“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” Isaiah 49:15, 16.
“Mrs. Emilia, you cannot have this child,” said the doctor. “We will admit you to the hospital and terminate the pregnancy.” Mrs. Emilia, a strong woman, was a mother of three, and she was now in her fourth pregnancy. She suffered from heart disease, diabetes, and blood pressure issues, and now she was worried about the doctor’s diagnosis. Yet right there in the doctor’s office she decided: "I will not give up my son, and if God wills it he will be born and I will educate him for God’s glory." With this in mind, she gathered her things and, quite literally, ran away from the hospital!
Mrs. Emilia avoided her prenatal appointments for the next couple of months. She was afraid the doctor would tell her the same thing. The next time Mrs. Emilia went to the hospital, she gave birth to her fourth child—a baby boy. She had another child after that, and had five children in total. Despite knowing that her decision could have cost her her life, she decided to risk everything and the result was her life as well as her son’s.
Due to our sin, the Son of God also decided to risk His life. The sentence was passed. Humanity was doomed to die because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23, first part). However, the Son of God came down from the heavens and “He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). We have committed sin, “but He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
Because of Christ’s sacrifice, you and I have the chance to be among those who will be saved. Jesus did His part, placing even heaven at risk, but the result was a success, for He was victorious! Today you can be saved, and I can be saved. There is no risk of perdition to him that believeth, as long as we accept the sacrifice performed for us. It’s necessary to believe that it is worth abandoning this world of risk, and to place our trust in the power of salvation of Jesus Christ.
I am thankful to my mother for having run away from that hospital and for having risked her life to give me a chance to live. I thank my God for having taken care of both her and me during that risky pregnancy, as well as in the years after—and for His promise to continue caring for us into eternity. But I especially thank Him for guaranteeing us salvation, and for daily reminding us of His sacrifice through the marks He will forever carry throughout eternity. May we have a grateful heart today, and may we show it through a complete surrender of our lives to Him!
Bro. André Devai is the current Welfare and Stewardship Department Director for the General Conference. He has also been involved in the coordination of several mission trips organized by the SDARM Church, as well as numerous other endeavours, such as O Bom Samaritano (The Good Samaritan) welfare organization in Brazil, where he lives with his wife and two children.