What I meant to say was...

I had the opportunity to preach Sunday morning at Ridgeview. It was grad Sunday, and it's becoming a tradition for the students to hi-jack the service that day, and for me to preach.

I preached a sermon entitled "Can You See Him During Difficult Times." The message was based on the story of blind Bartemeus from Mark chapter 10. Sunday evening, I talked with Erin about the message and she gently reminded me of some of the messages we had heard in 2009 while our son Josiah was fighting for his life in the PCICU. Some of the messages we heard seemed very impersonal and too cookie cutter to fit into the real life situation we were facing with our son. I had preached this type of message on Sunday.

You see, in the message Sunday I made the point that Jesus hears the cries of desperate people. I gave Biblical examples supporting this statement, and while I fully believe this to be what the Bible teaches, I failed to mention all of the Biblical examples where God chose not to heal, respond, or mend the broken relationships. Yet, I still believe he hears us.

January 24th, 2010 we lost Josiah to a rare and serious heart defect at 8 months old. You had better believe we are still going through a difficult time. Losing Josiah is not how we wanted God to respond to our prayers. This is difficult to live through. While Jesus healed the blind man in the passage I preached from on Sunday, he may not choose to heal you, mend your marriage, or allow your child to come back home to you. Will you still be able to see him? Will you still trust him with your future?