compelling examples of how to cling to God, especially when
you cannot see Him or in the face of crushing disappointment.
Innumerable historical accounts are recorded of those who
knew God and loved Him over the centuries—like Hudson
Taylor or George Müller—whose faith overcame impossible
odds to achieve unbelievable feats upon hearing God talk to
them. Each person, each story, each account can bolster your
faith that God is who He says He is.
My conviction, like David’s, allows me to trust God’s ability
to save or rescue me, and allows me to hear Him talk to me,
especially when I’m afraid. (And believe me, I’m afraid more
than I care to admit!) In those dark moments and even in dark
seasons, I have never, ever doubted that God is able to rescue
me by somehow lifting me out of the darkness that is
attempting to swallow me up.
One such time was when my husband was diagnosed with
prostate cancer. Daily, it would have been easy to succumb to
the negative thoughts and dwell on the possible devastating
outcomes of this disease. Yet by beginning each morning in an
appointment with God, purposely acknowledging His
sovereignty—that He sees and knows everything about us,
and that He guides us—my husband and I were daily carried
through three long years of living with cancer.
My strong commitment to the belief that God is sovereign
has not only bolstered my faith, but I know it has given others
strength as well. I receive emails and letters regularly from
strangers who have been encouraged by the way I have
prayed for them weeks, months, or years before God answered
my prayers. Others call or write my office to share how my
“answers to prayer” encouraged them to persevere when they