The Perfect Storm

…you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith…. may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 1: 6-7

Last Saturday, as we joined our family for a time of prayer (our extended family members join in from various parts of the globe every Saturday for a time of giving thanks), Cynthia and my brother Roshan were with us. Roshan was amused for a comment my uncle had made, we had small talk. Our discussion that evening was on thanksgiving, “And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him – Col 3:17″. The few of us present had a wonderful time together and we bid our farewells, with the intention of seeing one another again soon.

Our families live in different time zones. As we began our Sunday morning, we were in church and the word for us was that day was when Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he ‘saw the wind‘, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”. A strong message was communicated, ‘get down, look and walk towards Jesus, do not be swayed by the wind’

As the service ended, we received a call to say that Cynthia and Roshan had been involved in an accident and that Roshan had lost his life. Cynthia was in a critical condition in the intensive care unit. The news was a shock indeed.

No one is exempt from the storms of life, and we just entered a storm. What do we do, what do we say, how do we deal with this? We certainly do not understand why God allows trials to enter our lives, yet we can be thankful that through all this, we can come to know more of who He is.

We saw this on the day of the funeral when Beno, the 15-year-old son of Cynthia and Roshan stood boldly in front of all and testified of God’s goodness. He did not shed a tear. He stood with boldness and spoke from his heart. The spirit of the Lord was surely with him. His testimony touched all who were present. I watched in awe, I realized at that very moment that Beno was alive because God had preserved his life and he was serving his creator. His testimony can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/T7NdEKEe8Hw

“We want Christ to hurry and calm the storm. He wants us to find Him in the midst of it first.”

Cynthia remains under strict observation in the intensive care unit. The doctors do not want to commit to anything because she cannot breathe on her own when off the ventilator. By last evening, and we see improvement each day, she recognized Beno when he visited her and reached out her hand to hold him. This was the next big miracle! The signs are clearly directed towards restoration! She kissed his hand and brought so much joy into Beno! That moment encouraged me even more, my focus must remain on the creator, He is showing us that He is working towards bringing healing, this is clearly His will!

The three other victims who were travelling in the back seat are pulling through well and we see the miracles each day! The mom had a skull injury. the wounds are now healed, the sutures are to be removed in a day or two. They need her to get strong to attend to her fractures on her leg. She is cheerful, thankful, progressing well and not complaining at all, considering that the other two were her own children!

The 11-year-old boy has plaster from shoulder down, on both his hands. His right leg is plastered with multiple fractures. He was an incredibly sad sight to see on Thursday, it was exceedingly difficult for him to move. A day later, he bounced back, he was discharged from hospital!

The 4-year-old daughter had a fracture on her right shoulder. She was all plastered, however, she was out of danger and was the first to be released. She is an energetic, fine little girl who was very fond of my brother. The moment she was released, she insisted that she wanted to attend the funeral service!

God’s goodness is clearly visible amid this storm. He surely helps us move forward, just as He promises, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’.

It is a week today; we are walking in the perfect storm, and we are certain that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.