Dear Cora & Jim,

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
I cannot tell you how many times your letters have caused me to meditate on the essence of this scripture verse and the many other questions of man like, “Why do the righteous suffer?” “Why does God allow suffering, especially in His saints?” “Why do we not all equally suffer?”
I believe that, in a sense, through the years God has given a satisfactory answer to my questioning spirit, in that His word implies that if I wish to comprehend His thoughts I would have to attempt to think His thoughts, to try to see more through His perspective, through His eyes.
Cora, I know that you - that your life has not been without purpose. But you have paid a great price for your ministry! You have greatly impacted our lives over the years (and you as well, Jim) and have drawn us close to Jesus in intercession for you. Sharon & I silently read your letters, our eyes meeting afterwards with no words to speak, wondering what we would do had we been in your place. Our silence has not been a silence of “non-concern”, but rather one of astonishment! It is easy for those not experiencing the ministry of suffering to do an armchair analysis of why God is allowing this in your life, and to come up with trite answers or suggestions as Job discovered regarding his friends. But God’s answer to Job’s friends was that they “had not spoken of Him the things that were right”, that His thoughts were not their thoughts, neither their ways His ways. God was doing something with Job that was far beyond what Job’s friends might comprehend, far greater than what even Job himself could imagine! Job’s redemption from his situation was accomplished and God blessed him with double that of his loss.... Cora, your redemption is near, your blessing awaits you!
Why do the righteous suffer? (I don’t mean the sinless, rather the righteous in Christ!) Just the fact that God allows it to occur to His saints declares that it good (My thoughts are not your thoughts, He reminds us....) The sufferings of Christ worked eternal redemption for God’s people. He endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him! (Cora, your Joy awaits you!)
What are Gods thoughts? What are His ways? Was God surprised at Adam’s sin? Certainly not! He knew of it before He created him! Was God surprised at Satan’s sin? Certainly not! He also knew of it before He created him! We do know, however that God’s Purpose has always been to prepare for Himself a people and that is just what He is doing with you, and with us also. All that this world and our lives here consist of is working together to accomplish that Purpose. His people will be a people that love Him, not because they have no choice, but rather that they have a choice to reject Him. His people will be a people of Faith, who trust Him even though they have an opportunity to doubt Him. God has designed this world as a tool to set apart (sanctify!) such as a sieve which allows passage of His people, but restrains those who are not! The functioning of this sieve is spiritual, not physical and herein is divulged the mystery to our question!
To the eyes of the world , God’s people are foolish to continue to trust Him even though they have no apparent benefits of doing so! No benefits you say? Yes, I say! Many of God’s people experience poverty, as does the world. Many experience prosperity, as does the world. Some experience power, oihers servitude, as does the world. Some experience sickness while others live in health, as does the world. God brings His rain upon the evil and good alike.
The eyes-of the world never see the sieve of God for it is spiritual, not physical. He has blinded the eyes of those who reject Him! Should they see the benefits of God’s people they would feign to accept Him, but our benefits are invisible to the eyes of the world and thus they (the world) remain behind!
Yet the same sufferings which redeemed the lost which are to be saved, also condemned the lost which are to be lost (the wisdom of God is foolishness to man!). The same waters which caused the wicked to perish lifted the righteous to safety! To the saved, Christ’s sufferings are precious, to lost they are foolishness! To the saved (and to God) the sufferings of the saints are precious, to the lost they are foolishness! The same tribulations and sufferings that work despair, grief and destruction in the wicked, work patience, blessings, hope, and the love of God in the Holy Ghost in the hearts of the righteous!
Cora, your sufferings are precious to God; your sufferings are precious to us! Cora, your sufferings make sense to us in God’s precious plan! Sharon and I continue to pray, lifting you all up before the Savior! We pray for your peace! For relief from your pain. For strength to continue your race, our race together! For wisdom to know the completion of your course. For you to know and feel our love and the love of Christ through us!
We agree with you that we are in perilous times, and that the battle is intense! And why shouldn’t it be? For the time of captivity for the prince of the power of the air is near! You have been and continue to be great warriors in the battle before us! It is a joy and a privilege to fight alongside such as yourselves!
And soon we will stand along side Jesus in victorious celebration together with each other! In the love of Christ and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,

Your eternal brother and sister in Him!

Ed & Sharon Hayden