In the Word: Never Alone (Part 1)

Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. Over the next several weeks, we will be studying Psalm 139 together. This Psalm is used often (and rightly so) to demonstrate the value of human life, and God’s care for us from even before we were conceived. What can we learn about God’s tender care for us and for our babies from these verses? How does a greater knowledge of these truths offer hope and comfort to us in the midst of grief?

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NEVER ALONE (Part 1)

“Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.”
Psalm 139:7-12

READ:

The night my son was stillborn, the silence in my hospital room was deafening. I knew there should be a baby whimpering in a bassinet next to me or noisily suckling at my breast, but there wasn’t.

I was alone. Or was I?

The pain and sorrow of losing a child threatens to lie to us and make us believe we are alone. But we are never alone. The God of the universe is always near. His Word is full of that very promise. Over and over in His Word, His promise tells us He is with us.

We feel alone because we are human and often our feelings whisper lies to us. Our feelings are not to be trusted – especially after losing a child. 

The moment we find out we are pregnant, we move into a feeling of being a part of something bigger than ourselves. We carry a life within us. The life we carry fosters a hope for a future. We begin to plan. 

And when we lose our baby – or babies – the plan comes crashing down and tries to take our sense of hope with it. 

But the God of Hope is waiting to offer us joy and peace. 

“I can never escape your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence. If I go up to the heaven, you are there. If I go down to the grave, you are there.“
Psalms 139:7-8

For Hope Mommies, heaven and the grave collide, but God is in the merging of life and death. 

God knows the pain of the death of a child. He chose to allow His son to die and because of that, we can hold our children again in heaven. God knows how we feel. He experienced the death of his son. The acts of sacrifice and resurrection give us an assurance of living for an eternity with our babies. 

REFLECT:

1. How can the promise in Psalms 139:7-8 assure you of God’s presence in your life?
2. How does the sacrifice Christ made on the cross give you the confidence that you will hold your child again? Have you placed your trust in Him, momma?

JOURNAL:

In this passage, the Psalmist declares how God has been with him throughout his entire life. Make a list of the circumstances you have endured through your loss. Following each circumstance on your list, write the phrase, “You were there.” Try reading through your list out loud as a reminder that you have never been alone in your grief.

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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.

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