Where is God when a baby boy is hooked up to life support machines as his parents look on knowing they only have hours left with him?
This is the painful question I’ve been wrestling with the past few days. Our sweet friends, Keoni and Andrea, are going through an incredibly painful trial right now. A trial I cannot even imagine and far more excruciating than anything I have ever endured. I’ve been struggling with how to pray for this dear family, and God brought Romans 8:26 to mind “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Sometimes all I can do is get up in the middle of the night and cry and ache for this family. No words of prayer come, but in those moments I ask God to turn my tears into prayers from the Spirit as He intercedes lifting this family up to God’s throne.
In Psalm 56:8 we find that God “puts our tears in His bottle.” God sees each tear that falls. He notes every single one. He knows our pain. In Psalm 56:8 it also says that God “keeps count of our tossings.” On those sleepless nights when we are hurting so much that we don’t even have any tears left to cry, God sees each toss and turn we make in our bed. He knows the details of our aching hearts. This loving God is the One whom we trust (Psalm 56:11).
Trusting in God’s sovereignty and believing that He truly loves His chosen people is one of the hardest life lessons to embrace. As we experience the painful trials of this world it’s sometimes hard to believe the promises of God. But I cling with desperation to Romans 8:28-29 (just a few verses after God promises to help us in our weakness and intercede for us when our words fail). God works all things together for the good of His people because He wants us to be conformed to the image of His Son. Some days are harder than words can describe. Some days are mediocre. Some days are wonderful. Through all of these days and experiences God is seeking to make us more like Him.
On earth we will never have a justifiable understanding as to why God is calling this little baby boy home to heaven. We feel anger, fear, and deep sadness. But amidst this pain we know we have a God who can be trusted, who has a plan, and who knows each tear, tossing, and groan of our hearts.
Where is God when a baby boy is hooked up to life support machines as his parents look on knowing they only have hours left with him? God is right next to Kawika's parents, Keoni and Andrea. He knows each tear they cry and intercedes for them when they hurt too much to pray. God is right next to their family and friends. He knows each tear we cry and intercedes for us when we hurt too much too pray. God has not abandoned His people.
Our God is loving and can be trusted.
In Psalm 56:8 we find that God “puts our tears in His bottle.” God sees each tear that falls. He notes every single one. He knows our pain. In Psalm 56:8 it also says that God “keeps count of our tossings.” On those sleepless nights when we are hurting so much that we don’t even have any tears left to cry, God sees each toss and turn we make in our bed. He knows the details of our aching hearts. This loving God is the One whom we trust (Psalm 56:11).
Trusting in God’s sovereignty and believing that He truly loves His chosen people is one of the hardest life lessons to embrace. As we experience the painful trials of this world it’s sometimes hard to believe the promises of God. But I cling with desperation to Romans 8:28-29 (just a few verses after God promises to help us in our weakness and intercede for us when our words fail). God works all things together for the good of His people because He wants us to be conformed to the image of His Son. Some days are harder than words can describe. Some days are mediocre. Some days are wonderful. Through all of these days and experiences God is seeking to make us more like Him.
On earth we will never have a justifiable understanding as to why God is calling this little baby boy home to heaven. We feel anger, fear, and deep sadness. But amidst this pain we know we have a God who can be trusted, who has a plan, and who knows each tear, tossing, and groan of our hearts.
Where is God when a baby boy is hooked up to life support machines as his parents look on knowing they only have hours left with him? God is right next to Kawika's parents, Keoni and Andrea. He knows each tear they cry and intercedes for them when they hurt too much to pray. God is right next to their family and friends. He knows each tear we cry and intercedes for us when we hurt too much too pray. God has not abandoned His people.
Our God is loving and can be trusted.