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“The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17 

 

A mother’s job never ends, nor does her heart ever stop loving and caring about her child. Each time I think that my children are grown up enough to not need me anymore, I get that emergency phone call, “Mom! Help! I need you!” Last summer it was, “Mom, what do I do for her first bee sting?” More recently it was, “Mom, what do I do for a colicky baby?” (I had to refer to the Internet for that one, pretty modern grandma, huh?)  

Last week the call came again, my middle daughter was having emergency surgery and she wanted her “mommy.” It’s nice to be wanted and needed no matter how old they are; so as I hurriedly drove to the hospital, I prayed fervently asking God to preserve and protect her, and to give the surgeons the wisdom to know what to do. Somehow it doesn’t seem to get any easier even if they are adults, but it does get easier as I grow in God and know that He has everything under control. 

The rule of thumb in those situations seems to be, “Hurry up and wait.” It was no different this time, as I held her hand while we waited for test results, labs to be drawn, and the decision to be made about the time of the surgery. As our family gathered to support her, there came a peace over us all. We paused to pray for her prior to her entry to the OR, and the Holy Spirit reminded me of the scripture in Zephaniah 3:17: “The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” 

The time passed with a slowness that was excruciating—the one-hour surgery took 2-1/2 hours, and I paced and prayed. At times like that, one remembers the little child you held in your arms, the joy you felt looking down at her, rocking her to sleep and soothing her with lullabies. Again this scripture came to my heart as God assured me that He was with her, that He was mighty to save her, and He delighted in her. My daughter is not walking with the Lord right now, but she definitely wanted prayer before going in for this surgery. Her tears fell in fear as we prayed over her, and she seemed to calm down as they came to roll her away. My Precious Savior quieted me with His love and gave me peace as the surgeon later approached to tell us the results of the surgery: All was well, and she would be just fine. 

Another mother rocked her Child, hurried to help Him up after He fell, and quieted Him with her love. She too watched the excruciating slowness with which He suffered and she too paced and prayed. This weekend I saw the movie, “The Passion of Christ.” One scene stuck with me so strongly that I can still see it clearly in my mind for I could relate to it so completely as a mother and a grandmother of three. In the scene, Jesus is a little one of just four or five and he is running and playing. Mary is working outside when she sees Him trip over a step and fall down hard. She rushes to His side to make sure He is all right and gathers Him up in her arms to comfort Him and wipe away His tears. In the film, she sees Him carrying the heavy load of the cross, and He falls beneath its weight. She rushes to Him but is stopped by the Roman guard. She is not allowed to touch Him or comfort Him in any way except by her presence near Him. Her eyes are filled with tears as she longs to comfort her Son, just as you and I long to comfort our children. 

So it is with our loving God. There are times when no one can go with us through the doors of the OR, through the bleak places of our lives when we are terrified of the outcome, or through the times of the most difficult heartbreaks or disasters imaginable. It feels as though no one can rush to our aid and immediately “fix” whatever it is that is broken in our lives. It is as if absolutely no one can provide comfort, and nothing can quiet us. We wonder who can say the words or give the touch that will assure us that all will be well. There are no guarantees on earth that the surgery will turn out perfectly, that the light will shine in the dark, frightening places, or that our hearts will mend after the brokenness or disasters. He longs to rush to our aid, to come when we call, to be there in every disaster, every heartbreak, every bleak and black situation, just as a mother longs to rush to the aid of her child, no matter what the circumstance. 

Our guarantee of His delight in our calls for help is found in His Word. We read His sweet words of reassurance that He is with us, that He is mighty, that He delights in us, and He soothes us with His love. The Holy Spirit whispers His loving comfort within us. It is incredibly reassuring to know that God sings, and He rejoices over us as He sings—that is some singing I would truly love to hear. He is undisturbed as He surrounds us and reminds us of how deeply He cares. Mary’s son (and my daughter) made it through what was before them. The day after her surgery, I wept with gratitude that it was over and that all was well. Mary wept with grief and then again with joy at what her Son had been through and all that He had accomplished. In both situations, God calmed us with His love and rejoiced over us with singing.  

Listen carefully for His comfort in your life today, be quieted by His love, rejoice with His singing over you. Remember how He loves to rush to our aid and comfort us. Most of all, thank Him for all He has done and continues to do for each of us. 

Copyright 2004 by Desiree Marrion

Desirée Marrion is a member of Portland Eastside Foursquare Church and has previously served as a worship leader, musician, and teacher in other fellowships. She is a single mom, a grandmother, and an administrative assistant at the Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, in Portland, Oregon. You may reach her at: marrion8955@yahoo.com