What happens when the phone rings in the middle of night? How would you respond if one of your youth group members was being rushed to the hospital with a serious illness?

I know what you are thinking because it was the same thing going through my mind when the phone started ringing. We hope it’s a bad dream or wrong number because it tests the core of everything we believe: that God loves us and desires to be in relationship with us.

How do we articulate God’s love when one of the young people we serve is lying in a hospital bed with a life-threatening situation?

Meeting an Unexpected Crisis
A few days before Christmas one year, our phone rang at 6:45 a.m. After my wife hung up she quickly let me know John and Cindy (not their real names) were at the hospital. Their son, Joe, was being prepped for surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.

I wish I could say I handled the situation flawlessly, or that the Spirit just walked me through the whole experience. However, that’s not what happened. I stumbled through my trial by fire, learning how, along the way, to minister to families in medical crises.

As my wife revealed the facts of the phone call, I lay dumbfound in bed, not able to believe what was happening. Instead of rushing off to be with this family, I sat at home dreading the situation. I wondered what comfort I possibly could offer them. I knew God to be loving, but I also knew that didn’t mean we are guaranteed a carefree life.

I spent the morning moving at a sloth’s speed because I felt utterly helpless, I had nothing to offer them, no program or manual to follow. At 10:45 a.m. our phone rang again, leaving me with no choice but to go to the hospital.

Embracing the Crisis
Driving to the hospital, I prayed desperately for wisdom about what to say. I didn’t want to offer false hope, saying everything was going to be OK when I had no idea if it would be. Yet, I wanted to offer the family something, to let them know God was present with them in this situation. Isn’t this what I was called to do?

I met with John and Cindy, learning Joe had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, but they had not told him yet as the doctors still were gathering information about how to proceed. As I listened to and prayed with them, I began to realize my words weren’t what mattered, My presence was!

Leaving Our Words at the Door
Our nonverbal communication often speaks louder than our words. One of the greatest gifts we can offer families and youth in times of medical crises is our presence, because it conveys they are not alone in the situation, that someone cares, that God cares.

By being present we affirm the situation matters, we care about them and they don’t have to go through the situation alone. By being present we minister. In life-and-death crises we cannot let our lack of words or discomfort with the situation keep us from ministering to—and with—the family. In these situations God doesn’t require us to have the answers, only to be present. Sometimes we can’t articulate the love of God; all we can do is show it.