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 A Long, Warm GlowA respected evangelical elder on the life of faith.
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A few times, Grounds said, he has felt twinges of spiritual ecstasy, when, as the old hymn puts it, "Heaven came down, and glory filled my soul." But those were rare. Mostly he persisted because he valued the relationship with God, just as he valued the marriage relationship: "I warm my feet by the fire." When he passed 60, he began reflecting more often on old age, praying in words borrowed from Robert Frost about "how to make the most of a diminished thing." Little did he know a third of his life lay ahead. After I heard Grounds describe some of his physical ailments, as well as the loss of many of his friends, I asked if he had ever seen a bona fide miracle of physical healing. Without a flicker of hesitation he leaned forward in his chair and said enthusiastically, "No, but I'm still hoping!" He told me of a friend diagnosed with an untreatable kidney condition. He is praying daily for the man's miraculous healing, fervently believing in God's power to perform such a miracle even though in 90 years he has never witnessed it. In nine decades, Grounds has seen his share of trials: a flood that ruined many of his sermon and lecture notes, his wife's struggle against cancer, a saboteur's attack on an airplane. "For me, the controlling principle in prayer comes out of Jesus' model in Gethsemane: 'Remove this cup … nevertheless, thy will be done.' I have unquestioning confidence in God's ability to accomplish whatever God wants—the Resurrection proves that—but I also believe that other spiritual forces are trying to frustrate the forces of good. I accept mystery and paradox. When you've been around as long as I have, you have to. Like the Chinese philosopher riding backwards on a donkey, we live life forward, but only understand it backward." Excerpted from our sister publication, Christianity Today, © 2006 Christianity Today International. For more articles like this, visit www.ChristianityToday.com/ct |             |
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