Upheld by His Right Hand

By Ashley Synowicki

Taking time to consider all of the amazing promises our Lord and Father has made to us is an eye-opening practice. His promises stand out in one area in particular in this season of my life. Lately I have walked through some health-related concerns. While I am definitely through the hardest part of this season (at least it seems that way), I have found myself still needing to be reminded of our Father’s promises. Yes, I am grateful to have the majority of my concerns corrected and to be feeling much better, especially since the outward healing I’m experiencing is a reflection of a deeper healing inside. However, I am not fully healed.  Some lingering symptoms still cause me difficulty in my everyday life. In my humble opinion, they have stuck around for quite a while, and there is definitely a part of me that feels like my time in this season is up. I’m ready to move on, preferably to a place where I am feeling much more like my old self.

As I’ve been in conversation with God over this past struggle of mine, I have found myself asking some questions. “Why are some symptoms so persistent? Is there something I’ve overlooked in my recovery? What else do I have to DO to make this go away?” And then my questions started to change, and I began asking myself, “I’ve done all I can think of to help myself get better, so why isn’t it completely gone?”  I felt like I had done my part. Now it was God’s turn to do His.

He responded in an unexpected way. He said, “Who told you this thing was EVER going to go away?” That caught my attention. Instead of just giving me the answer, He asked me another question and led me to find the answer myself. And then, I took a deep breath and realized I had been believing a lie. He never did promise to take ANY of it away. The fact that any symptoms at all are gone is because of His mercy and grace.

But He didn’t leave me there, feeling silly, as if I had really missed the mark. He reminded me of something that He does promise each one of us:

“Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10

Then I took another deep breath. Though my struggles may remain . . .  though this burden may never fully leave me . . . I can, and WILL, still praise His name. I don’t have to quietly carry on and struggle on my own. I have a Father who is right next to me, helping the whole way. He is holding me in His very hand and celebrates and mourns with me as I go. I can continue to talk to Him through it all because He is with me. He is good and right and if He sees fit for me to carry this burden, then so be it. He and I will do it together.