Okay is not a biblical word. Sometimes when we say something like, “Don’t worry; it’s okay,” the other person is thinking, “Funny, it doesn’t feel that way.” It does little to comfort the heart.
Sometimes we’re not OK. I’ve had times when, instead, I’ve felt KO’ed, which is fight jargon for “knocked out.”
My own faith in the Lord Jesus has grown through the years, and I’m grateful for the grace to trust Jesus with hardships and heartaches. But sometimes the blows rain down on us like daggers, and we may momentarily wonder if God exists or knows or cares.
Many of the heroes of Scripture had moments of darkness or despair when it seemed that nothing would ever be okay again. Consider Jeremiah’s lamentation, “My eyes fail with tears, my heart is troubled, my bile is poured on the ground” (Lamentations 2:11), or Job’s cry, “Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?” (Job 3:11).
When life seems to spin out of control, however, we know that God is still in control and that the Most High reigns over our affairs.
Consider this.
- In Matthew 10:30, Jesus told us that the heavenly Father knows the number of hairs on our heads at any given time. Experts say the average person has about 100,000 of them!
- In Job 34:21, we’re told that the Lord sees and knows each one of our steps. According to people who study these things, the average person walks about 5,000 steps each day, although 10,000 is recommended.
From head to foot, the Lord watches over all our ways every day. Dr. A. W. Tozer put it this way: “With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack?”
Yes, according to Romans 8:28, everything will turn out okay for those who love Him. But sometimes we must weep with those who weep before we can tell them that it’s okay.
The real lesson is learning to always say okay to God. In the little book, When the Roof Caves In, Fay Goddard, a missionary with Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF), says that she had just returned to the Philippines following her furlough when she awoke feeling really rotten. With almost no strength, a pounding head, and a strange burning sensation on her lower spine, she was airlifted to Manila and told her she had polio.
Stunned, at 29, she’d been vigorous and strong. Now she was fitted for a wheelchair and told she would be severely handicapped the rest of her life. How did she cope?
She reaffirmed the Savior’s lordship over her life, saying she was willing to be used by Him however He chose.
She read God’s Word. His promises hadn’t changed. The grace was still there for the taking.
Fay visited a fellow missionary who had previously contracted polio in the Philippines, but who exhibited a determined and uplifting attitude.
She realized she could still minister wherever she was. During her 9 months in rehabilitation, she was aware that God had changed her mission field, putting her in the middle of a group of people whose lives had been shattered by accidents, crippling disease . . . teenage boys paralyzed or twisted in auto wrecks . . . .
Later, OMF invited Fay to join the home staff, stuffing envelopes and licking stamps. As life seemed to lose its purpose, the devil attacked her spirit.
But the Lord let her know that if He wanted her to stuff envelopes and lick stamps, that’s what she needed to do.
Fay said, “Okay, Lord” and made up her mind to obey. Within days she was given the job of producing the mission’s magazine, East Asia Millions. More than 20 years later, she’s still editing, doing layout, making it ready for printing . . . and “The joy is still there.”
You may not feel okay, but God is! Trust Him with all your heart, and learn the power of those simple words: Okay, Lord!
