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Read Psalm 121:1-2.

There is no more numbing experience than finding out something is wrong with your child and you can do little about it. It feels like a bad dream, and you wish that you could suddenly wake up with the great relief that it was not real. But you don’t. Reeling from the enormity of the situation, you ask one question: What now? The small trickle of this question grows into a torrent of Why? How? Who? and When? It is easy to get lost in these questions, like a person who suddenly, without explanation, finds himself or herself in the middle of the wilderness, trying to make sense of what is and what should be. Join the psalmist in this barren place: “I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come?”

Don’t rush to answer this question. A Christ-follower might be tempted to respond with the following verse (verse 2) in the form of a cliché. Don’t jump to this concluding answer. Instead, allow God to minister to you in the midst of your confusion. Let God’s voice permeate through the darkness of this cloud; wait for God’s presence to reach you through the fog that prevents you from seeing beyond this point.

What is God saying to you? Take some time with this meditation. Read verse 1 over and over again, until such time that verse 2 reflects what God wants you to hear.

Prayer

Almighty God, my child is ill. I stand stunned by what I’ve heard. We were told that . . .

This is beyond my control. It is more than I can handle. Lord, please answer me! Where will my help come from? Amen.

Suggestion

Allow yourself to feel whatever emotions rise to the surface. If you want to cry, then do. If you feel angry, then be angry. If you feel at a loss, then simply hold this feeling in your heart. Try to surround yourself with people whom you love and trust, people who will allow you the space to express your feelings.