Lisa Barry: A while back some friends of mine had their daughter admitted to the hospital for some corrective surgery that should have taken three hours. Instead, she remained in intensive care for fifteen weeks. Something went wrong. Finally, she began to improve and they let her come home. Then one night, she died, unexpectedly. She was only twenty-four years old. How do you explain these things? How can you explain this to a non-Christian who wants to use the tragedy to prove there is no God?

Elisabeth Elliot talks again today about how to respond to tragedy, without losing your faith. Are you willing? Then let's get started with this Thursday edition of Gateway To Joy.

Elisabeth Elliot: "You are loved with an everlasting love." That's what the Bible says, "and underneath are the everlasting arms." This is your friend, Elisabeth Elliot, continuing my talk on God's pattern for good.

Remember that the Bible says, "that every thing that happens fits into a pattern for good to them that love God" (Rom. 8:28). And no matter how much we may love God, we may not be able to discern how everything that happens fits into that pattern for good. Because we hear such horrifying stories, such sad stories of things that are allowed.

Just very recently my daughter, Valerie, called me to tell me that a dear friend of hers had a little daughter, three years old, who somehow or other as she was climbing around in the back yard managed to get her head through a rope, which I believe was suspended from the tree. And the poor little child strangled. What do we say to things like that? Does everything that happens fit into a pattern for good?

I had a letter from a woman who said that she had been terminated from work. She had started work at a nursing home and had been unable to complete the tasks that were assigned to her. Then she told me about how employment had turned her down again because she was unable to do the work; her knee needed to be repaired. She said, "My husband left my daughter and me one week after our twentieth wedding anniversary. I have no income. I love my husband. I'm trusting God to meet me in this time, asking Him to show me what He wants to teach me."

I had a letter from a schoolteacher. She said, "I am responsible for rebellious children, disrespectful children." And my mind went back to my own childhood when I was in the sixth grade. I had a wonderful public schoolteacher. Her name was Miss Evanson. And Miss Evanson could keep order in that room of forty-two students, solely by her eyes. She never had to raise her voice. We knew exactly what she wanted to be done and we knew exactly how to do it. It was a peaceful, quiet public school.

The stories that I hear about public schools today are just seemingly unbelievable. And yet, I know of some very sensible Christian teachers who are teaching in public schools. To go on with the testimony from this woman who wrote to me, speaking of rebellious children and disrespect, "I can only cope with the stress and pressure of this by falling often to my knees in tears. I long to escape from the pain."

Janet Erskine Stuart wrote, "I know when the stress has been too strong, Thou wilt be there. I know that when the waiting seems so long, Thou hearest prayer. I know that in the crash of falling worlds, Thou holdest me. I know that life and death and all are Thine, eternally." This is one of my favorites. And so, I just want to repeat it again.

"I know that when the stress has been too strong, Thou wilt be there. I know that when the waiting seems so long, Thou hearest prayer. I know that through the crash of falling worlds, Thou holdest me. I know that life and death and all are Thine, eternally."

In Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan wrote, "These troubles and distresses that you go through...are no sign that God hath forsaken you; but they are sent to try you, whether you will call to mind that which heretofore you have received of His goodness, and live upon Him in your distresses.

"Then," as Pilgrim says, "I saw in my dream, that Christian was as in a muse a while. To whom also Hopeful added this word, 'Be of good cheer, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole'; and with that Christian brake out with a loud voice, 'Oh, I see Him again! and He tells me, 'When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.' Then they both took courage, and the enemy was after that as still as a stone, until they were gone over. Christian therefore presently found ground to stand upon, and so it followed that the rest of the river was but shallow."

Do you see everything in your life as having a pattern for good? No, I don't suppose most of us would be able to say "everything." But you know, as I continue to rack up the numbers in my life, which as I am now dictating these programs I am almost 74, I can say that almost everything that happens seems to fit into a pattern for good.

Of course, I have forgotten thousands of things and when I go back in my old journals, I could almost swear that those things never happened. But there it is in my own handwriting on the page. So probably I have forgotten about ninety percent of the things that have happened in my life. Unfortunately, I may have forgotten some of the most wonderful things and remembered very vividly some of the more difficult things. But here's the Word of God saying that everything that happens fits into a pattern for good.

And here's one of these poems by "Anonymous." It's called, "Willing":

Well, since that's Old English, maybe some of you would rather hear it in plain ordinary American English:

Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Now there is one valuable way of practicing self-control, if we're going to check the grumbling and any unnecessary displays of anger or petty inconveniences. If a workman has done his task poorly, some order is wrongly executed, someone keeps you waiting unreasonably, people are careless or forgetful or do what they have in hand in a sloppy way--try not to be disturbed. Be reasonable. Show the person to blame where they are wrong. Even, if necessary, make them to the thing over again properly. But refrain from vehement expressions of displeasure.

I remember one expression of displeasure. We had a maid who lived in our home, back in the days when maids were fairly common in ordinary people's homes--we were not wealthy people. I think the maid got two or three dollars a week. And one day when my mother was away for the entire day, she came back and the maid met her at the door just beaming. And she said, "Mrs. Howard, I want to show you what I've been doing today."

So she took my mother up to the third floor, opened the door to her room and low and behold, that lady had spent the entire day--instead of doing the things that my mother had left written down, in the kitchen--this lady had painted everything in her bedroom dark brown. A surprise for Mrs. Howard!

I'm glad that my mother was not prone to vehement expressions of displeasure. But that might have been one of the occasions, one of the very few occasions, when she did allow some expression of displeasure. The maid, of course, had done nothing of the jobs that Mother had left for her to do.

A naturally quick, impetuous person will find that to cultivate a calm external habit is a great help towards gaining the inward even spirit that he needs. Do all things, said the apostle Paul, "without murmurings and disputings."

You are listening to a woman who is prone to dispute. I was a debater in college and I'm not sure that I've completely gotten over it. I raise questions with my husband about things that he suggests that we might do. I hope I'm not doing as many murmurings and disputings as I have been doing. But what does it take? Self-control, and most of all a desire to please the Lord and to do the work cheerfully, to do what God has given me to do each day. And Lord, "Help me to remember yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not here. Help me, Father, to fulfill the work that You have given me to do today and may I do it with gladness."

God bless you.

Lisa Barry: If you're feeling like you are losing the battle over your temper or your soul, then allow me to throw a lifeline to you. It's a book Elisabeth Elliot has written called A Path Through Suffering. She has been there and knows how overwhelming those feelings can be. For that reason, she has put down on paper some of things that have helped her through difficult times.

What I especially like about this book is that it doesn't target any specific problem, but points out that in every situation our response should be the same--to seek God at all costs. But just how do you accomplish that when you bearly have enough energy to comb your hair? Well, you will find out when you read this book. Again the title is A Path Through Suffering. We are making a copy of the book available today for a suggested donation of $11.00 when you request the book.

Our phones are answered twenty-four hours a day, so call now, toll free 1-800-759-4JOY. That's 1-800-759-4569. Our mailing address is:

Gateway To Joy, Box 82500, Lincoln, NE 68501. On the Web, type in gatewaytojoy.org. Gateway To Joy is a listener-supported production of Back to the Bible.

Elisabeth will wrap up this powerful series tomorrow, so make it a point to join us then for the next Gateway To Joy.