Eternal Perspective

God has given me something to share with you. The following was written by a college friend of mine on the night of my accident that has rendered me paralyzed since 1981. Walter, whose body bears the burden of cerebral palsy, became my friend in the late 70’s and we have only recently reconnected again after twenty-five years. Friends told me that Walter, when hearing the tragic news, ran off into the night as far as his disabled body would allow him and cried his eyes out to God for his fallen friend.

The questions of “why, God?” rose from his broken heart but they were met on that same night with this magnificent truth and these unforgettable words:

WHEN OUR FAITH IS SEEN AS SIGHT

When through this world of sorrow it seems all life is dark with pain
God will send the sun tomorrow but we cannot grow without rain

Chorus:
An eternal weight of glory worketh from afflictions light
For we’ll shout salvation’s story when our faith is seen as sight!

In darkness, pain and anguish, in helplessness that breeds despair
Jesus wins when we relinquish all that we are to Him in prayer

Oh the cross was agonizing, e’en though to die the Lord was born
Later there was great rejoicing when came the resurrection morn!

Someday when life is over, this tabernacle will depart
We’ll see Christ the greatest Lover, we’ll know the whole not just the part

Chorus:
An eternal weight of glory worketh from afflictions light
For we’ll shout salvation’s story when our faith is seen as sight!

–Walter Ferguson

I needed to hear that again today and I’m thinking you may have needed the reminder as well. As you may have deduced, the theme of Walter’s song is taken from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthian Church. In one of its many benchmark declarations, Paul reminded his readers long ago,

“Therefore we do not give up; even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner man is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen but on what is unseen for what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal.”
(2 Cor 4:16-18)

See that highlighted part? Whatever your affliction or weakness is today, remember these three things and you’ll be just fine:

• “momentary” – your adversity is TIMED (just as it began, it will come to a merciful end)
• “light” – your difficulty is TEMPERED (the sovereign God has His hand on the thermostat and His eye on the thermometer)
• “weight of glory” – your hardship is TAKING YOU FROM GLORY TO HIGHER GLORY!

 That’s His word for us today. Amen.