Caregiving Reveals Our Need for the Lord

CAREGIVERS NEED THE LORD

After two weeks of relentless medical appointments for my children, I paused to reflect. Appointments included follow-up visits and medical tests that had been scheduled on our family calendar for months, along with an unplanned sick visit, X-ray, and multiple (unexpected) dental treatments. Tallying everything on paper, I realized our family had driven to fifteen appointments, plus the pharmacy. 

Our minivan’s empty gas tank proved it. So did my tired body. 

When I feel “done,” physical rest helps, as does meaningful connection with family and friends. I’m grateful for those blessings. Ultimately, though, I need the Lord, and caring for my children through their chronic health conditions reveals this truth.

EVERY HOUR, I NEED THEE

So many times, on stressful days as well as calmer ones, this line from an old hymn has come to mind: Ev’ry hour, I need Thee. The words are both a confession and a plea, and they express the cry of my heart when it’s hard to find other words. 

A caregiver’s work is “every hour” labor. It’s ongoing and can occur in the morning, noon, and night. It can last months or years.

Even after a full day of appointments, moms caring for chronically ill children still need to prepare meals, administer medications, relay messages to doctors, and schedule new appointments. The call to sacrificial service stretches us beyond our capacity, revealing our weaknesses and limitations—but our need is part of God’s plan.

BURDENED BEYOND OUR STRENGTH

The apostle Paul wrote about being so utterly burdened beyond our strength that he and his friend Timothy despised of life itself (2 Corinthians 1:8). Then he added, But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God (2 Corinthians 1:9). In Paul’s affliction, God taught him 

• not to rely on himself, but 
• to rely on God instead. 

Part of God’s plan in our caregiving is to teach us to rely on Him:

• When we’re weary, we need the Lord’s strength.
• When we’re helpless, we need His power.
• When we’re clueless, we need His wisdom.
• When we’re lonely, we need His comfort.
• When we’re distressed, we need His peace.

Just as our children depend on us, the Lord designed us to depend on Him for everything from the breath that fills our lungs to the salvation of our souls through faith in Jesus. The good news is that God is more than sufficient. Not only does He have all we need, but He is all we need (2 Corinthians 12:9). The Lord is strong, powerful, wise, comforting, full of peace, and so much more—and He generously welcomes us to know Him.

GOD IS ALL WE NEED

Having experienced God’s deliverance, Paul set his hope on God (2 Corinthians 1:10). What is your hope today? 

We can’t do everything, be everywhere at once, or say all the right words, but God is all-powerful, present everywhere, and all-knowing. He is sovereign, holy, eternal, faithful, and true—and He invites us to know Him and be satisfied in Him in the middle of everyday life (even when our everyday life includes unexpected diagnoses and appointments).

• For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. (Psalm 107:9)
• You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. (Psalm 145:16) 
• Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, / and your labor for that which does not satisfy? / Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, / and delight yourselves in rich food. (Isaiah 55:2)

Only the Lord truly satisfies, and caregiving becomes holy ground when God uses it to open our eyes to see our need for Him. As difficult as caregiving may be, it serves a redemptive purpose when it leads us to cry to the Lord: Every hour, I need You. You are my hope. 

PRAYER

Father, we need You every hour, all day long. We need Your help, patience, forgiveness, strength, and peace. We need assurance of Your nearness, Your love, and Your faithfulness. Satisfy us as only You can. In Jesus’ name, amen.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. When have you felt stretched beyond capacity, or as Paul put it, burdened beyond your own strength?
2. How has the Lord used caregiving to help you see your need for Him?
3. What is one truth about God’s character that you can cling to for encouragement today?