I’m no stranger to the in-between. The waiting. The expectant Hope. The held breath.
Ann Voskamp’s words jumped off the page earlier this week, “in that moment of surrendered lack, you’re given the gift you’d receive no other way: the gracious hand of an unlimited God.”
She calls it “the gift of utter dependence.”
I’ve spent the last couple of weeks living in that gift: utter dependence. Face down at the feet of my Savior, pleading for yet another miracle for our family. He’s done it many times before, and, although my knees were shaking and my heart was racing and the whispered lies of doubt and disappointment kept trying to force their way in, I resolved to plant my feet firmly in the faithfulness of my God.
Today, the waves of relief are palpable. The healing has begun. The road ahead will be long but light has broken through the darkness we have been treading through. Gratitude is abundant.
While I won’t share the details (as it’s not my story to share), I will say that someone we love very much was fighting for life and our little family battled alongside in prayer. When we felt physically helpless, we were reminded of the unstoppable power of our God. Listening to my babies pray with equal measure of confidence and desperation was both heart-filling and soul-crushing. I begged God to answer their prayers. We all knew the prayers were asking for a miracle. A miracle was the only way.
God spoke so clearly through His word. He would send it to me when I needed it most, through a friend or a verse or a song. He reminded me over and over: Do not fear. I am here. I hear your prayers and I see your tears. I’m at work. Be still and watch. I’m going to do something that will astound you.
And, He is ever-faithful. He always astounds. He is always near. He shifts the energy in a room from fear and panic to peace and quiet trust.
Today, if this last Sunday before Christmas finds you in the scary in-between, be encouraged. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Cling to Isaiah 43:2 in the storm. And in Isaiah 43:5, He says, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.”
God with us.
That’s the beauty of the Christmas story, after all. God is with us. Even now, even in this broken and scary world. He is right here.
Gratitude is abundant.
