March 18                                                                               1 Corinthians 1:18-31

 

 

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul instructs us on the wisdom of God and how His weakest plans are wiser than the wisest human plans.  Paul also tells us that God calls on ordinary people, not the powerful, to preach about His glory.  "Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.  God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise.  As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God."

A little girl, Ellie Skees, was certainly not powerful, not by the world's standards, but her short life and the struggle by her and her family against cancer served as an inspiration to the power of God to help us deal with life's severest blows.  Sarah Skees, Ellie's mother, said it well with one of her postings to Ellie's blog:

“Looking back 15 months to when Ellie was diagnosed with cancer, the first couple of weeks are such a blur in my memory.  But I remember that the grace of God covered me like a blanket when I had no strength of my own.  And I remember that I didn't pray that Ellie would be healed.  I wanted her to be, but somehow I knew without asking that this journey would be about suffering, and that if Ellie was to be healed on this earth that it would not be soon.  I knew that there would be a long road ahead.  I don't know why I knew that... I just knew.  So in those early days and weeks, the only prayer that would come out of my heart was "Please, God, please - take glory for Yourself through this..." It was the only prayer that my heart knew how to form.  And so, in both of Ellie's memorial services, I turned around to look at the little lights shining all over the room.  That light was, to me, the reflected glory of God Himself - shining from the people who loved my little girl.  The people who were touched by Ellie's light, which was not her light at all, but the incredible light of her Maker and Savior.  I'm crying as I type this, because God answered my prayer.  You see, with all due respect to my precious Ellie, she was just an ordinary little girl - just like every other child in the world.  Yes, she was special - but no more and no less than every other child... your children... your grandchildren...  We are ordinary parents.  We don't love our children any more than you love yours.  We did not handle this situation any better than any other parent going through such a horrible situation.  We simply have an unbelievably powerful God.  That one fact has made all of the difference in our lives, and in Ellie's life most of all.  The little lights sparkled around the room as the song played... "... We will glorify the King of Kings, we will glorify the Lord.  We will glorify the Lord of Lords, who is the great I AM."

 

                                                                                               

~ Rich Miller