Daily Devotional

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:21-23

Recently my dad spent 16 days in the hospital.  After battling pneumonia and sepsis, it appeared he was recovering and the doctors took him off life-support, but he passed away on January 9, 2023.

At one point during this ordeal, my mom got turned around in the hospital, wandered into a stairwell, and fell down the stairs.  (I supposed if you’re going to fall, a hospital is a good place to do it.)  We spent the next 6 hours in the ER on Floor 1 while my dad was in ICU up on Floor 4, and I was thinking, “What next, Lord?”
 
Many of us have gone through such perilous times, watching our loved ones suffer, not knowing what is going to happen next – torn between hope and despair, feeling exhausted and depleted, yet still managing to press on for the sake of our loved one.

When I was at the hospital, a dear friend of mine reminded me of Lamentations 3:21-23.  At the time I didn’t feel very spiritual.  I felt numb and drained, but I grabbed onto this verse like a lifeline stretched out to a drowning man.  The passage goes on to say: “It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD” (v. 26).
 
On one of those quiet evenings in my dad’s hospital room, waiting for the salvation of the LORD, I decided to play some hymns on my phone.  As “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” came on, my dad’s breathing started to change suddenly, and he passed away within minutes, surrounded by family.

A few minutes later my sister asked me a very strange question.  She said, “Do you think Dad left because of that song?”
 
All of a sudden it struck me.  I had listened to that glorious hymn a hundred times, but I never realized the Fount is a who, not a what.  The Fount that brings every blessing to a child of God is Jesus, and that night the Fount came and took my dad home to heaven, so he wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.

“It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”
I still find myself struggling to process all of my thoughts and emotions in the aftermath of my dad’s death.  So I’m still holding on to the lifeline of Lamentations 3.  But maybe that’s a good place to be in a time like this.  The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases.  His mercies are new every morning.  Great is God’s faithfulness.  Therefore, we can trust him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.