During the Lenten season, members of Faith Lutheran Church have written our daily devotions. Today’s writer is Kendolyn Pope.
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2When 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. 3For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. 4Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. 5Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; 6I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth—7everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Isaiah 43:1-7
On a Wednesday last October, I went in for a routine ultrasound and ended up delivering my baby through an emergency C-section an hour later. She was very sick. She had heart surgery at 12 days old and remained in the NICU for one month. Those were scary days, days when I felt that I was passing through deep waters and being burned by fire all at the same time. Seeing my 4 pound baby in pain and connected to so many machines overwhelmed me and constituted the hardest of trials. But God . . .
As a person of Faith, I knew that God was in the NICU. While I was often scared by what the doctors told me, I knew that God would not let us down. My baby is not only precious to me but is precious to God, so He keeps her safe even now. While there are moments as a new mom when fear peaks in, God commands us, “Do not be afraid . . .” and I work every day to live as He commands.
Let us pray: God, thank you for the reassurance that you are with us and that you will always protect us. Help us to find peace in knowing that you are near even during our darkest hours. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Daily Devotions 
April 6, 2014 at 7:13 am |
God was certainly with you and your baby, Kendolyn, during that emergency delivery. Your faith that He would not forsake you kept you going. Certainly all of us need that same reassurance that God is always with us, during the darkest times and the brightest moments as well.
July 15, 2014 at 4:11 pm |
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July 22, 2014 at 3:27 am |
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