Before and after

Give ear to my prayer, O God . . . . My heart is severely pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. — Psalm 55:1,4

What changes take place in a life of faith after severe testing? I thought of this as I read the tragic story of a Jamaican dad who accidentally shot and killed his 18-year-old daughter while trying to protect his family from intruders.

News reports said he went to church (as was his habit) the next day — distraught but still seeking God’s help. Faith in God guided him before, and he knew God could sustain him after.

I thought about this in regard to my own life — having also lost a teenage daughter. To review how I viewed life and faith before Melissa’s death, I dug into my computer archives to read the last article I had written before we lost her in June 2002. How would what I said then correspond to what I know now? Had severe testing changed my view of faith in God? In May of that year, I had written this: “David was not afraid to go boldly to God and tell Him what was on his heart. . . . We don’t have to be afraid to tell God what is on our heart.”

Before I went through tough times, I went to God and He listened to me. After, I discovered that He still listens and comforts and sustains. So I continue to pray in faith. Our faith remains intact and is strengthened because He is the God of the before and the after. — Dave Branon

God is still on the throne,

He never forsaketh His own;

His promise is true, He will not forget you,

God is still on the throne. — Suffield

READ: Psalm 55:1-8,16-17

What we know of God encourages

us to trust Him in all we do not know.