The Hands of Grace
The most helpless place to sit is in a hospital room with your child.
Seven years ago, our six-month-old daughter suddenly became sick with double pneumonia, requiring ICU level care—a breathing tube and ventilator. Exhaustion took its toll as we spent day after day learning all the medical jargon, persisting in prayer, and sleeping restlessly to the sound of the ventilator. My mind felt numb while my stomach swirled with nausea. Fatigue encumbered every physical movement as though weights were holding down my limbs. Weariness clung to me as a constant companion.
It’s a season deeply imprinted in my memories; we came very close to losing her.
After six weeks in the hospital, a specialist became curious. Following further tests, he found the reason for her severe illness: an immunodeficiency she’d had since birth. One illness revealed another, and we soon found ourselves on a new and urgent treatment path toward a bone marrow transplant.
Yet, God was exceedingly gracious to us in the weeks and months ahead through our daughter’s miraculous healing, his faithful presence with us, and the hands of the church who blessed us.
Hands That Held Us in Prayer
In the fatigue and exhaustion of caring for a medically fragile child, the Lord surrounded us with an army of people whose knees hit the floor, fervently interceding for us as our daughter struggled with uncooperative lungs.
While we were in our deepest pain and the most chaotic season of our life, the church served as our pillar of prayer. They gathered to fast and pray when we initially faced losing her due to the severity of her illness. Across the world, our missions community set alarms and paused meetings to pray for our daughter and our family.
I’ve never felt so humbled—or so loved.
In a battle for the Promised Land, Moses held his hands up to the sky, and his raised arms determined whether the Israelites won or lost ground. “But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun” (Exod. 17:12). This is what the church did for us.
To know that these dear brothers and sisters in Christ lifted us up before the Father was the deepest expression of love I could have experienced. They took the time to put us first.
The heart of missional living, the very essence of the gospel, is that we would lay down ourselves for another, not looking only to our own interests, but also the interests of others (Phil. 2:4). This is the example of Christ who lived and breathed a perfect life on earth so that he could surrender it all for our redemption.
Hands That Provided for Our Needs
The children’s hospital is two hours away from our hometown. I stayed while my husband cared for our other children at home and, after the initial crisis had passed, he continued in pastoral ministry during the week and came to stay in the city on the weekends. In the fog of a hospital routine—rounds with the team, treatments, and tests—finding a break to shower and get coffee was all the concentration I could muster.
Eager to bless and serve us, the church prepared freezer meals for our home and brought takeout dinners to the hospital. We received gift cards to help us pay for weekend stays, gas, and parking, and Starbucks cards to supply the caffeine requirements. They gave generously.
As Paul encouraged the Corinthian church to notice the blessings of a cheerful, generous gift, he reminded them, “the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God” (2 Cor. 9:12, NIV). The church’s loving hands sought to ease our distress and cared for our family’s physical needs. Even the medical staff took notice of the care we received from our community and heard our testimony of their persevering support. They too responded with gratitude.
All the kindness bestowed upon us points us once again to the gospel and the gift of Christ. Many times, I felt deeply undeserving of all we were given and was humbled by their love and care. How much more undeserving am I of the grace and tender mercy of the Lord Jesus? I can only respond with, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Cor. 9:15).
Hands That Propelled Us to Share
When we were church planting overseas, the church supported us prayerfully and financially. This season in the hospital turned into a different mission field. With the prayers and provisions of others, we were spiritually and physically strengthened to share the gospel at one time with our village in the African bush, and now we had a similar opportunity with those we met in our urban Canadian hospital.
God gave us many opportunities to share.
Our daughter’s name is Samara which has the Hebrew meaning: God has protected. At least once a week in the hospital, a staff member—sometimes a housekeeper, a nurse, the respiratory therapist, or the chief of neonatology—would comment on the uniqueness of her name. Each time, I was given the opportunity to share a testimony of God’s grace in her life and ours.
The ministry of the local church to our suffering hearts equipped us with courage. Our weakness became the Lord’s strength.
Paul admonished the church at Ephesus to pray, “that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Eph. 6:19–20 NIV). Though no physical chains held us, we were the aroma of Christ in a season of suffering, held by the hands and feet of Christ.
Hands Now Raised in Gratitude
As I reflect on this time in our lives, I’m humbled once again by God’s power in united prayer and the willingness of our church to stand in the gap for us. I remember that an opportunity always exists for me to do good to the family of believers whether through prayers or acts of service.
As I enter the church nursery, attend Bible study, or worship during service, I see my church family who gave so much for us and acknowledge the sacrifices they made to put us first. My gratitude spurs on a deeper love and a deeper desire to serve. May the Lord make us “increase and abound in love for one another and for all” (1 Thess. 3:12 NIV).
Amber Thiessen lives with her husband and three children on the Canadian prairies after serving as church planters in East Africa for several years. Now she works as an ER nurse specializing in mental health consults and is completing her master’s degree in counseling. In her free time, you’ll find her hiding behind a book, out on the lake with her family, or training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. You can find more of her writing at amberthiessen.com.