Our Only Comfort, In Life And In Death
This afternoon I’ve been sitting next to Eli in the hospital as he fights off a 104 degree fever, which he has been battling for nearly 24 hours now.
He keeps getting the shakes and feels just terrible. Whole body hurts.
And there is nothing I can do about it.
Just trying to help him feel as comfortable as possible.
This is a small glimpse into what it’s like to journey with a child through cancer.
I thought seeing Eli sick with a cold as a helpless baby was bad. And it was.
But this is a whole new level.
I often wish I could switch places with him.
Especially on days like this.
I wish I could take the fever and the chills and the chemo that is both killing and curing his insides at the same time.
I hate cancer. I really do. And I long for Jesus to once and for all do away with it forever.
I know He will do it. I know that day is coming. I just wish today was that day.
So, as I sit next to my sweet buddy, rubbing his back and reminding him of how much he is loved, I am reminded myself of the great love of God for us through Jesus Christ.
Especially in our weakest moments.
Moments like this one.
Moments where our soul’s deepest longing is for the sweet comfort only the Lord can bring.
The Heidelberg Catechism, written in 1563, begins with this question…
“What is your only comfort in life and in death?”
The answer…
“What is our only comfort in life and in death? That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, He so preserves me, that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must work together for my salvation.”
Here is the reality this answer captures, the truth we must cling to:
In the most difficult of circumstances, the ugliest of illnesses, the scariest of life scenarios…
…neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:39).
Read that again.
Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You know what this means?
It means…
God is going to bring good out of your trials because He loves you. (Romans 8:28)
Jesus is bigger than any trial you will ever experience and He has overcome them all because He loves you. (John 16:33)
When you feel weak and worthless, He will be strong for you because He loves you. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
By His stripes you are healed because He loves you. (Isaiah 53:5)
The Lord is close to you when you are brokenhearted and crushed because He loves you. (Psalm 34:18)
He began a good work in you and will see it through to completion because He loves you. (Philippians 1:6)
You don’t need to be afraid. He will be with you wherever you go because He loves you. (Joshua 1:9)
God will use your pain for your good, the good of others, and for His glory because He loves you. (Romans 8:28)
God will be your comforter through this, so that you can comfort others with the comfort He has given you…because He loves you. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
Again, we ask…
“What is our only comfort in life and in death?”
And again, we hear the good news…
“That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, He so preserves me, that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must work together for my salvation.”
Lord, you alone are our only comfort in life and in death.
You alone.
Praise Your Name forever.
