Finding Hope When Pregnancy Loss or Postnatal Challenges Are ExpectedSample

The moment our son was born, his fight for survival began. He was intubated and outfitted with a total of nine different tubes and wires before he was whisked off to the NICU. It was the beginning of a long, harrowing hospital stay fraught with hardship. It was also the beginning of an arduous, emotionally crushing journey for me as a mom that threatened to defeat me.

Getting to and from the hospital each day while caring for a healthy newborn and preschooler on top of trying to be there for my critically ill newborn took monumental effort. The guilt of always being separated from one or more of my children also weighed heavily on me. My preschooler was too rambunctious to stay at the hospital, so I needed to find childcare for him each day, but when it was time to leave the hospital to pick him up, I had to leave my newborn son all alone for the night. When he developed a mysterious infection and his health took a sudden and terrifying plummet, I was overcome with worry. For days my husband and I sat silently in his room, breathing desperate prayers, crying out to the Lord for his life.

I was beyond overwhelmed, yet strangely, I felt somehow buoyed. Despite the intensity of the situation, it was as if something or Someone was holding my head above the water as I was carried down a raging river. That Someone was the Lord caring for me in response to my prayers and the prayers of hundreds of family members, friends, and strangers.

Isaiah 43:1-3a says:

But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…

So often in life we ask the Lord to protect us from harm. We don’t want to feel the freezing waters, the waves, the heat, or the pain. But what if the Lord allows us to go through distressing, frightening ordeals for our good? This passage makes it clear that the Lord will be with us when pass through the waters, through the rivers, and through the fire, not that He will allow us to bypass them. Elizabeth Elliot says, “God will not protect you from anything that will make you more like Jesus,” so could it be that perhaps the hard times we endure are blessings in disguise? That when we are at the end of our human rope and we finally cry out to the One who has been there all along, we find that He is faithful, strong, and loving? That as we draw near to our God like never before, we recognize His astonishing beauty and fall in love with Him like never before? That our thoughts and attitudes and understanding and dreams are transformed in the presence of Jesus?

Today remember that God loves you. So much. He is your Savior. You are His. He will be with you as you face the fire, so trust in Him and cling to Him. He is good.

Questions:

How have you experienced the Lord’s presence as you pass through this fire?

How can you inform you heart and mind that the Lord is with you even on the days when it feels like the waters could overtake you?

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank you that You are always with me and will never leave me or forsake me. Even when I don’t understand why You have allowed this hardship, I thank You that You are still good. Please carry me through the fire and give me the strength I need. Amen.