Life right now is hard. I have a son who is very sick and in a lot of pain. I am sure I speak for a lot of moms out there when I say, if I could trade places with my sick child, I would do it in a minute. I would much rather it be me in pain than my child. It hurts this moms heart when my kids hurt. Even though his pain is a result of his bad choices in life, even though we tried to tell him and advise him to make better choices, it still hurts my heart to see him in so much pain. It is a concern that stays with you day and night always on your heart, bothering you like a rock in your shoe.
Yes, I know the Lord says He will help, and He most certainly does, but it still hurts. I was reading in Isaiah the other day. Isaiah 4:2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” When I read that, I thought, who in their right mind would walk through the fire? Why would someone be stupid enough to do that? It was as if the Lord spoke to me, that even though my son is having such problems by his own stupid decisions that make him to walk through the fire, God will be with him and will take care of him.
Even when I do stupid things and make stupid choices God will take care of me and make sure I am not totally consumed by the fire or flood. That doesn’t mean I should do stupid things without thought or consideration, but when I do goof up, which is more often than I care to admit, God is there to help me and guide me. What a relief it is that He has our back no matter how much we can goof up and mess up our life. I knew that already, but sometimes I get so consumed with the pain and hurt that I forget.
It is so nice to be reminded of His great care and concern. Like a parent hurts when their child hurts, I believe the heart of Jesus hurts when we are hurting. When you feel overwhelmed by the grief and pain of life, remember He has promised, even though you feel so overwhelmed, He will be with you and not let you be consumed and destroyed. Hold on to His hand He will see you through.
There are a lot of people in our church family that are going through the fire and flood this Christmas season. We should band together and intercede for them to be reminded that He is there with them and will not let them be consumed. I sometimes wish I had the great words of wisdom to speak comfort to them, but I don’t always have them. But I do know the One who can comfort them. My part is to pray that the Lord will comfort and help them and surround them with His presence and peace. I hope you all have a safe, happy, and peaceful holiday season.
