Above: Elianna slowly waking up after her biopsy today to determine for sure if she has celiac disorder.

What are the chances of running into one of our English Bible study students 50 miles away in Budapest at the same hospital we took Elianna to for her biopsy today? Pretty slim. What are the chances that this student would have an appointment with the same doctor for the same type of operation today for her child. Even more slim. What are the chances that we would end up in the same waiting area and the same two bed recovery room with her daughter and our daughter. Just not fathomable. But, accounting for the sovereignty and complex plans of God, very understandable.

It has been my prayer for Elianna's healing. Through prayer, I have also submitting this sickness to God to use for His ultimate glory (I know His glory always maintains the best outcome for His children in His timing). To see our student Klári with husband Tibór and her daughter Réka in the waiting room today was an answer from our Father that this sickness is already being used in a plan that I could not fathom.



Above: Klári and Tibór’s daughter Réka.

Today, it was my hope that the doctor would report that amazingly there were no signs of celiac. This was not the answer we received. Instead, it was confirmed that Elianna has celiac disorder which requires an adjustment to diet for life. God has led me to John 11 as I process these things.

God has encouraged me as I read the story of Lazarus. I began to meditate on John 11: 4: “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Jesus said that Lazarus' sickness would not lead TO death. As I thought about it more, it was clear that Lazarus' sickness would lead THROUGH death, but it was not the end destination. This is true of all sickness for the Christian. It never leads TO death as an end destination, but is rather more like a dark tunnel that we swiftly pass through on our way to life everlasting.

I also gained some insight as to Jesus' timing for healing. Why doesn't Jesus just heal my daughter today? As I continued to mediate on John 11, I saw that Jesus was not rushed to heal by His own love for Lazarus. It says clearly, "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus" in verse five. Then in a completely counterintuitive sentence that follows, it says: “So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”

Jesus clearly and purposefully waited two days, even though the news He received was urgent. You can hear the affliction in Mary and Martha's voice when they both say to Jesus, "If You had been here, my brother would not have died." (John 11:21,32) We react the same way when affliction is not quickly removed. We assume that it could never be God's will that affliction in a believers life would be allowed for a time. But it is evident in Mary, Martha's and Lazarus' life that it was.

As a parent, I feel any affliction in my daughter's life is urgent. It requires an instant solution. However, as seen in John 11, Jesus was not rushed into healing action by the cries of Mary, Martha or the suffering of Lazarus, but He clearly had compassion upon them, evidenced by His weeping with Mary (vrs. 35) and coming to them.

In contrast to being rushed, I also noticed that Jesus was not slowed down in His timing. When telling His disciples that He would be returning to Judea to 'awaken' Lazarus, they said, “the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” (vrs. 8). Jesus was not slowed down in His timing, nor rushed in His timing. By allowing an extension of affliction and even the death of Lazarus, Jesus was perfectly on track to reveal to the most potent degree that He was the resurrection and the life. This sickness, suffering and death was a dark tunnel for Mary, Martha and Lazarus. But it was not the end destination.

Jesus said a shocking statement to His disciples in verses 14-15: “Lazarus has died,  and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe..." Jesus was glad that He was not there to offer instant healing. Why? For a greater impact of a perfect plan that He was carrying out for His glory and for the sake of building other's faith. I view this as evidence that followers of Jesus may also experience times of extended affliction or sickness, not because of a lack of faith (vrs. 22)...not because of a lack of love on Jesus' part (vrs 5). ...not because of a message not being heard through prayer... BUT because Jesus has a greater purpose in His timing that involves revealing His glory and strengthening the faith of others.

It is also written in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Affliction can also be a state whereby we are more able to experience and wholeheartedly pass on to the afflicted the supernatural comfort of God. This type of comfort is heavenly and not worldly. It is not a comfort derived from a lack of problems which often leads us to drift farther away from God. It is a comfort that is received in the midst of problems that draws us closer to God and makes us more hungry for His provisions and for the hope of the new heavens and the new earth (2 Peter 3:13).

Elianna's sickness has given Sharon and I an unexpected opportunity to build a friendship with Klári and her husband Tibór at the hospital today. We have been praying for Klári for months and she has become more open as she is a regular attender of our English Bible study. It was God's desire that our families would sovereignly come together in the midst of this shared affliction in a way that we could encourage one another and build a more meaningful relationship that we hope someday will lead to them coming to know Jesus Christ.

No one likes affliction, but it is a reality for Christians to experience in this fallen world. There is no designation in the Bible as to how long these dark tunnels will last. Some will be like a flash as God graciously brings quick healing, others may be drawn out, even going through death. At the end of each dark tunnel, Jesus will be revealed as the one that never left or forsake us. Jesus will be clearly seen as the one that was working for the benefit of His beloved children. Jesus' timing will be recognized as right when we gain a greater understanding of His master plan. He will be exalted as good, as the resurrection and the life.

Thankfully, God offers supernatural comfort in affliction and the promise of a destination of ultimate healing and eternal life after a 'momentary' time of being in this dark tunnel.

It is fitting this Easter for our family to praise Jesus as the resurrection and the life. May He carry out His perfect plan for Elianna and our family, and for others like Klári and Tibór that our lives intersect with for His glory.

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,  and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” — John 11:25-26



Above: Praise God that Elianna had no complications with her biopsy and regained her strength (and smile) quickly. We are officially now on a totally gluten free diet for her. The labs will come back in a couple of weeks, but it is just a formality since the doctor could actually see in her small intestine the damage that has been done from celiac disorder. Please pray that we can come up with lots of healthy, creative and tasty things for her to eat!

Ben's biopsy is scheduled for May 8th (exactly 4 weeks from today), so please be in prayer for him as he enjoys his last month of gluten and prepares for the big diet changes ahead.



Above: Teammate Brenda watched over Ben and Kira and made sure to have flowers and gifts for Elianna when she walked in the door.



Above: Ben’s note to Elianna says,”Get well soon. Remember, just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.”