God is Good

[Jeremy Gable]

***The following letter was written a little over a week ago while I still had malaria (just a day or so after my last post) but I had no opportunity to post it until now.***

 

Well, here I am with malaria still.  I'm taking Quinine for it now which has made me mostly deaf.  I can still hear but people have to really shout for me to hear them.  I've also had the additional blessing of the Quinine taking out my equilibrium almost completely.  So now I have to stay laying down almost all the time or I become very nauseated.  Of course, this also makes it hard for me to eat and drink.  Drinking isn't as much of a problem because I have my camel-back with a long hose for a straw.

 

The blessing, though, is that I have lots of time for bible study and thought.  I'm reading through the Old Testament right now, and learning some very interesting things.  As miserable as my condition is (physical misery only), God is using it to my benefit!  God is awesome!  As I'm writing this, I'm struck with a couple realizations; 1.) it's really hard to write while laying on my side with my pillow covering one eye!  2.) Here I am in abject misery (again, physical misery only) and I'm still praising God for it!  And to think, just a month ago I was reading in in the New Testament and was amazed anew at Paul being able to praise God for all the tribulations he had to go through.  And now, here I am doing the same thing!  If I wasn't experiencing it for myself, I wouldn't be able to believe it.  Because of Paul's attitude, the afflictions he suffered became a witness to all those he had contact with, even his jailers!  he even won converts in Caesar's palace (Philipians 4:22)!  In Philipians 1:21 he says, "For me, to live is Christ but to die is gain."  Why should we complain about the bad things that happen to us when we can give those things to God?  He can make them work for tremendous good if we let Him.  For we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

 

 

With love in Christ,

Jeremy Gable

 

p.s.  At the time of this posting, I am back in good health again and fully recovered from the after-effects of malaria.