“Fear not for I am with thee.”
Isaiah 43:5
Dear Father,
There is power in your word. Preachers have pounded the pulpit through the ages with that point. Books have been written about it, hymns have been sung, poems recited, but you used a little girl and her boo-boo to carve that scripture into my memory and heart. A little red bump on the calf of her leg seemed like no concern. However, just a couple of days later it was the tell-tale sign of a raging infection. The little bump had quadrupled in size and was terribly painful, so much so she could not walk without limping. So a quick trip to a pediatric urgent care clinic was on order. Thank you Father for those dedicated doctors who treat our children on nights and weekends when regular offices are closed. The treatment was so painful to my little one. Holding her in my lap while the doctors worked to remove the infection in her leg I thought of how many times you have held me in your lap while I was injured. As I was trying so hard to comfort her and ease her fright, she ended up calming my heart. She looked right into my face with her huge blue eyes and her chin trembling and began to quote your word. She repeated over and over out loud to herself and me the words “Fear not for I am with thee” Isaiah 43:5”. I loved the way she added the reference because it drove that verse deeper and deeper into my heart and I would find myself repeating those very same words a few days later when the lab results came back. When a doctor calls me personally at work there is an alarm that dings in my head and this one was no drill. It was the real thing. My child had the dreaded MRSA or super staph infection. I was scared because I had read about it and knew that it could be deadly if it attacked major organs. Father, you know how quickly I hit my knees interceding for this child. Thank you for the power of your word because as I quoted that verse my fear began to subside because I knew you were with us and you would walk through this with us. The reassurance of your presence was awesome to me. Thank you for teaching me that. Thank you for healing my child and preventing the spread of that infection to others who had been around her. You had been with us every step of the way. You knew the moment the infection entered her body and you knew the moment it would leave. Nothing takes you by surprise – you are never caught off guard. I have known that academically but it took this to drive it deeper experientially. And now I let out a sigh, the release of much built up tension. I can breathe again and know you just a bit more. I know there will be other intense moments that will drive your truths deeper into my soul but I hope the learning block of this one will cause me to lean on you quicker, trust you more, love you fiercer, and rejoice always – you are here.
With much love and a thankful heart,
Penny
