Always There

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV)

My world right now consists of school, clinicals, and it seems like very little else, so forgive me if all my stories stem from what seems like the same group of experiences. It’s because they do! Entering a field where we work serving others in such a way, I can’t help but see snippets of God everywhere: compassion, justice, healing, mercy, and hope, to name a few.

Working with sick kids today at the hospital, I can’t imagine how the parents feel watching their children go through what can be at times very invasive procedures, knowing that it’s all out of their control—and knowing that they gave the consent for these procedures. At times the parents are asked to be participants in holding down their kids while they are screaming from fear and the possibility of pain.

Other times, the parents have hit their limit and say, “I can’t be here for this” and walk away. They’ve told me they feel guilty for leaving their child at that moment, but after so many times of seeing the kids cry and hearing them scream, they just can’t be there. And that’s OK, too, because the child can sense the parent’s anxiety, which would make our job even more difficult.

You can probably see where I’m going with this, and why it reminded me of how God operates as our father. We need His comfort. He allows us to go through trials, which are character-building. And as the author of our faith, looking to Him in trials also allows us to grow in our knowledge of Him. These kids know their parent is there to comfort them. We have the same in God.

On the other hand, the parent stepping out of the room reminds me of the fall and how sin separated us from God. But through Jesus, it illustrates that God never forgot us, never stopped loving us. And unlike human parents, He never has to take a break to step out of the room. Because of redemption, He’s promised us he won’t step out of the room.

In any case, you can look at just this one day of my clinical rotation and see so many illustrations of God as our Father. I know at times it’s easier said than done to remember this. But when you find examples of God working in the world, it’s hard to deny that He’s always there and verses like Deuteronomy 31:6 are so true.

Miel can be reached by email here.