Of all the nursery rhymes I learned as a child, "Humpty Dumpty" is the one that has stayed with me throughout the years. Maybe it's because I've often felt like a human version of Humpty Dumpty. Living with a chronic illness has taught me what it means to be broken. I understand what it feels like to look at the broken pieces of my life and feel like nothing can put the pieces back together. Yet I've learned there is Someone who can pick up the broken pieces of a person's life and make them whole: God.
Paul talks about this truth in Philippians 1:19-20. In the previous verses, Paul has been discussing all of the suffering he has had to endure. From being wrongly imprisoned to being mocked by people pretending to be Christians, Paul understood what it meant to have his life broken. Yet at the end of verse eighteen, Paul says he will rejoice because he knows that all of his problems will turn into his deliverance.
Paul talks about this truth in Philippians 1:19-20. In the previous verses, Paul has been discussing all of the suffering he has had to endure. From being wrongly imprisoned to being mocked by people pretending to be Christians, Paul understood what it meant to have his life broken. Yet at the end of verse eighteen, Paul says he will rejoice because he knows that all of his problems will turn into his deliverance.
Curious about what Paul meant when he said he would experience deliverance from his problems, I did some research and studied the original Greek language in which Paul wrote. The word Paul uses is closely tied to another word which means Savior and Deliverer. It indicates that when we endure suffering, we get to experience Christ at work in our lives in a special way that only those who suffer get to experience. It doesn't necessarily mean our problems will end this side of Heaven, but it does say we will be able to rise above the heartache suffering has brought because of the special way we will see Christ. As the latter part of verse nineteen explains, one of the ways we get to experience Christ is through the provision of the Holy Spirit.
Admittedly, I wasn't quite sure what Paul was talking about when he said we would experience the provision of the Holy Spirit. As I studied the Greek word used for provision, I was shocked to discover the word's true meaning. The word used is epichoregia, and it comes from two words: ago and choros. If the last word looks familiar to you, it's because this is where we get the word chorus. In its Greek form, the word means a song and/or dance. The combination of the words ago and choros actually mean the Holy Spirit will carry us so that we can sing and dance despite our circumstances.
I don't know about you, but it's astounding to me to hear that suffering is a good thing. Being Humpty Dumpty in body doesn't mean we have to be broken in spirit. Because of our suffering, we get to experience Christ in a profound way. It is only through our suffering that we allow ourselves to be carried by the Holy Spirit. When this happens, we can sing and dance despite the problems we must face. It's no wonder Paul goes on to say in verse twenty that he will boldly declare Christ's greatness.
Anyone who is suffering knows the despair which often comes when the pieces of one's life is broken. Pain leads to despair which leads to defeat, but Paul shows us this doesn't have to be the case. When we turn to God in our pain, He will deliver us through the provision of the Holy Spirit, so that we will be able to sing and dance. So take heart my fellow Humpty Dumpties. Brokenness isn't bad after all, for it is through our brokenness, we will see God.
"Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Christ Jesus, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." ~ Philippians 1:19-20 (NASB)
(c) August 2, 2012
Admittedly, I wasn't quite sure what Paul was talking about when he said we would experience the provision of the Holy Spirit. As I studied the Greek word used for provision, I was shocked to discover the word's true meaning. The word used is epichoregia, and it comes from two words: ago and choros. If the last word looks familiar to you, it's because this is where we get the word chorus. In its Greek form, the word means a song and/or dance. The combination of the words ago and choros actually mean the Holy Spirit will carry us so that we can sing and dance despite our circumstances.
I don't know about you, but it's astounding to me to hear that suffering is a good thing. Being Humpty Dumpty in body doesn't mean we have to be broken in spirit. Because of our suffering, we get to experience Christ in a profound way. It is only through our suffering that we allow ourselves to be carried by the Holy Spirit. When this happens, we can sing and dance despite the problems we must face. It's no wonder Paul goes on to say in verse twenty that he will boldly declare Christ's greatness.
Anyone who is suffering knows the despair which often comes when the pieces of one's life is broken. Pain leads to despair which leads to defeat, but Paul shows us this doesn't have to be the case. When we turn to God in our pain, He will deliver us through the provision of the Holy Spirit, so that we will be able to sing and dance. So take heart my fellow Humpty Dumpties. Brokenness isn't bad after all, for it is through our brokenness, we will see God.
"Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Christ Jesus, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." ~ Philippians 1:19-20 (NASB)
(c) August 2, 2012
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