Triumphant in Tragedy

Triumphant in Tragedy

Finding Faith, Hope, and Courage in Your Darkest Hour

Kolbe Hill

Copyright © 2017 by Kolbe Hill

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the King James Bible. Accessed on Bible Gateway. www.BibleGateway.com.

Scripture marked (MSG) taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible ® (NASB), copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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Triumphant in Tragedy / Kolbe Hill

ISBN-13: 978-1-945793-23-3

ISBN-10: 1-945793-23-6

"When you are in the ‘deep thick of trouble,’ there is nothing you need more than truth ... and truth must have a messenger. Kolbe Hill is a master messenger of what he has seen and heard and experienced with God. He weaves a strong mix of humor, faith, and honesty in this book that will help you navigate your personal encounters with difficulty and tragedy.  Read Triumphant in Tragedy ... then read it again. Let its truth soak through to your deepest panic, doubt, and fear and ‘run it out of doors.’  Kolbe Hill is alive today because God is not finished with him yet. I look forward to all Kolbe will pass on to his generation!"

—Pastor Nancy McCready – Executive Pastor at Christian City Fellowship in Sealy, Texas

Pastor Kolbe is raw and real in every area of this most personal crisis. His pursuit to live and to rely upon God is an example to all who experience tragedy.

—Pastor Dennis Hill – Senior Pastor at The Remnant Church, La Grange, Texas

Good stories are written every day, but great stories are the ones that are lived. You will be captivated by this story of fear, faith, and courage. Kolbe will take you on a journey that will help you understand more about God, encourage you to ask questions, and guide you to find those answers. We are blessed to know the author and now read his story.  An excellent read for those that are facing any difficulties.

—Rob and Ginger Carmen – Victory World Missions

"Kolbe Hill is a believer who faced one of life’s greatest challenges and found victory in Christ! I believe his victory can also be your victory. This incredible book, Triumphant in Tragedy, is a roadmap from darkness into light. I trust that no matter what you’re going through, Kolbe’s story, revelation, and wisdom will encourage you and increase your faith in Jesus and in His Word. This is a powerful book written by a wonderful Man of God!"

—Phillip Baker – Phillip Baker Ministries

To my wife. I still can’t believe I’m kissing Rachel Hill.

CONTENTS

In Our Darkest Hour

An Unexpected Tragedy

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

Empowered by the Word

Empowering Those Around You

An Atmosphere of Hope

Asking the Right Questions

Confronting the Bullies

The Highway of Missing It

Tijuana

A Step Toward the Light

Notes

About the Author

INTRODUCTION

In Our Darkest Hour

When tragedy and trials strike close to home, do you prepare for surrender—or gear up for battle?

For my part, I was ready to fight.

I began writing this book shortly after receiving the news of a tragedy in my life. I had faith that God wanted victory in my life and would walk me through the battle.

It wasn’t until a few years passed and the dust settled, however, that I realized I had made one crucial mistake in fighting the good fight of faith: I had applied all the principles, but I was missing the person of Jesus.

I had received my miracle and had been healed from an incurable cancer, and should have been excited about it, but instead I was tired and depressed. Why? At first I thought I was crazy, but now I can see the answer is simple: I had been fighting with His tools, but without Him! Though the following pages are full of helpful tools to assist you when faced with tragedy, only you can choose to go to Him.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus encouraged believers, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28 NIV). The first thing God wants believers to do when faced with a trying situation is come to Him. He is your source. He is your supply. Scripture even goes so far to say that apart from Him, the believer can do nothing (John 15:5), but you can do all things through Him who gives you strength (Philippians 4:13).

I was tired because I had used His tools while fighting in my own strength. His tools can only be properly used when He is using them through His people. That can only happen by coming to Him.

I avoided God when first faced with this trial, because I was, in fact, mad at Him. I was angry because I was so young and I thought the situation wasn’t fair. I had bought the lie that modern Christianity often teaches: when you give your heart to Jesus, you won’t have a care in the world.

But the Bible doesn’t teach that. Instead, God’s Word encourages followers of Jesus to Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7 NIV). Jesus never promised everything in life would be hunky dory. He did promise that when the storms of life arise, He will provide shelter from the storm.

Perhaps you picked up this book because you are experiencing one of the most difficult, dark times of your life. Be encouraged—you are in the company of the Bible’s finest. The greatest men and women of God in Scripture were not immune to difficulty. God included their stories in the Bible so they could instruct and assure believers.

Consider Proverbs 3:5–6:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. — Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)

Sometimes God’s ways make no sense. Tragedies certainly don’t. But they are not terrible—in fact, in God’s eyes, they are often good. Are you ready to look your trial, tragedy, or difficulty square in the face and lean not on your own understanding, but trust His?

Equipped with Faith

The intent of this book is to be a tool that will help those suffering from any form of tragedy—to help them stand in faith through life’s darkest hours. It is in this season people find themselves drowning in fear, doubt, and sorrow, flailing and grasping for anything to keep them from going under.

I know this feeling well, and my prayer is that the following pages will provide handles—practical principles you can grab onto and apply. I know from personal experience that these principles can bring stability in a time when it seems like everything is uncertain.

Thus, the workbook section that follows each main chapter of the book includes reflective questions and an application-oriented action statement to help you begin relating these practical principles to the trials you face.

My encouragement as you begin to apply these biblical principles to your specific situation is not to forget who is most important in any season: Jesus. Your relationship with Him is the very thing you need above all else to be victorious.

CHAPTER ONE

An Unexpected Tragedy

It was a Sunday afternoon in early February 2010, right after an incredible church service. The message and fellowship had been powerful.

As was our custom after a long morning at church, we went home, fed the kids, and put them down for a nap. After everyone’s belly was full and the kids were sound asleep, it was time for my wife and me to take a nap of our own.

I slept on the couch for about an hour and woke up with a horrible crick in my neck. As I put my hand on my neck to rub it, I felt something unusual. There were strange lumps under my ear and continuing down my neck to my collarbone. I was extremely alarmed, but since it was Sunday and all of our small-town doctors were closed, there was nothing I could do.

As soon as the doctor opened the next day, I secured an appointment to check out my newfound lumps. Of course, the enemy was bombarding my mind with the worst. My doctor immediately diagnosed me with mono, and the blood test to follow would confirm his hunch—disaster diverted.

In the months to follow, all of the lymph nodes went away in my neck except for one directly above my collarbone. The doctor seemed concerned, and eventually his concern landed me at a specialist.

This doctor was not concerned by the swollen node at all, however, and believed it to be a scarred node from the mono. I was satisfied with this verdict and continued on with my life.

But as the next few months went by, these unusual symptoms continued, which led my doctor to send me to another specialist. This guy was less help than the first guy, and he too sent me away with a