“For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.” Isaiah 54:7
Just about everyone, at some point in his or her life, has endured the feeling of abandonment, perhaps by one’s parents, by one’s children or spouse, by friends, or even abandonment by God. We feel rejected, despised, in despair and helpless.
On October 8, 2010 my 19 year-old daughter, Vivian Daiany, experienced a stroke when five veins in her head were obstructed and provoked a strong convulsion.
After she was in the hospital and had undergone the proper procedures, we were grateful to God that her release from the hospital was to be soon. However, on November 25th of the same year, she still had not been released. To make matters worse, she suffered two more convulsions that day, both of which paralyzed her body.
It was then that I became familiar with the feeling of abandonment. Why? Why, Lord, did you allow this to happen in Vivian’s life?
She was our only daughter, ten months married, and in her sophomore year at university where she was studying psychology. She was active in the church. She was the piano player for the children’s group…
Up to that point her life was stable and promising. She was a blessing. Now, I began to imagine her in a wheelchair and dependent on us for her care.
We prayed fervently, and our church joined us in our prayer. We began to witness a miracle.
Vivian began walking again. Blood resumed its flow in four of the formerly obstructed veins, and the fifth found an alternative route. By December 31st, I was able to witness her giving her testimony in church, and sharing the spiritual revival that had occurred in her life.
Three days later I was visiting with one of our sisters, and as I commented on what had happened, she invited me to pray and take a verse from the box of promises*. My verse was Isaiah 54:7,
“For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.”
What happiness filled my heart as I understood that we are not alone, but that everything that had occurred did so in the right manner in order to increase my dependence of Him.
Every affliction we undergo is an opportunity for God to bestow spiritual blessings to us, so that in the end we can be sure that He will bless us with His great mercies.
*A box of promises is a little box filled with Bible verses printed on strips of cardstock paper. They are often found in Christian homes in Brazil, where they are used during worship.