“Lord, Throw Me a Life Raft!”
By Susan Klein
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.”
Isaiah 43:2
By Susan Klein
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.”
Isaiah 43:2
Recently, as I was flipping through the channels to get to the 10:00 news, I came across an interview with a young mother of triplets. Intrigued by her story, I watched for a few minutes. The three girls were born prematurely, at only 23 weeks gestation, and the doctors said they would most likely not survive.
Proving them wrong, the infants grew and thrived in the NICU and were able to go home with their mother, Liz, at approximately six months of age. Liz and her husband were having marital problems before the triplets arrived, but with the stress of their early births and health problems, the marriage crumbled. Now she’d be alone to face this overwhelming task of raising triplets and a three-year-old daughter!
The next couple of years brought serious trials for Liz and the babies. The first year, all three developed retinopathy and went blind due to their prematurity. As if that wasn’t difficult enough, at 2 ½ years of age, they were diagnosed with deafness, most likely due to strong antibiotics they’d received in the NICU. Her biggest fear was that they would think mommy had just stopped talking to them. Frustrated and confused, they often threw themselves on the floor in fits of inconsolable rage. Liz thought she was going to lose her own sanity! At times, she’d walk out the door and say, “God I can’t do this!” She felt as if she were drowning. She needed a life raft!
God’s Word promises that when we call out to Him, He hears us and He answers. He heard Liz’s cry for help and He sent her a life raft. He brought a former college sweetheart back into her life to love her and her daughters. They married, and he now helps in the raising of these very special-needs girls. Liz said she knew God gave her these daughters because she is too stubborn to quit, even though this is one challenge in her life that will never end. She still struggles with balancing the day-to-day care of three deaf/blind children, another daughter, and time with her husband. But God will not let her drown in her circumstances. He will provide what she needs, each step of the way.
He knows what each of us needs, when we need it, and how best to answer our needs. The rivers will not sweep over us because God will be right there with us.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What do you need from God in your life? Have you called out to Him? Will you trust His answer to be the best for your circumstance?
FURTHER READING:
John 14:1; Isaiah 42:16; 2 Corinthians 12:9
Susan is a wife and mother of two. She leads a small group and teaches for Tuesday a.m. Bible Study.
Proving them wrong, the infants grew and thrived in the NICU and were able to go home with their mother, Liz, at approximately six months of age. Liz and her husband were having marital problems before the triplets arrived, but with the stress of their early births and health problems, the marriage crumbled. Now she’d be alone to face this overwhelming task of raising triplets and a three-year-old daughter!
The next couple of years brought serious trials for Liz and the babies. The first year, all three developed retinopathy and went blind due to their prematurity. As if that wasn’t difficult enough, at 2 ½ years of age, they were diagnosed with deafness, most likely due to strong antibiotics they’d received in the NICU. Her biggest fear was that they would think mommy had just stopped talking to them. Frustrated and confused, they often threw themselves on the floor in fits of inconsolable rage. Liz thought she was going to lose her own sanity! At times, she’d walk out the door and say, “God I can’t do this!” She felt as if she were drowning. She needed a life raft!
God’s Word promises that when we call out to Him, He hears us and He answers. He heard Liz’s cry for help and He sent her a life raft. He brought a former college sweetheart back into her life to love her and her daughters. They married, and he now helps in the raising of these very special-needs girls. Liz said she knew God gave her these daughters because she is too stubborn to quit, even though this is one challenge in her life that will never end. She still struggles with balancing the day-to-day care of three deaf/blind children, another daughter, and time with her husband. But God will not let her drown in her circumstances. He will provide what she needs, each step of the way.
He knows what each of us needs, when we need it, and how best to answer our needs. The rivers will not sweep over us because God will be right there with us.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What do you need from God in your life? Have you called out to Him? Will you trust His answer to be the best for your circumstance?
FURTHER READING:
John 14:1; Isaiah 42:16; 2 Corinthians 12:9
Susan is a wife and mother of two. She leads a small group and teaches for Tuesday a.m. Bible Study.
