Richard Roberts
As long as you are on this earth, you’re going to have trials. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy everything you hold hear (John 10:10), especially, if you are serving God with a fervency. I know this from experience.
In 1984, Lindsay gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Richard Oral. He was a miracle from God, because for a long time it had looked as if we wouldn’t be able to have children. We were overjoyed! But just 36 hours after his birth, he died in my arms.
As we put this little body in the ground, Satan began to mock us. “You’re in the healing ministry, and you couldn’t even get your own little boy healed. This is the end for you. You’ll never pray for the sick again, and you’ll never see any more miracles. It’s all over for you.” And in the natural, it looked as if Satan was right.
When you face a devastating trial like that, you can become discouraged and want to quit. This is when you have to go to the Word. There you see awesome examples of faith that will encourage you. Think about the apostle Paul. After his conversion, he became a man on fire for Jesus, and that’s when Satan let him have it. Paul was stoned and left for dead, whipped, shipwrecked, and snake-bitten (Acts 14:19; 16:22-23; 27; 28:3-6). Paul went through everything you can imagine, but he knew he was on the right track because Satan was chasing him so hard. And the Holy Spirit comforted him.
After our infant son died, the only comfort we had was when we prayed in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit brought comfort and healing to our hearts, direction to our lives, and the courage to carry on. And He can do the same for you.