Spotlight 15/2018: Sometimes things only turn out well in the end
To trust the Lord in difficult times and endure is not always easy, District Apostle Helper Edy Isnugroho says. He is the designated District Apostle of Indonesia. He recently spoke to a Priest who is going through a very difficult time.
“Faithful to Christ” is one of the important characteristics of the bridal congregation. On the one hand, the motto serves as a motivation for all of God’s children to be faithful to Christ, the bridegroom of our soul, until the day of the Lord. On the other hand, it is also serves as a warning not to become unfaithful to Him. We prove our faithfulness to Christ in hardship, suffering, distress, and the difficulties of life. Our experiences with God and the fellowship with our brothers and sisters strengthen our faith and enable us to be faithful to Him.
Recently I visited a small congregation. After the divine service the Priest and rector there told me about the problems he and his family are experiencing right now. One night, during a heavy storm, a big tree crashed down on his house and microbus. The authorities promised him financial support to rebuild his house. But so far he had received nothing.
Not long after that, on a Saturday evening while he was gathering grass in the field for his cow, he felt a sudden sharp pain in his finger. By the time he reached home, he had a fever. He made it through the night and even conducted the divine service the next morning. But his condition deteriorated to such an extent that his whole body was swollen and he had to be hospitalised. The doctor diagnosed a snake bite and was amazed that he was still alive, because he had been bitten by a very poisonous snake. It was a miracle.
He had not yet fully recovered from the snake bite, when his daughter fractured her collarbone in a motorcycle accident. The treatment was very expensive.
The Priest was very depressed and was obviously wondering why all these terrible things were happening to him.
One morning then, he received a surprising telephone call informing him that a cabinet minister wanted to make a donation to him. He was told that he would have to come to the capital city for this. There the man explained to him that he knew him, and knew that he was a Priest in the New Apostolic Church. Then he handed him a donation for his congregation. He gave him money to buy a keyboard and some basic foodstuffs for the members.
The Priest was so thankful that in spite of his own hardship and distress he could still be a blessing for others.
Photo: Keefe Setiobudi