1 Peter 1:6-8 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy…
I have a grandson, Jackson, who will be two years old in August. When Jackson was only a few weeks old, it was discovered that he had been born without a liver bile duct, a rare condition called biliary atresia. Consequently, his liver was not draining the accumulated poisons of digestion, and was being damaged. Emergency surgery (called the Kasai procedure) was done to create a bile duct from his existing intestine. Although this surgery has kept him from total liver failure, it did not solve the initial problem, and Jackson has been waiting for a new liver for over a year.
When I learned that Jackson had been put on the liver transplant list in Alabama, I immediately went to the Lord in prayer, and started praying for him to get a new liver. But before the words had even left my heart and mouth, I realized that I was, in effect, praying for another baby to die so that my grandson could live. I find that I cannot pray that prayer – I feel I have no right to pray such a thing. And yet, my heart’s yearning is for this child of my child to live, to play and smile and get into mischief and bring us delight through his growing and learning.
God knows the desires of my heart. He also has promised me that ALL things work together for good, because I love Him and am called according to His purpose. And I know He is able to heal Jackson, fully and completely. So I am waiting in trust and faith for just that – healing. I don’t know how God will do this, nor when. But I am watching and waiting, and even now seeing His almighty hand at work in Jackson’s life and the lives of our family as we love this precious little boy.
God has promised me that there will be a glorious resolution to the story that began with the birth of little Jackson. And so every time I hear or read the word “glorious,” it is God’s reminder of His promise. I often need the reminder – my flesh is weak and my spirit becomes discouraged so easily. But I am fully convinced of God’s faithfulness, for it never fails. And I eagerly await the day when the promise of “glorious” becomes the reality, and I will sing another new song to my glorious God and King!
