Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from the will of the Father. (Matthew 10:29)

Why Me Lord?

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? (Psalm 22:1)

People lying in hospital beds often spend the hours in the frustrating pursuit of wondering why they are there. Why did I catch this disease? Why did I have that accident? Why did I get a stroke or heart attack or cancer? Why Me?

It would be nice to know. God has His plans for our lives, like a playwright with his script. It might make lying here easier if we could get a peek at the page where we find out the reason for the hospital scene.

But that will have to wait. The reasons will come when God decides that it's time for us to know. However, He makes the wait easier by assuring us that there are reasons, and they are based on His great love for us. A little sparrow doesn't fall to the ground unless God has a reason for it. How much more of a reason must there not be for your hospitalization? After all, God's Son did not die for sparrows, but for you.

Be patient. God will let you know one day why you are here. For now, just rest assured, He has a good reason.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be patient. Help me to trust in Your wisdom and love. In Jesus name and Your will I pray. Amen.

Additional readings: Romans 11:33; Job 2:1-10; John 9:1-7; Romans 5:1-5

I'm not THAT sick!

Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." (Matthew 9:12)

"I don't feel sick enough to be in the hospital!" So you may have said or be thinking, but the doctor disagreed, and here you are. You came as he told you to because you trust him to know your physical condition better than you do.

That makes you a good illustration for many people. We don't always feel very sinful; sometimes we feel pretty good about ourselves. But God disagrees. He tells us, "You are lost and miserable sinners, and your only hope is to believe in My Son who died for your sins."

Even if we don't feel very sick, we believe the doctor and go to the hospital. Let us show the same confidence in our Creator. Let us read through His Law to see why He calls us sinners. And let us take His cure for this eternally fatal disease: trusting in Jesus Christ, God's Son, who heals our souls through the forgiveness of our sins which He won by His death on the cross.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to confess my sins, and to believe Your Law when it accuses me. But help me all the more to believe Your Gospel when it tells of the forgiveness and eternal life which Your Son gained for me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Additional readings: Isaiah 1:18; Matthew 9:9-13; Luke 18:9-14; Romans 3:9-26

I had it coming, didn't I?

There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

Sitting in the hospital gives you a lot of time to think - maybe too much. As you thing about what led up to this illness or accident, you might find yourself dwelling on your past sins. Then you begin to think, "Now I'm being punished!"

But does God really use hospitals, needles, and scapels to punish sins? No, He used much cruder instruments: a crown of thorns, nails, a cross. All the punishment for all your sins fell upon Jesus when He was crucified. There is no punishment left to be suffered. Even He, who bore all our sins, no longer suffers the punishment of death, but lives forever.

So why do you suffer now? It is most certainly not because God is angry with you for your sins. Jesus suffered that anger. God allows your suffering out of love for you. Perhaps He wants to warn you from sin or spiritual indifference. Maybe He is strengthening your faith or giving you a chance to show others the confidence you have in Jesus Christ. But whatever His reason, it is grounded, not in punishing anger, but in His love for you.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for forgiving all my sins for Jesus' sake. Amen.

Additional readings: 1 Peter 3:18; Isaiah 53:3-12; Matthew 9:1-8;Hebrews 12:4-12

Will it hurt much?

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. (Psalms 118:6)

Nobody likes things that hurt. Needles, stitches, painful tests and rotten-tasting medicines - sometimes you'd rather hide under the bed than have another needle stuck in you or have another test or therapy session. And it never makes it hurt less to have the doctor or nurse say, &quote;This will make you feel better in a while."

God knows that these things hurt. So why does He let them happen to you? He says that He has a good reason. He doesn't always let us know that reason right away, but He always promises, "I'll make it turn out good for you."

You can trust Him. He sent His Son to die for your sins (and that was really painful!). If He allows you to hurt while you in the hospital, He promises you that He will bring good out of it for you, and that He will stay with you and help you bear the pain. That is how much He loves you, so rely on His love.Trust Him; He'll help you through.

Prayer: Lord, please hold my hand and help me when I am hurting. Help me trust you, and help me through this. Remind me of how Jesus suffered for me, so I never forget how much You will always love me. Amen.

Additional readings: Psalms 28:7; Genesis 45:1-7; Hebrews 13:5

How long Lord?

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. (Psalms 37:7)

Don't you wish you were in one of those hospitals you see on television? You come in, they cure you, and out you go - just like that! That would be much better than this business of coming in again and again for the same ailment. It seems endless and monotonous, and you find yourself wishing that it were over and done with.

"How long, Lord?" you want to ask. "Do I have to go through this forever?" His answer is always the same: Be still and wait patiently. God has decided when and how this situation will finally end.

And you can trust His wisdom and His love. He knows better than you or any doctor what is best for you, whether good health or not-so-good. And His love drove Him to offer His Son's life for your sins. His great love for you will see you through this hard time, and finally bring it to a blessed conclusion. Wait patiently for Him!

Prayer: Lord God, my Savior, give me the gift of patient trust in Your great love for me. For Jesus' sake I pray. Amen.

Additional readings: Psalms 40:1; Psalms 13; Psalms 130; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

How did I get here?

My times are in your hands. (Psalms 31:15)

Do you know what's frustrating? Thinking about how easily you might NOT have had to come to the hospital. If you'd been fifteen seconds later, you might not have been in the accident. If you'd been six feet away from where you were standing a week or two ago, that bacteria or virus in the air might not have reached you. If you'd lost a few pounds, or avoided a few foods, you might not have had the heart attack or stroke.

If...if...if! You can drive yourself crazy with these "if's." We have something better. We have the assurance that our times are in God's hands. In His loving plan for your life, He decided that this should be allowed to happen to you now. He has a reason.

What that reason is we may not always know. Sometimes He uses such hardships to warn us away from some harmful sin, or to strengthen our faith, or to give us a chance to show others how our Lord helps us to endure times of trouble. Rest assured, there is a reason. God's love drove Him to die for your sins. That same love has brought you here for now.

Prayer: Lord, help me to remember that Your love has brought me here for a good reason. Even if I don't know what it is, I thank You for it. Amen.

Additional readings: Romans 8:28; Genesis 45:1-7; Isaiah 55:8-9; John 9

I don't like it here!

Surely I will be with you always... (Matthew 28:19)

"I miss my room! I miss my bed, my TV and Stereo! I miss my toys, my dolls, my pet, my mom and my dad! I don't like being here!"

It's not fun being in a hospital or forced to stay in bed, is it? Maybe you hurt, and that's no fun either. Maybe you're lonely. Maybe you're even a little scared. At a time like this, it's not easy being away from home and friends. Your parents and family and friends come to visit, but when visiting hours are over, most of them have to go home. And it's no fun at all to be here all alone.

But you're not all alone. Someone stays with you - even after visiting hours (and the nurses don't say a thing about it!). He goes along with you when the doctors have to take you for tests or therapy or even into the operating room. He's with you all the time.

It's Jesus. He loves you so much that He not only died on the cross for your sins, but He promised to stay with you all the time - especially when you need Him the most, like now. He won't leave you alone. He'll take care of you. He'll see you through. Don't be afraid. He's here.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Thank You for promising to stay with me. Please don't ever let me forget that You are here. Amen.

Additional readings: Hebrews 13:5; Psalms 23; Luke 8:40-56; Mark 10:13-16

I wish it were me!

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26)

The hardest part of being a parent is having to watch your child in pain and illness. It seems unfair that a child has to go through such things. You'd do anything to make your child feel better. You feel his pain, and you wish you could take it all on yourself. But you can't. And so you feel helpless and alone.

You're not alone. God has gone through this. He watched His Son's pain and torment, and He could do nothing to stop it if He was to save us. Parents with suffering children must have a special place in His heart.

And so do the children. God's Son died to make your child His child. And He loves your child as much as you do. He knows the pain you share. He wouldn't ask parents and children to suffer without promising to bring good from it for both of you.

He is at your child's bedside, too. He will bring your child through and you as well. Trust His love.

Prayer: Lord, God, You gave your Son for us. I give You my child. For Jesus' sake, be with us and help us. Amen.

Additional readings: Romans 8:32; Psalms 130; Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 8:40-56