The more I called them, the farther they went from me. Yet it was I . . . who took them in my arms; I drew them . . . with bands of love. Yet, though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I was their healer. // Hosea 11:2-4
I jumped at the shout of dismay from the basement. My husband, working diligently on a deadline, hadn’t seen our teething puppy under the desk chewing contentedly on the poison rat trap. One emergency vet trip and hefty bill later, they returned with a freshly pumped stomach, new prescription, and strict orders to keep the puppy from any running or jumping activities for thirty days to prevent internal bleeding. I laughed/cried at the absurdity.
The eighty-pound puppy, of course, did not agree to his confinement. He fought tirelessly against the leash in the yard and would make a beeline when released from his crate to bodyslam the back door in protest.
“This is for your good!” I cried one day in exasperation as I chased him in vain toward the crate. “You’re just going to hurt yourself worse!”
Instantly, the Lord spoke through the comedy of errors to highlight all the times I’d railed against my own suffering.
How many times had I blamed the Lord for my circumstances, slamming my will against His closed doors of safety? How often had I protested suffering that served as purification and healing from the poison of eternal death?
My pup had no way of understanding my attempt at reasoning, no way to appreciate that I was distraught enough over his little canine life to put myself through such humiliations. I did it anyway—for thirty long days.
The Lord has done the same for us—for hundreds of thousands of years.
The enemy loves to convince us that suffering is God’s fault—but Satan is the greatest con artist in the world, and God has remained our Healer and Rescuer in this fallen world since the moment we turned away.
Sometimes, we won’t recognize or understand it. While we should always strive to learn God’s truth with the reason and intellect He gave us, He does not require our perfect understanding as a prerequisite to heal and rescue us. When God’s ways seem incomprehensible, it’s an invitation into greater faith and trust that He’ll allow only that which has the potential for our greater good.
Today, challenge yourself to truly receive it as you hear Him say, “In every circumstance, my beloved, I am your Healer—working always for your highest good.”
God has remained our Healer and Rescuer. // Megan HjelmstadClick to tweet
Megan Hjelmstad (“Helm-stead”) is a wife, enthusiastic hockey mom, and Army Veteran living in Denver, CO. After serving fifteen years in the United States Army, Megan now serves the Church as an author, speaker, and women's mentor in her “spare” time. Megan loves to share God’s hope in suffering and is the author of Offer it Up: Discovering the Power and Purpose of Redemptive Suffering. She’s a long-time team member of Blessed is She and a writer and speaker for several other ministries. Megan adores books, sleep, sunshine, and Colorado’s great outdoors almost as much as she adores Jesus in the Eucharist. Learn more at MeganHjelmstad.com.
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