The Father's Aching Heart
Being held in the arms of Love
I remember as a little girl praying for years—I mean YEARS that God would give me a sister. When Jesus invited the disciples to have faith like a child1—that was me. We would sit at family prayer times in my bedroom every night, kneeling against the bed, and my words would form to beckon the God of the universe to provide me a little reprieve from the three brothers surrounding me!
So here I now find myself, at thirty-five years old, with a sister who is almost exactly ten years younger than me. I prayed for many years, and one clear day in August—those prayers were answered with a yes. I will never forget the day I learned she was born and held her in my arms—it was a gift to my heart and has been every day since.
As my own mind and body are preparing to welcome another baby sister for our family into this world, my sweet sister—Moriah Lemoine is going to share her heart and soul with you today in this space. It is such a honor to have her share reflections and hope with you today.
May you be offered a space of rest and knowing in her words today.
May you be invited to slowly notice the movements of God already present in your life.
May you hold the truth that you are deeply loved and held in the heart of our Father.
Hi there,
My name is Moriah and I am Brianna’s favorite little sister.
I can say that because I’m her only little sister… Just for a little intro about me—I’m married to my best friend; we live in Québec, Canada (yes, I am now bilingual); I have my master’s degree in Athletic Training and I worked at the best high school with the best student athletes for two years. Last but not least, I’m now a new mama to our little guy Félix and am transitioning to being a stay-at-home mom.
Over the past few months, I’ve started to learn and see how God’s heart is towards us—His children. He is our Heavenly Father, but he also has many tender, maternal characteristics.
One day, a month or so ago, I was trying to get my boy to sleep and he was not having it. I naturally get quite overwhelmed and overstimulated when my baby won’t stop crying because I just want to fix it. I don’t want him to be uncomfortable. On this day, a thought popped into my head,
If my heart aches this much when my son cries, how much more does God’s heart ache when He sees us cry?
Many times in my life, I’ve felt like my son—uncomfortable, sad, frustrated, angry, exhausted, etc. and I know God is there but my pain doesn’t go away. The tears and the sobs don’t stop. The feelings of loneliness don’t stop. I think that God doesn’t care—that He’s just looking down at me wishing I would stop “overreacting.”
On this day though, while trying to comfort my crying baby, I saw a glimpse of how much God’s heart aches for us when He sees us in pain. Psalms 56:8 TPT says,
“You’ve kept track of all my wandering and my weeping. You’ve stored my many tears in your bottle—not one will be lost. For they are all recorded in your book of remembrance.”
Not one tear will be lost.
I wish I realized this truth about God in my season of processing a miscarriage this past year. As a Christian, I knew that God is good and everything is for His glory, but in that moment, I just needed to know my pain was seen by Him.
There are seasons He needs to lead us through, which are going to be uncomfortable. He is not a father who just gives us everything we want—He gives us what we need. He doesn’t take pleasure in seeing us in pain, instead, tears stream down his face with us2.
Many times, we won’t see or know the reason(s) for our pain and trials, but there’s one thing I now know—during moments and seasons of pain and fear He is holding us tighter and closer than any mama could ever hold her crying baby.
Friend, if you are in a season right now of pain and tears, know that God’s heart is aching for you. May you find comfort today in knowing that God is a parent whose arms are wide open, longing to hold and comfort your tired and weary soul.
With love,
Moriah
Substack always offers their writers the option to open up for paid subscriptions. I know many writers on this platform offer this to their subscribers, but for me, I hope to always keep what I offer here in this space free of charge. My husband and I serve in support-based missions work in diaspora ministry, specifically in refugee care. If you want to support my writing—you could give a one-time or recurring donation to our ministry and that would be a huge blessing.
Matthew 18:3
John 11:35 TPT
Brianna, your sister is a gem. Thanks for sharing her with us! Moriah, I am sorry for your loss and praising God for how He has walked with you through a tragic season and grown your faith (and your family!).
This is beautiful, Moriah. 🥹 The basis of your story and thoughts make me think of Jonathan and Melissa Helser’s “Cultivate” books. If you haven’t read any of them, they focus on connecting to the Father in our emotions, and how they are truly a gift to us, since He’ll meet us there. they’re amazing if you haven’t read them!!