Lent Devotional: Tuesday, April 9

Published April 9, 2019 by SMBC

By Jessica Horton

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." -Isaiah 40:31

There's a certain gloom to a hospital, lingering like a brewing storm on a cloudy day. Rarely is somebody in a hospital because things are going as planned. As much as we wish that everything will end up A-OK, that isn't necessarily the case. This January, my family and I experienced this firsthand. My grandpa, Bob Peck, underwent surgery at Methodist Hospital. The surgery was simple enough, routine. It seemed that way until he was tangled in a two-week stay and three more emergency surgeries. When visiting him, I would go to hold his cold hands and try to make small talk with him. Usually, he wouldn't respond much and after a while he would release my gentle grip. Seeing him in such a state left me beside myself. My grandfather was the kind of man who would throw a paper napkin airplane across the table. He would come and sit with me on the stairs when I was crying. This shell of a human, groaning in discomfort, was not my Peppaw.
Throughout this season, I trekked a wild path of hardship and uncertainty. Every day something new popped up and I couldn't control anything. Still, in each season of hurt, there is relief in hope. In suffering, God will deliver us with new strength to withstand the thorny brushes in life. In these times, God is building something new in us, and renewing us for better things. He is restoring strength, even when we walk in the harshest wilderness. This hope saw us through to today. Today, Peppaw walks in restored health.