Lindsay L. O'Connor

“…for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye…”
Zechariah 2:8

Just as I never tire of my husband finding new ways to tell me and show me that he loves me, I never tire of the Lord’s many methods of communicating and reassuring me of His love for me. I read this phrase this morning in my quiet time and thought about all the ways He has shown me that I am indeed the apple of His eye. I cannot get over the fact that I am so precious to Him, but I also depend on that unbelievable truth for my whole identity and sense of self-worth. I am nothing without His love and favor.

One of the most intense “apple of his eye” seasons in my life was the distressing period when we couldn’t seem to get answers about whether or not I was having a miscarriage. Chris and I were on such a roller coaster of emotions, overjoyed to find out we were going to have a baby, panicked when we knew something might be wrong, unbelievably sad when we thought I had had a miscarriage, and in shock and awe when we got the miraculous report that our baby was alive and well. It was especially difficult because we didn’t want to tell anyone until we had a definitive answer, so trying to carry on like normal at work and school and in regular phone conversations with family was really tough.

HOWEVER…
The Lord made it abundantly clear, over and over again throughout the whole ordeal, that we are the apple of His eye. We had the privilege of praying together out of mutual desperation for the Lord as we never had before and of going through an intensely emotional experience that brought both of us to our knees, so to speak, humbled by the realization that neither of us could do anything but wait on the Lord and trust in Him (such a good and necessary lesson for a couple of control freaks!).

In the midst of it all, the Lord strengthened us when we needed it most. During one particularly difficult day after exhaustion had set in, the Lord spoke these comforting words to me in my quiet time:

“But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendents of Abraham my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you, I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
—Isaiah 41:8-10

How sweet it was to have this reassurance and comforting promise from God in the midst of our distress! We still did not know what the outcome would be at that point, but the Lord gave us peace and comfort and renewed our strength as we waited on Him to show Himself faithful, as He always does. Praise to the God of healing and comfort, who loves us enough to reassure us in times of deep distress!