Comfort For Hope Siblings: God Is Always With You

One of the hardest things we, as Hope Moms, have to do after loss is try to reconcile how a good God can let bad things happen. Trying to help our Hope Siblings understand such a hard reality is equally, if not more, difficult. But it is vital we parent our children through the hardship of loss with God’s truth.  

Last weekend I was at a church service and we sang a song with these lyrics: 

And all my life You have been faithful And all my life You have been so, so good With every breath that I am able Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

I stood there singing those words between two of my girls who are Hope Siblings. As I sang the words, I thought it was important my girls see me declaring God has been faithful and He has been good even though their brother was stillborn.

It is important our children know God is faithful, merciful, and good even when life is hard and doesn’t seem fair. I want my girls to know God will be with them always and always. 

Isaiah 43:1-2 says: 

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

What I love about this verse is that it states we will walk through waters, rivers, and fire—but we won’t do it alone. God has called us by name. He sees us and knows us. 

I picture us coming to the bank of a river with water rushing and Jesus sidling up next to us, saying our name and leading the way into the water. When the water rises and rushes, as a father to a child, He puts us on His shoulders and keeps walking. Jesus is our path through the troubled waters. He may not stop the rushing river, but He won’t leave us alone to cross it. 

Dear Hope Mama, as you help your Hope Sibling wrestle with the hard facts of loss, think of all the ways the Lord has been faithful, even in the loss. Let them know how God has gone before you and with you. 

I don’t want my children to see God as a genie in a bottle. I want them to see a loving Father who kneels down to kiss the booboo, comforts them when the dark of night casts monsters on the wall, or holds their hand as they walk a difficult or dangerous path.

That is my heavenly Father. He is always, faithfully there. I want my kids to see that same Father. I want them to be able to throw their hands in the air and sing – “All my life You have been faithful. All my life You have been so, so good.” 

How do we practically do this? A few ways are to share how God is faithful to you and them, teach them Bible verses about God’s goodness, and show them how He cares about the little details of their lives and is always with them. 

Here are a few of my favorite verses:

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.  Psalm 56:8 NLT

But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Matthew 10:30

The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8

Shelly D. Templin is an author, speaker and blogger that shares a message of hope—with humor. She has three daughters, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter. Shelly lives in Texas with her husband, Jack, of 29 years and their two dogs.

Are you a writer who would like to join the blog team? Learn more and apply here.