Don't Waste Your Influenza

Influenza virus

Our family battled influenza for almost the entire month of January.  Fevers, coughing, wheezing, congestion, runny noses, sleepless nights.  YUCK!  I even dislocated a rib from coughing so hard.  Many times we were tempted to give in to frustration and hopeless despair.  But every time we were tempted, the Holy Spirit changed our thinking and strengthened us to endure.  We often had to preach to ourselves the truths of Scripture...

Truth #1  Sickness will not last forever.
Revelation 21:4  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
I Peter 1:6   In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

Our hearts are so burdened for the millions of people in Tanzania suffering everyday with malaria and HIV/AIDS.

Truth #2  God's mercy has sustained others through far worse.
James 5:11  Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

Truth #3  God is sovereign.
Psalm 135:5-6  For I know that the LORD is great, and our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases He does.
Ephesians 1:11  God works all things according to the counsel of His will.

Truth #4  Pray!  God answers prayers for His glory and our good.
Luke 18:1  Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
Matthew 7:11  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

In his book Don't Waste Your Life (Crossway Books 2003) {available here} John Piper offers some helpful insight.

God designs that tribulations intensify our hope for the glory of God. Paul says in Romans 5:2 that we have access by faith into grace and “rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Then he tells us in the next two verses how that hope is preserved and sweetened: “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (verses 3-4). This hope that grows and deepens and satisfies through suffering is the hope of verse 2, the “hope of the glory of God.” We were made to see and savor this glory. And God, in love, will use whatever trials are necessary to intensify our savoring of his glory. (73-74)

Jesus said to Paul in pain—and to all of us who treasure him more than pain-free living—"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:8). Many professing Christians would get angry at this design. They might even scream, "I don’t care about your power being perfected! I am in pain! If you love me, get me out of this!" That was not Paul’s response. Paul had learned what love is. Love is not Christ’s making much of us or making life easy. Love is doing what he must do, at great cost to himself (and often to us), to enable us to enjoy making much of him forever. So Paul responds to Christ’s design, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). (76) 

Oh how we need God to deepen our love for Christ so that we can actually boast in our influenza.  We want to be people characterized by massive hope.  We're not there yet, but we're growing.  We're so thankful for the Holy Spirit living in us and empowering us.  We're so thankful for the promises of God's Word.  We're so thankful for God's people, the church, who prayed for us and encouraged us.