"Strength To Meet My Trials Here"

We are grieving, yet praying and trusting, as we have learned very recently that the cancer present in our dear, dear friend, has spread to many parts of her body, and she is in intense pain. Separated by many miles, we cannot go to her, yet our prayers for her are heard by our loving Heavenly Father, and He answers.

I was comforted, even as I wept, by a post on More Than Conquerors, and the poem, "Should You Go First," and another post of hers on our anniversary, June 3, which included the hymn, Day by Day (see video below). Day by Day is a hymn that always touches me deeply, and in the valleys of my life, I have sung it back to the Lord many times. I have Swedish ancestry, and it was one of my grandmother's favorites hymns, this old Swedish tune. Because of Christ, "strength I find to meet my trials here..." is true today, as it was a hundred years ago (and a thousand years ago).

We have the promise that, if we trust in Christ's shed blood and resurrection to save us, we will see our loved ones once again, on the other side. For her, I cannot grieve because she will soon see her Beloved Savior face to face. How can one be sad when she will enjoy such joy!  I grieve only for those of us she will leave behind, and for the pain she suffers now on this side.  But she will (soon perhaps) be free from all pain and tears, and in eternal joy and peace.

1 Corinthians 15:1-6, 12-26:

 ¹Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

 ²By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

 ³For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

 ⁴And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

 ⁵And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

 ⁶After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 

 ¹²Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

 ¹³But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

 ¹⁴And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

 ¹⁵Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

 ¹⁶For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

 ¹⁷And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

 ¹⁸Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

 ¹⁹If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

 ²⁰But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

 ²¹For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

 ²²For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

 ²³But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

 ²⁴Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

 ²⁵For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

 ²⁶The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

1 Corinthians 15:51-58:

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."