Coming home EJWe get used to going to the doctor or hospital… the doctor doing his thing… we get well and go home happy. But sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. Sometimes there are bumps in the road. Sometimes everything doesn’t turn out the way we expected.

What we expect: Daughter is with child… 9 months later a healthy baby is born… they all come home a few days later… all is good!

What happened: Daughter is with child… begins to have complications (Diabetic, Unusual swelling, breathing problems, high blood pressure)… daughter is diagnosed with preeclampsia (Preeclampsia {5-8% of all pregnancies} and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal and infant illness and death. The only cure is delivery of baby)… baby is brought five weeks early by C-section… grandson goes to NICU for breathing problems… daughter’s preeclampsia gets worse and admitted to hospital with Cardiomyopathy, pulmonary edema, low oxygen levels, headache… after many tests and medication, both are coming home today by God’s grace.

So what is the point? Most of the time things go the way we expect. But sometimes they won’t. In both, God is good. That’s easy to say when things are good… but are we prepared for when they don’t go as we expect? Will we still say with as much passion, “God is good all the time” when what we fear takes place? Consider when David’s baby died as found in 2 Samuel 12:15-23…

And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick.16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them.18 On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” 20 Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

David’s response to tragedy was to worship God. That was because David trusted that whatever God did was good because GOD is always good and loving in all things… including what some describe as tragedy. David’s reaction didn’t “just happen,” it was cultivated by walking with God over the course of years. David didn’t wait until there was an emergency to seek God, he sought the Lord constantly. Thus when what he feared took place he was ready AND trusted God AND was able to process the event in a manner that honored God… “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

Conclusion: Walk with God now… often… daily. Trust Him in all things for He is always good. Believe there there is no good thing God will keep from you. If something is good for you in His wisdom, He will give it to you. If it isn’t good, He won’t give it to you (Ps 84:11 and Ro 8:31-32… “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”