Today’s devotional from ‘The Heart of the Matter’ by Edward T. Welch.

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Suffering does not oppose love; it is the result of it. One of the grand purposes of human existence is to look more and more like Jesus. This is God’s plan for us. It is one of the greatest gifts he could give. It is evidence that he has brought us into his family. If Jesus learned obedience through suffering, we will too. A path without hardships should cause us to wonder if we really belong to God.

The challenge for us is to think as God thinks. In other words, our present thinking must be turned upside-down. We once thought that suffering was to be avoided at all costs; now we must understand that the path to becoming more like Jesus goes through hardship, and it is much better than the path of brief and superficial comfort without Jesus. When we understand this grand purpose, we discover that suffering does not oppose love; it is a result of it (Hebrews 12:8). We are under the mistaken impression that divine love cannot coexist with human pain. Such thinking is one of Satan’s most effective strategies. It must be attacked with the gospel of grace.

Today’s Updates:

Zach has had a rough couple of days. He has been very agitated for hours at a time with a high heart rate. Although the medical team has increased and changed some of his calming and mood-stabilizing medications, he is still having trouble settling himself down. He has not had any significant sleep for the past few days, and he appears very tired. He will often close his eyes from exhaustion, but then fight to open them again instead of resting. Please pray that Zach will be able to get some rest tonight and that his medications will help him to settle and feel calm.

Yesterday, Zach threw up again while he was receiving his evening feeds. He has been periodically gagging over the past few days as well. They are giving him some anti-nausea medication and are spreading out his tube feeds over longer periods of time so it won’t upset his stomach too much. Zach is also a bit dehydrated, likely because he is sweating so much, so he is receiving some extra fluids with his meals and through his IV.

The physiotherapy team continues to check in on Zach every weekday. Yesterday, they helped him to sit up in bed for a short time, but then let him rest again. Today, he was able to go in his recliner chair go outside for a little while. Please pray that Zach will be able to make more progress in his physio in the coming days and weeks.

Despite his agitation, Zach was still following some commands yesterday and showing more facial expressions. Today, he had trouble following some commands, likely because he was so exhausted. The speech language pathology team worked with Zach again. They are still trying to establish a reliable way for Zach to express “yes” or “no,” but have not yet found a strategy that works for Zach at his current stage of recovery. Please pray for Zach’s neurological recovery. Pray that his brain will be able to heal so that he can communicate again.

Thank you for your continued support during Zach’s hospital journey. We ask for your prayers for Zach’s recovery and strength. Pray that Zach’s body will be able to heal from his illnesses. Pray that God will heal his brain injury. And pray especially that Zach may find physical rest and spiritual peace in God as he faces these many challenges.

“It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified:

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him?

You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor and put everything under their feet.”

In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says,

“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.” And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again he says,

“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

(Hebrews 2:5-18)