“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.” (Psalm 46:1-3 NRSV)
God is a very present help in trouble, but we sometimes allow bitterness to keep Him at a distance and thus miss His help.
The young Irish immigrant, Joseph Scriven (1820-1886) was deeply in love with a young woman, and their marriage plans had been made. Not long before their wedding day, however, she was drowned. For months Scriven was bitter, in utter despair. At last he turned to Christ, and through His grace, he found peace and comfort. Out of this experience he wrote the familiar hymn which has brought consolation to millions of aching hearts: “What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and grief to bear!”
Sometimes our way lies in the sunlight. This was the case for Joseph Scriven as he approached his wedding day. But like him, we may find that our path also leads through the dark shadows of loss, disappointment, and sorrow. At times like this it is within our power to turn our suffering into occasions for a firmer grasp of God, and make them channels through which a surer and brighter hope may flow into our souls.
-- Billy Graham in “Who’s in Charge of a World That Suffers?: Trusting God in Difficult Circumstances”
#5283
