Out of Affliction

Zephaniah 3:17-21 (King James Version)

 ¹⁷The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

 ¹⁸I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.

 ¹⁹Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.

 ²⁰At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.

Sorina (not her real name) grew up in communist Romania. She married a pastor there, and they had 2 children. It was a tough life for them because the practice of Christianity had been curtailed almost to the point of being banned altogether. Pastors especially were singled out as being terrorists. They were under the constant surveillance of the secret police. Frequently they were arrested and sent to jail.

In jail, the state continued to persecute them. Beatings and mutilations were common. Medical research needed organisms to test new drugs on. Instead of using mice, prisoners were often chosen and forced to be the recipients of these new drugs. Since Sorina’s husband was frequently arrested because of his Christian activities, he was often used in testing one drug or another.

Eventually the family escaped Romania and came to California to live. Sorina’s husband was not well and was admitted to a hospital. Although the staff tried to help him, soon every organ in his body seemed to shut down simultaneously. They attributed his death to the results of some of the drugs that had been forced on him while in prison.

When I first met Sorina, she had just come on campus to see if she could earn a college degree and so be able to support her family. She was dressed in clothes that indicated mourning and spoke very little English, but she wanted to study mathematics. I became her advisor. She worked hard and did very well in university.

During her final year she fell in love with one of the single professors on campus. She didn’t know what to do. She felt responsible for rearing and educating her two sons. Also she felt responsible to repay the huge education loans she had been forced to borrow for herself. I pointed out to her that it might be that God was working things out to help her meet her obligations. Furthermore, if the professor was willing to marry her in spite of her obligations and if she loved him, then I would urge her to pursue this new interest.

 Later she asked me to help her rearrange her schedule so she could take one of his classes. I had to explain the legal implications this would place on the professor. Under sexual harassment laws a teacher was not allowed to court a student. It could actually affect his employment. Since she didn’t really need this particular class to graduate, I suggested she talk with him about it and not place him in an awkward position. They decided mine was a good idea.

Today Sorina and her husband are living in a lovely country home near a university where he is teaching. She has her dream job teaching high school mathematics and helping in county educational policies. The children are on their own and successful in their chosen careers. Indeed God is fulfilling his Zephaniah promise in her life.

Thank you Lord for working things out for the best for your servants especially when they experience severe personal tragedies in their lives.