Psalm 37:23-25

On May 9, 1994 our life took an unexpected and dramatic turn. For five years my wife and I had been church planting missionaries in Mexico City. God had blessed us with two healthy boys, and we were expecting our third child. Our ministry had experienced a great deal of success in a short period of time. Although, living in what was then the world’s largest city was somewhat hectic, we were as happy as could be. Could life get any better?

After a busy weekend of services, Vickie noticed on Monday morning that she had not felt the baby move for several days. We quickly contacted her gynecologist and were instructed to come immediately to the hospital. After a brief and hurried examination, Vickie was rushed into surgery for an emergency Cesarean Section delivery. Shortly thereafter our daughter Amber was born. There was a hush over the surgical room that we had not experienced in the birth of our two sons. It was obvious that the medical staff was very concerned. In the first twenty-four hours of her life, Amber experienced repeated convulsions and many of her bodily organs ceased to function correctly. The doctors were worried that our precious little girl would not survive. We had no other choice but to depend upon the care of the doctors and to entrust our daughter into the hands of our loving God.

For almost a month Amber was in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit. Miraculously, after some thirty days Amber improved enough to be released from the hospital. Dr. Modesto Aragon called her our “little miracle.” As we brought her home, we rejoiced in God’s goodness believing that our worst days were behind us.

For six months Amber seemed perfectly healthy. Although, the doctor had placed her on anti-seizure medication, we believed that it was purely precautionary. But on the night before Thanksgiving in 1994 Amber began to experience convulsions. Once again our life was placed in turmoil. For the next two years our life was a roller coaster ride as we gradually began to understand the complexity of Amber’s condition. She was diagnosed with severe Cerebral Palsy. She is cortically blind with slight hearing loss. As a result of her brain damage she has the mental capacity of a 2-3 month old baby; that means that she is 100% dependent. She can’t walk, sit up, feed herself, talk or even understand anything that is communicated to her.

During this entire ordeal we continued our ministry in Mexico City. Yet, I personally struggled with some internal questions: Why us? Why would God send this trial to us after we had surrendered our lives to be missionaries? Is God fair? Although, I never vocalized any of these concerns they were percolating in my heart and mind. As I read God’s Word I could not find an answer that satisfied the pains of my heart; that is until I read Psalm 37:23-25.

My wife and daughter were in the United States as Amber was hospitalized for yet another life threatening situation. All alone in Mexico City I searched God’s Word for an answer that would make some sense out of everything that we were experiencing. After more than two years of personal searching, David’s words in Psalm 37 provided the answers that I desperately needed.

That night God taught me three specific lessons that have molded and shaped my life. They are…
1. Life makes sense (37:23a) – Even when everything seems out of control, God is divinely orchestrating the events of our life.
2. God is pleased (37:23b) – Just as a parent is inwardly thrilled to see his child go through the struggles learning to walk (repeated falling, hurting himself), God is pleased to see us overcome the struggles of life.
3. The believer is upheld (37:24) – No matter what we are going through, we are never alone. God is upholding us with His powerful hand.