Friday, September 14, 2007

The Sovereign Surgeon


I was starting to worry this morning and turned those thoughts into prayers. I was praying that God would guard and protect my daughter's hearts from emotional trauma and pain, and then I realized... that was not really what I wanted to pray for them. We all need experiences of pain over the course of our lives to make us deep, feeling, knowing, and loving people. And yet, some kinds of painful experiences can be be so devastating in a young person's life. They can be disabling and haunting. As I prayed for my girls, I asked the Lord to be the heart surgeon in their lives. That every cut that must be made, would be made by His expert hands; precisely, lovingly, for their good, and for His glory. Amen

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I know that I am running five months behind you on this post, but having only recently seen the blog, I am catching up.

I am struck by the distinction you draw in what you ask of God. We want comfort and peace and safety of course; but it isn't to be had, and in any case, there is something better: God's presence in all that happens. In his presence our pain is purposeful; redemptive and connected to the work of Christ.

It brought to mind a verse of a Bruce Cockburn song:

Something jewelled slips away
round the next bend with a splash
laughing at the hands I hold out
only air within their grasp
All you can do is praise the Razor
for the fineness of the slash