Finding Comfort in God's Care

Nursing school is pressure packed: exams, papers, memorization, clinical application, competition to do well. Some students juggle work and family responsibilities along with school. This leaves little margin for yourself.

Do you sometimes silently wonder, Is God aware of how much pressure I’m under? Is he going to help me out? Most of us ask those questions when the going is hard and long. Even if can’t perceive him, God is with us in the midst of our struggles. He is our constant companion.

This world brims with anxiety, stress, and chaos. Each of us needs an anchor in the storms that swirl around us and sometimes inside of us. We yearn for someone to depend on, someone whose presence enables us to persevere even if we believe our world is eroding around us.

God’s personal promise to you and me is described in John 16:33: “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (NLT).

We know and can trust that God uses our struggles and suffering to bring us closer to him, to mold us more into the likeness of Christ. But to redeem our suffering, we need a living relationship with him so the Spirit can teach us and bring growth from what we are experiencing. God cares for us deeply, and we can find comfort in his care.

The everyday pressures—studying, working, family expectations—and the unexpected difficulties—serious illness, losing a family member or friend, financial setbacks—are part of God’s curriculum for us. As we learn, he himself is our guidance counselor, instructor, and safe place to run to.

Allow this comforting truth to seep into your mind and soul: “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful” (Colossians 3:15, NLT).

--Author Diane Stegmeir, RN MACL, CDE, CCM, is a diabetes case manager with Kaiser Permanente in Salem, OR. She served as NCF Regional Staff in northern California and southern Oregon from 1995 to 2002.