I love the Lord, because…
Psalm 116
reminds us that God is always there; always loves us and we can always reach
him, even in the most desperate of circumstances.
I was struck
recently by a story of an unimaginable situation, faced by the parents of a
young boy. A friend of the family
received an emergency call from the parents to join them at the hospital and
explained their son had been involved in a very serious and catastrophic
accident. They had been told he was
dying. The situation became that serious
that the doctors said there’s nothing they can do and were told they should
consider turning off the life support machine.
This friend
took them into a side room and knelt down in front of them and prayed, holding
their hands. They were devastated. This was their son. After desperately wondering how he could
help them, the friend then witnessed the son’s Dad pray the most heartbreaking
and heartfelt prayer, which went something like this: “God, I
don’t really understand what’s happening, but I give you back my son. He’s yours and I give you back my son.”
After praying
this prayer, the Dad got up off his knees and lifted his head up. His eyes
looked so clear. At that moment, he
said that he now knows what the peace that surpasses all understanding is…and it had just touched him.
Whatever our
situation, whether we’re going through life’s daily grind or a significant life
changing situation, we know the Lord God bends down and listens to our
voice. He doesn’t always answer prayers
in the same way, but God is near, He listens carefully to each prayer and will
answer each one to give you His best.
The parents’
son pulled through, against all the odds. In life’s most desperate moments, God
can meet with us. If you are feeling discouraged today, remember the words of
God: “The Lord is at hand; do not be
anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 5:7, ESV).
(member of the
congregation)