Be still and know that I am God

A mother and a daughter, a Son and Savior. This story shows the love of Jesus and how precious life is.

Marilyn Sievert

Early that Monday morning, I awoke to the beeps and whirrs of machines, muffled voices, and muted lights. My clothes were binding me as I rolled over in a bed crackling with the sound of plastic underneath my body. I stole a glance at the bed next to me to assure myself that she was still there. Exhausted as I was, I managed to breathe a prayer: “Yes, Lord, I know. She’s alive. I thank you for this gift to her and to us.”

A mother and her daughter

I thought back to less than 24 hours before. Everything had been within our normal routine for a warm Sunday in May: church, lunch and a few moments of rest before a trip back to church for the afternoon confirmation service.

Then the phone rang. My husband answered and immediately walked to the bedroom as he often does for important phone calls. I heard him asking a few pointed questions, which I could not fully hear. Then he was standing in front of me. What he said next changed my perspective on life forever: Our daughter Shelly was in a Flight For Life helicopter on her way to the hospital.

Reeling with disbelief, I numbly followed my spouse to the car, hopped in, and asked what had happened. The car lurched onto the road before he was able to speak.

He choked out the fact that our daughter had been involved in a freak motorcycle accident during the training that she was attending. Her bike had gone out of control and launched her off the machine and face-first into a tree. Classmates and her instructor had found her unresponsive. They gave her CPR. After just minutes and a flurry of activity, she was on the helicopter.

All this was going through my mind that Monday morning, as I lay there trying to figure out if this was a bad dream or had truly happened. The dread in the pit of my stomach told me the truth; this was anything but a dream.

Another mother and child

What do you suppose was going through Mary’s mind on the Monday after the Sunday we now call Easter? As a mother of a child who was severely injured,

recovered, and lived, I find it incredible to think of what Mary witnessed and endured during the first Holy Week. Jesus had his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the Last supper, the trial before Pontius Pilate, his crucifixion, and his burial. The words of aged Simeon, “And a sword will pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:35), must have reverberated loudly in her ears.

And then the fantastic news came early Sunday: the empty tomb, the confusion of John and Peter, the claims of Mary Magdalene, and the joy-filled message of the disciples of Emmaus. Was Mary there in the upper room when the Lord appeared? What did her heart feel while her head was trying to make sense of it all?

And now it was Monday—a day like no other. I imagine Mary and all the disciples rushing somewhere to be together to share their experiences with all the others who were hearing the rumors and wondering if the impossible stories were true. As she gathered a new chapter in the life of her marvelous, amazing Savior Son, I wonder if the words of the angel Gabriel came back to Mary: “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37 ESV).

Perhaps Psalm 46 came to her mind over and over again. It definitely entered my brain during the tough time with our child. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

A Monday like no other

How is it possible to be still and let God do his thing when your child is hurting or someone else is causing him pain or when both are at another’s mercy? For me, standing in the emergency room with our daughter and watching all that was going on around us was surreal. Like her, I may have been in shock, but no one and nothing could have taken me away from her during her time of need. Feeling helpless, I tried to pray, but prayers of the Holy Spirit were the only ones I could formulate.

One thing I do know is this: When you are still because there’s nothing else you can do, the Lord will comfort you. He will send one Scripture verse after another into your mind to share with your loved one or to calm your own soul. He will put just the right people in the right place at the right time so that even though you are not thinking of your own needs at all, they are being met.

I watched the doctor put in every one of the few hundred or so stitches that reconstructed her face, and God gave me the courage to do so. After she was taken to recovery and I was told, “No, now she rests,” some kind man came out of nowhere to ask if I needed a hug. I had a good cry and uttered my mantra again, “Yes, Lord, I know. She’s alive. I thank you for this gift to her and to us.”

Since the first Easter, every Monday will be a Monday like no other. What a glorious day it is! What a wonderful day every day is! Because of what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross and rising again, we can get through any trial, temptation, horror, and worst nightmare. God does have our back. He is God. We can be still. He has given us the power to trust him. We can marvel at his plan of salvation, and we can tell everyone else we meet about our Savior. Most of all, we can say with certainty and joy, “Yes, Lord, I know. You’re alive!”

The resurrection changed my perspective on life forever. How about yours?

---

Marilyn Sievert is a member at Good Shepherd, West Bend, Wisconsin.

---

Reprinted with permission of holyhenhouse.com

Ed’s note: Marilyn shared the following update about Shelly: For those of you who are wondering how God has used this incident, here is a recent Facebook post from Shelly (with her permission): “It is hard to believe how fast time flies. It has been almost five years since my motorcycle accident. It’s still the best thing that ever happened to me—it made me realize how precious life is, how quickly it can change (or leave you), and not to hold back in telling people how you feel about them.” Shelly can often be heard saying, “After you believe in Jesus, the rest of life, the good and the bad, is gravy. No matter what happens, I know I am safe in the Savior’s arms.” Shelly serves on the Central Africa Medical Mission board and traveled to Africa in 2015. As for her family, Flight For Life helicopters going overhead are reminders to pray for the ones inside, for their families, and for the brave men and women who fly them. We are beyond grateful to God for restoring our daughter!

---

 

 

Author: Marilyn Sievert
Volume 104, Number 4
Issue: April 2017

Copyrighted by WELS Forward in Christ © 2021
Forward in Christ grants permission for any original article (not a reprint) to be printed for use in a WELS church, school, or organization, provided that it is distributed free and indicate Forward in Christ as the source. Images may not be reproduced except in the context of its article. Contact us