“For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you’” (Is. 41:13).

Since my daughter’s stroke, it has been more difficult for her to ride her bike, but her therapist recommends that she keep at it. The other day when I was trying to persuade her to ride, she told me that, since she had fallen off of her bike during her previous ride, she was afraid to get back on it. I explained to her that I would walk right beside her, and she didn’t need to be afraid.

After I helped her put her helmet on, I asked her if she wanted to wear elbow pads or anything else that would help her feel safer. “It’s okay, Mom,” she replied. “If I fall, I know you will catch me.”

In that moment, it was as if I heard God saying to me, “Claire, when you fall, I will hold you up and help you.” The Christian life is built on God’s promises to walk with us even in the most painful experiences in our lives, reminding us of the gift of salvation and our eternal life where there will be no pain or sorrow. This gift has been made available by Christ’s death and resurrection. This is what we call the Good News, and it needs to be shared in Ireland. For the Irish, with their high rate of depression and suicide, this is a relevant message. Jesus wants them to know the many Bible promises of how He holds all of them in His hands and how special they are to Him. He wants to bring them a message of healing, hope, freedom and salvation.

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