by Heather Cuny
But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.
Acts 27: 43-44
About a year and a half ago, God dealt with my husband to preach about trust. He encouraged us to allow ourselves to get to the place where we could be satisfied no matter what we went through, if it was for the glory of God. I started praying just that: “God, if my trials bring You glory, then help me to be satisfied.” Little did I know, I was soon going to be tested in that very thing after my husband’s illness and passing.
Most of you have heard my story. I lost two husbands 15 years apart to the day and survived cancer. I sit here and think about all those around me who are going through similar problems and trials. What I am writing today does not mean that I have arrived, or that I am “there”. Trust me, I am still daily walking this walk and trying my best to follow after God. What God has placed on my heart to write about is trying to pick up the pieces so you can move forward.
The last two years have been filled with so much hurt and pain. It seems like every time I turn around another fellow Christian has passed away, or someone has lost a job, or is in a financial bind. The list goes on and on. These problems, or should I say trials, cause us to do one of two things. Either it causes us to give up, not try as hard and let down our standards or maybe even blame God for all that we are facing. We find ourselves wondering if we failed God. Or, we might find ourselves pulling up closer to Him because we find peace there. All this takes time to try and work through. None of this is easy at all. Sometimes you just feel like your life is in pieces.
I had been pondering all of this when just a couple of weeks ago our pastor got up and took a text on “staying with the ship”. The sermon was wonderful, but God dealt with me to use the same scriptures but with a different point and purpose. Acts 27:42-44 “And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape. But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.”
The part that stuck out to me was that the pieces of the ship were all that some soldiers had to hold on to. Some soldiers had the strength to swim to shore, but for others it was the broken pieces of the ship that saved them. The broken pieces of the ship were the only thing they had to cling to.They didn’t have the strength within themselves to swim back to shore. In this life we may sometimes find ourselves in pieces. Grief, sickness or some tragedy may seem to tear us apart. But if we will allow Him, God can use the broken pieces of our lives to lead others to safety.
To listen to Sis. Heather's incredible story, click here or visit https://www.pentecastpodcast.com/.
To watch Sis. Heather's testimony, click here.
