Recently my husband and I sat at 2 am and listened to the emergency room doctor as he described the state of our son because he was in diabetic ketoacidosis, which was a surprise since we had no idea he was diabetic. The poor boy had not been able to keep any food or drink down for a week and was weak and pale. They admitted him to the hospital at about 5 am. In the small room in the critical care ward I sat on the floor and held my son’s hand and prayed.
Jackson was in the hospital for 4 days, but all the real changes started when he came home; watching everything he eats and drinks, taking 5 shots at a day and checking his blood sugar regularly. We are all still learning and adjusting, but we are getting used to the new way of life.
My husband pressed on us the need to praise God during this “storm” instead of whining to God about it.
We did follow my husband’s lead and thanked God for the educated people at the hospital, the medicines required to help Jack and all of the blessings in our life. While he was in the hospital the waiting was brutal, but faith that we were not fighting this battle alone gave us peace.
It’s tempting to worry in the waiting: jumping ahead to all of my uncertain tomorrows instead of trusting in the work God wants to accomplish in me today.
It’s tempting to wander in the waiting: into rebellion or my own warped version of independence, instead of resting in the complete sovereignty and sufficiency of my Savior.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
– Psalm 34:18
The comfort of a compassionate Savior who never leaves us – and never leaves us how He found us, is such reassurance in the storms of life. In our brokenness, He began to gently show us that our need was much more deeply rooted than just physical healing. In our brokenness – our greater weaknesses now exposed through these cracked vessels – He longed to come near and lovingly put us back together more like Him than we were before.
What if instead of praising, we gave in to defeat?
What if instead of trusting we worried?
What if instead of resting in God’s arms we wandered?
God may very well call us to do or endure hard things in this life. When He does, do them with the power of Christ in you. But what if instead of just impatiently trying to fix the thing or bitterly wishing it away, we stopped and embraced the nearness and ability of Jesus? We can rest because we don’t walk this road alone. There is no one more qualified to come near and save us than the One who made us and whose body was broken for us.
Whether it’s our broken bodies, our broken hearts, or our broken relationships, it is only in God that can brokenness and make it so beautiful. Because Jesus made a way our brokenness can make us more aware of His presence and, by His grace, bring us one step closer to who He wants us to be.
“When we are powerless to do a thing, it is a great joy that we can come and step inside the ability of Jesus.” – Corrie ten Boom
It’s time to rest, you broken and weary. You are not alone…
You can find rest- Matthew 11:28-30
You can draw near to God- Hebrews 4:16
He will never leave you- Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:8, Joshua 1:9, Matthew 28:20and hundreds of other verses.
You can praise God through anything- Psalm 34