Apply Directly to Your Life...

Speaking of mi hermano en Cristo Miguel (see my last post), he and his family had a challenging week. Miguel's wife had an allergic reaction to something she ate and her throat nearly closed up so she couldn't breathe. The kids called 911 and when the EMT's got there they gave her a epinephrine injection. Except that it was the wrong dose, and it opened her airway but also caused her to go into cardiac arrest, or as Miguel said, "flat line." She spent a couple days in the hospital recovering, then had to go back again due to severe headaches as a result of the overdose. In the meantime Miguel has been keeping a household of three girls (including a toddler) going, holding down a couple of jobs and filling in as pastor for a little Latino church here in town, the one I preached with him at a couple weeks ago (remember that, it will be important). In the middle of all this, Miguel has a fender-bender at the church while hurrying to go home and pick up his notes that he forgot. Aye-aye-aye!

So talking with Miguel tonight, he had a great perspective on all this. He pointed back to the message I had preached a couple weeks ago with him at the Pan de Vida church. My text - James 1:2-5. All about having the right perspective on the trials and tests and difficulties that God sovereignly causes and/or allows in our lives. A perspective that sees these trials as divinely appointed opportunities to trust Him and His grace and sustaining power. Tests to grow us in our faith and to mark us as approved by Him. Miguel's view was that God had me preach that message just because it was what he needed to hear, so that God could give him the opportunity - immediately - to apply it. And his response to all this? To quote: "The Lord is so good!"

Of course, his wife Elsa told me that I shouldn't preach again too soon, hard telling what might happen if I did.