God is good! All the time! A common chant in an assembly of members of Couples for Christ. They shout out these words with joy especially when the speaker speaks to them about the goodness of God in their lives and helps them realize how God has been gracious to them. What a wonderful chant to yell and hear especially in an event where all in the crowd recognizes the grace of God.

This chant was also heard in the early hours of the morning on the day of the birth of our Savior in San Pedro Hospital.  But this time it was not a cheer of exultation from a fired-up crowd or a spirited speaker. It came amidst the silence of a room from the lips of a very ill child. The silence represents the sadness of the people in the room. The child’s parents were trying to console each other for their child was sick from a rare disease.

I witnessed this scene when I responded to a call from the Pedia ICU around 2:00 am on Christmas day. The child in the room looked very different from the first time we met. She had become pale and thin.  Her parents asked me to pray over their child. At that moment, no prayer came out of my lips.  I could only utter, “Lord, we don’t know what to ask you.”

The child herself groped for words.  With all her might, she struggled to tell her father this sweet chant: “God is good! All the time!”   Her father heard it and agreed with a nod and asked her to follow only Jesus.

The child had been confined for more than a month; the end was imminent at that moment. This was shown by the tears flowing from the mother’s eyes.  The father struggled to show strength in the midst of a seemingly hopeless situation. He held back his tears to assure her daughter that they were strong and would be alright whatever happens. Yes! God was their only hope at that time. They held on to their faith; they kept on saying the name of Jesus and thanking God for the opportunity to have had her in their lives.

The moment of final farewell arrived. There were no loud cries and overwhelming emotions from her loved ones. Even her sister just held her hand and cried silently. Her mother cried too and her father still tried to hold back his emotions.  When they came to the hospital, they prayed for her health but it seemed their prayer was not heard. Yet before their beloved left them, they sang songs of praise to God with music that was hard for them to harmonize. “Yahweh, I know you are near…” a song that the child sang full of faith. Even in that situation when God seemed so remote, she knew in her heart that God was very near her and her family. She encountered the Emmanuel, God with us, as she was being born in the bosom of God.

This Christmas is unforgettable for me; it has been a moment of grace. The family has taught me how to strengthen one’s faith amidst gloom. They continued to glorify God in a situation where praise seemed impossible. Faith was so strong in them.  Indeed, the real gift of God was present to every person in that silent room. The meaning of Christmas has been truly shown to us. The Emmanuel has truly pitched his tent among us. Indeed, God is very good… all the time!