Month: January 2023

“…and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Ephesians 3:19 (NAB)

I recently returned to doing the Ministry of Care, a volunteer ministry in the Chaplain department at the hospital where I work. Once a month I visit patients, serve communion and then say a prayer for them. It’s a volunteer ministry I did for many years but stopped it for the three years during Covid. Doing it again after three years felt good, and I quickly returned to the rhythm of going room to room. After serving communion to one elderly man I ended by saying the same prayer I always end with, which is one that I composed myself. There is a line at the end of the prayer in which I ask God to let the patient know that God loves him. I’ve found that after I say those words, people have tears in their eyes.  Even though the prayer also asks for healing, spiritual renewal and peace, there’s something about asking God to let somebody know that He loves them.
Today’s scripture says that knowing this truth surpasses all knowledge. We can do everything and go through almost anything, when we know that God loves us and is with us. To know the love of Christ surpasses knowledge, because it’s not a head knowledge that is academic and comes from books. It is a knowledge within our spirit and soul, that comes from earnestly seeking Him. “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)

Something within a person changes when they hear words praying for God to let them know that He loves them. Only He can let them know, and He does. It amazes me how those words resonate and touch hearts, but I believe it’s because God responds to two people agreeing in prayer. When a patient is sitting in a hospital room, they are God’s captive audience. All the distractions of life are set aside, and they are well prepared to hear from heaven. One older lady told me she used to be active in her church, but that she hasn’t even been to church for many years since she cannot drive anymore. Imagine how special it was to have someone pray for her in her hospital room. As I meditated on the faces of people I visited yesterday, and how those words in the prayer touch them, I started to wonder what their relationship with Jesus was like before being admitted to the hospital. It might have been the first time anyone has ever prayed for them out loud. I wonder if some people have even forgotten that there is a God who loves them at all. Some patients may feel that God must not love them enough, or they wouldn’t be hospitalized with a particular diagnosis. To hear the words, “Let them know that You love them,” is like turning a light on in a dark room. If I could only say a one sentence prayer over someone, that would be the prayer. God wants to reveal His love to those who are broken or crushed in spirit.

Whatever we go through or will go through in our future, we should include God in the picture, because He is always with us. He hopes to get someone’s attention especially while they are alone in a hospital room, but wherever we are, He desires to communicate the love of Christ to us and to say to all of us,  “I am right here, and I love you.”

“The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.”

Exodus 1:17 (NIV)

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Proverbs 9:10 (NIV)

Before hospitals existed, midwives were essential for all birthing mothers. The midwives in this story were strong faith filled women, who lived under the cruel, controlling domination of Pharaoh in Egypt. Pharaoh commanded the midwives to start killing every Hebrew male newborn, hoping to get control over the robust Hebrew population that was multiplying in their land. The midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, both outwardly agreed to Pharaoh’s new demand, but actually defied the ruling, and continued to deliver every baby and helping them live after birth. Asking a midwife to kill all male babies is like asking a fireman to burn down half a city. It goes against their purpose and calling in life. These midwives were women of courage, who feared God more than Pharaoh, and defied his ruling, putting their own lives at risk.

Life brings many hardships that can challenge our central purpose and calling. We face problems that put fear in us, making us feel we can no longer do what we are called to do. There are many things to fear these days, but if a fear of God comes first, as it did with Shiphrah and Puah, our purpose continues and souls will be saved in the end. A healthy fear of God means standing firm, even when no one else supports you.

I had a grandmother in Greece, who I never knew, who was my father’s mother. She gave birth to ten children and then was deserted by her husband. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she began offering her midwife services to the women in her nearby villages in Greece. She was able to support her ten children working as a midwife. Eventually, her oldest son, my father, emigrated to America as a teenager, afterward sending for his mother and siblings, who all settled here for the remainder of their lives.

What began as a very sad story, ended happily, and because of her courage, I am here today. The midwives in this story today were all strong, resilient people. They didn’t shrink back in fear of defeat when faced with a frightening situation. Through a healthy fear of God, they all persisted to do anything they could to keep others alive. Shiphrah and Puah, in their decision to save the male children, one day saved a baby boy named Moses, and he grew up to free all the people from slavery under Pharaoh. God gives us courage in our hard times, and if we follow through, we will fulfill our purpose and calling in life, saving many other souls as a result.  

When I first heard the story of my grandmother’s struggle, I wondered how she found the strength, but then I realized we each have the same courage deep within us. God is there all along, and will always help us through the many tribulations in a lifetime. Fearing God more than people is the beginning of wisdom, which leads to other virtues, and the courage needed to survive some of life’s most difficult tests.

Lord, help us to find the courage you have given us to overcome many obstacles, and make us a mentor and an inspiration of faith for all those who are watching us. Amen