By Dr. David L. Cooke, MD

The other day I had an interesting eye exam.  About two-thirds of the way through the exam, my patient stopped.  With tears in her eyes, she asked, “How do you keep your faith strong?”  The question took me aback.  Normally, I give quick, often funny answers and head my way out the door to my next patient.  But this question demanded an answer.  I’ll give my answer in a minute. 

First I’d like to comment on a paradigm shift.  Stephen Covey gives an example of a paradigm shift in his book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  It goes something like this:

Stephen was on the subway when a man and his two kids got on the subway.  They were the only ones in the car with him.  The kids were unruly, running all around the subway car.  Stephen was irritated that the man would allow his kids to be so undisciplined.  He eventually asked the man if he realized his kids were running across the seats of the subway.  The man seemed to come out of a trance and said something like, “Oh . . . I guess they are.  You see my wife has been very sick, and we just came from the hospital.  She just died this morning, and I guess I wasn’t paying attention to the kids.” 

That one missing tidbit of information, that the man was distracted because of his wife’s death, completely changed his view of the situation.  His interpretation immediately changed from irritation or scorn to pity and sadness. 

Back to the answer I gave my patient:  I told her that most mornings I reflect on the Bible for about 40 minutes.  I told her that it changes the way I think, the way I talk to my self.  I call it my “David L. Talk.”  My “David L. Talk” is influenced by 1) repeated, fresh reflection on the Bible, and 2) all of the times I have seen “bad” things turn out to be so good for me.  I told her that I had been studying the life of Moses and the Children of Israel and that I had become convinced that God uses bad stuff for “HIS GOOD.”

Romans 8:28 (HCSB) says, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God:  those who are called according to His purpose.”

I don’t always have the right paradigm because I’m sometimes missing His perspective.

Exodus 13:17a (NIV) says that “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter.” 

The last half of the verse says why: 

“For God said, ‘If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’” 

God took them through the long route so they wouldn’t give up.  The next verse says,

“So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.  The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.” 

The difficult road to the Red Sea made them battle-ready. 

God knew that Pharaoh would run after the Israelites when they were trapped. 

Exodus 14:17 (NLT) says that “they will charge in after the Israelites.  My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers.” 

I was surprised when I read the purpose in the next verse (NIV) was not for the Israelites, but rather

“The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen." 

Some things happen to me for others.  I don’t always have the right paradigm. 

At age 40 Moses was brash and killed an Egyptian to free the Israelites.  He ended up being the most humble man on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3).  How did that happen?  By lots of struggling.  He was a fugitive from the world’s most powerful king who was personally after him.  He was expelled from his home with no money, no way to eat, and no family.  He “wasted” his life for 40 years in the desert.  He had squandered his education.  He had been educated in the best “university” in the world in Egypt.  He learned how to lead a nation, yet when he tried to do this at age 40, he did it on his own and wasted it.  He spent the next 40 years only leading sheep.  Finally at age 80, he was able to recognize how inadequate he was by himself.  God needed to have him there so that He could use him. 

I have seen what fame and power do to someone.  Almost no one can take it.  No one in the world will ever have the fame of Moses, having done the heady things that Moses did.  He needed 40 years to realize he was “scum” before he was ready to take this much fame.  Exodus 7:1 says that Pharaoh thought of Moses as a god.  

If I were an Israelite, alive at the time of the birth of Moses, I can’t imagine I would be able to handle all of our baby boys being killed by Pharaoh.  I can’t imagine that I would ever be able to understand it; but 80 years later, I could catch a glimpse of an understanding, seeing that because of the imminent danger, Moses was put in a basket.  Pharaoh’s daughter found Moses and brought him home.  As a result, he had the finest education in Egypt.  I’m sure he learned things like proper kingdom etiquette in order to talk to Pharaoh and proper Egyptian dialect and conversation.  I’m sure he learned things about geography and leading people and numerous things that he likely would not have learned otherwise.  When Moses was 80 years old, the reason was finally apparent for all the pain and suffering when he was born.  God had a different perspective than I would have had.   

Is it biblical to adjust how you talk to yourself? 

Romans 12:3 (NIV) says, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” 

Romans 8:6 (ESV) says, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” 

Philippians 4:8 (ESV) says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

How you think matters!

When trouble comes, I try to imagine the worse that could happen and in my mind come up with some possible good things that might come out of it.  It applies to everything. 

A family member was planning suicide, and I couldn’t stop it.  I prayed against it.  I got the proper authorities involved.  I did everything I knew to stop it, but those suicide thoughts persisted.  At that point, I said to myself and my wife, “Maybe God wants us to use this in our lives to start a ‘Families that Survive Suicide’ group or somehow use it to minister to others.”

We were on a mission trip to Central America. The plane was delayed.  I thought about how nice it might be to stay in a Miami Hotel.  Or perhaps the patient I was supposed to operate on would have had a severe complication and God might be protecting him or her.  Perhaps our next plane would have problems and I was being spared.  Perhaps others were watching my attitude and God wanted me to be an encouragement to others by my attitude.  Perhaps something I’d never understand.

I am convinced:

• I don’t know the whole picture.
• I don’t need to know the whole picture.
• God is in control, and He loves me.
• He has been faithful with me....in His Word.
• Good can come out of difficulty.  God will make sure of it if I let Him. 
• I will be obedient and faithful to what I know to do.
• I will work like it’s all up to me, and trust like it’s all up to God.
• I will accept whatever comes as what I need.
• Sometimes it is good for me to suffer.

 Do you . . .

• Feed your personal talk with regular times in God’s Word?
• Allow God to change your paradigm?
• Set your mind on things above?
• Talk truth to yourself?