God’s Glory And Grace In Our Troubles

CORE PRACTICE #12: Run to God rather than from Him when troubles come.

But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.

—Psalm 59:16

TONY

I suppose I have been as guilty of it as anyone else has through the years—looking at other people’s lives and seeing only the good things without realizing the heartache and pain that is there, often just under the surface.

So I guess I should understand when people tend to look at our lives that way. They see Lauren and me as well-paid, highly visible people involved in professional sports. They know I work with football players who are talked about on every sports show across the nation. Most folks probably assume that our world is glamorous and full of fun, with very few problems.

I would understand if someone looked at our thirty-one years of marriage and focused on all the good things that have happened to us. The reality is that we have been blessed, but not always in the way those looking at us from the outside would understand.

In the midst of the wonderful moments, there have been times of incredible heartache, pain, and disappointment that we weren’t sure we could overcome. We’re just like everyone else.

We’ve had to deal with health scares, being fired from a job, and the indescribable pain of losing a child. Even in the most excruciating moments, we have felt God’s presence. He’s always been a refuge and a source of strength. In those tough times, we always reached a place of assurance by turning to Him in prayer.

The truth of Paul’s words in Romans 8:28 has been a source of comfort for us time and again: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Think about that for a moment. In the midst of whatever you face—God is weaving it all together for your good and His glory. In that promise you, too, can find divine assurance, rest, and peace.

When our son Jamie died, we wondered what good could possibly come from it. Eight years later, while on the book promotional tour for Uncommon Marriage in Indianapolis, a Delta ticket agent at the airport told us how much we had helped her during a tough period in her life. Her family had lost everything in a house fire, and she was mad at God. Then she read our story of losing Jamie. When she realized that we were still trying to honor the Lord in the midst of our grief and shock, her outlook on her own situation changed.

I remember her telling us, “I had only lost possessions. You guys had lost a life. At that point I knew I had to get up and come back to God.” Her story gave us a glimpse of how God uses even tragic situations for His glory.

Adventure Application: In what area of your life have you been running away from God, not allowing Him to help you? Turn it over to Him, trusting Him today to begin to assist you with whatever it is. He will.