Thus Far, But No Farther
Who enclosed the sea with doors
When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;
When I made a cloud its garment
And thick darkness its swaddling band,
And I placed boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,
And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther;
And here shall your proud waves stop’?Job 38:8-11
This passage came to mind as the kids and I explored the beach as hurricane Sandy passed by along the open sea. I couldn’t help but be in awe of the mighty power of the waves and the boundary that was breached.
Sometimes God lifts the boundaries.
One of my favorite speakers is Ravi Zacharias. I listen to his podcasts when I fold the laundry. One afternoon I listened to him tell the story about how his daughter’s eye was injured when she was just a little girl. He told how the surgeon marveled at where that injury stopped. If the cut had gone just a little farther the outcome would have been much worse.
Ravi Zacharias spoke those words from Job in the powerful way that he does, “Thus far you shall come, but no farther!”
Those words brought stinging tears to my eyes. I thought of my brother and his injury when he was just a little kid. I wanted to ask right there, “Why God, was his injury farther?”
An eye that wasn’t severely damaged and a brain that was-
Was my brother’s brain injury too far? Or did God say, “Thus far and no farther!” when my brother was hit by a car?
The surgeons didn’t marvel to my parents. They only told them David wouldn’t make it. But David did make it! I know that even with a severe brain injury his life is a miracle and a gift from God.
Still sometimes I want to ask for more.
I don’t know all the places this story goes or how this story ends. There has been a time when I didn’t want to know where God was taking my brother’s story. It didn’t seem an answer to that would be good enough.
God is gracious though and He is patient and answers me gently when I question.
I wish I could read ahead and skip to the ending and tell you all about it. I can’t yet.
God is still busy writing this one.
I only know that if we are created for God’s glory that He will be glorified. If all is for God’s glory then so is a brain injury.
Time is not a healer
It is only a revealer
of how God heals the pain
~Ravi Zacharias
from his message The Ultimate Answer: Jesus Christ (click to listen)
His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.”
But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” -Job2:9,10
Does pain and suffering cause you to question your faith in God or does the pain and suffering make your faith stronger?
I’m still in the process of counting my gifts. A Joy Dare. A dare to count one thousand gifts. I haven’t been good at keeping it here, but I take my journal with me everyday and of course my camera. Where would I be without it? Yep, my camera is quicker than my pen at capturing all my gifts of thanks.
~This time with God along the shore taking in all His power is one of those one thousand gifts.
~I’m thankful for the book of Job
~For showing us God through suffering
~For Job reminding us that we can not only accept good and not bad
~For God answering Job and reminding us of His mighty power
I read Ann’s words today, her beautiful reminder of the power of thanks and I know that this is what God is trying to show me gently through all these years of prayers for my brother
What you think you can’t handle — might actually be God handing you a gift.
God asks us to give thanks in everything — because this is the way you live through anything. ~Ann Voskamp
Join the community in counting your gifts too!
Comments (4)
So many things we don’t understand in life because God’s ways are not our ways.- Isaiah 55:8. Faith and trust in Him is all we have…and all we need. It isn’t easy to do, though. It seems that when something doesn’t make sense, we need to have an answer to the “whys”, but sometimes He just wants us to trust Him in His power and wisdom! Thanks for this very heartfelt post!
In His Lo♥e, Ann
Hi Ann,
Thanks for stopping by and for your encouraging words. You’re right! I’m so thankful for faith and trust in God, especially in circumstances I don’t understand. God is faithful through it all!
Found you at Ann’s link . I have a mentally disabled son & was especially interested to read about your brother, David. I love the photo of your Mom & David a few posts back. It is so obvious that she pours love & sacrifice into caring tenderly for him. That shows the glory of God loud & clear to me! It’s also how He loves us. A beautiful picture of God’s love! Love & prayers, in Jesus, Cynthia
Thank you Cynthia! God shows his love in so many differnt ways doesn’t He? My heart and prayers are with you and your son also. ♥