help me. The Savior is waiting. |
God
has given me a family of my own. My wife, Karen, has been and continues to
be a gift from God. She has blessed me by her faithfulness and commitment to
our family through some very difficult years. My children have been a
blessing in ways I never anticipated. They challenge me to be more than who
I am right now. They constantly amaze me with their insightfulness and
development as children of God. They are patient with me as I make mistakes
and learn how to be a father. I pray that I can continue the legacy of my
parents, by modeling Jesus for my children. The Savior is waiting.
Life
can come at you fast. Change is one of the constants we must live with. Pain
is often a part of living. Difficulty comes to all sooner or later…what you
do, when life is hard, depends upon whose you are. Being a Christian does
not mean that life will always be good or exactly the way that we want it to
be. People of faith struggle just like everyone else.
In 1992 I had surgery to correct a ruptured disc in my back and to remove
some bone spurs that were compressing some nerves. My surgery was successful
in that I could use my right leg again, but the pain associated with my back
and legs never went away. I have lived these past fifteen years in pain.
Pain that never goes away… oh it changes in severity from day to day, some
days are better than others, but the pain never goes away.
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I recently
taught a Sunday school lesson where I asked if anyone remembered a
life-changing event that had taken place in their lives. I also
asked if they had known it was a life changing event when it
occurred. Sometimes you get what you expect and sometimes you don’t.
My life has changed due to chronic pain. My relationship with God
has gotten better! What was once very important to me… a career,
independence, control of every situation, success in terms that the
world might understand, taking my health for granted… soon began to
change as my perspective began to change about the things that are
truly important. I can no longer do all that I could prior to pain.
I have to make choices now about what I do and what I don’t do. I
cannot do everything anymore. What is important? |
People of faith struggle just like everyone else.
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I
could
easily have chosen to blame God and everyone else, but I guess I’m just not
wired that way. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done my share of screaming at God…
“Why me? What did I do to deserve this? Please take this away!” Then I hear
a quiet voice saying, “What are you doing with what you have?”
God
still has plans for me. Without God there is no way I could have gotten
through the past fifteen years! God is my comforter, my strength, my peace
in troubled waters. Patience… the Savior is waiting.
| I have lived
these past fifteen years in pain. Pain that never goes away. |
Four years ago I was diagnosed with cancer. Life throws you a curve
ball every now and then. “God, not again! No, not again, this is
different!” Cancer scares us all. If it doesn’t, you haven’t heard
the words, “You have cancer.” What are you doing with what you
have? Life is not over…God is still with me…my comforter, my
strength, my peace in troubled waters. Prayer changes me, not God!
Prayer changes my attitude, my perspectives, my way of thinking. God
changes me if I allow myself to be shaped by his Holy Spirit. What
are you doing with what you have been given? The Savior is
waiting. |
The initial feeling
I had as a child, of the presence of God, is still with me after all these
years. The Holy Spirit is my constant companion. Conversations with God are
a way of life for me… not prayer in the sense we practice formally… but
ongoing conversations throughout the day. In the good times and in the hard
times, God is with me. God helps me to make it through each day. God
continues to work in my life… leading me to learn new and wonderful things…
helping me to serve as he leads… enriching my life through the lives of the
many people God places in front of me.
What
is next? I’m not always sure. One of the wonderful things about having a
relationship with Jesus Christ is that if you are willing to say, “Yes,
use me Lord!” God will always provide an opportunity for service. It may
or may not be what you expect, but it will be worth it. The Savior is
waiting.
A
pastor in a former church helped me to put into perspective my faith and my
life in Christ. He said, “It’s all about Jesus!” No matter what we do or
where we go, “It’s all about Jesus!” How I live my life and how I share my
life with others, “It’s all about Jesus!” My history, my faith story, what I
do today and tomorrow, “It’s all about Jesus!” I’m not always right… I’m not
always successful… I’m not always doing exactly what I should… but I’m
trying… I’m trying to make sure I remember that “It’s all about Jesus!"
My
faith in God always brings me back to “The Savior Is Waiting.” Jesus is
always there, here, with me now. Time after time, He has waited before, and
now He is waiting again, to see if you’re willing to open the door, oh, how
He wants to come in.
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