Eliana Noah

Last Saturday, I attended a memorial service for a co-worker's stillborn baby. Amanda and I used to tutor together at HLC quite a bit, and she and her husband, Charlie, lived in our apartment complex until last month. It had been a while since I had seen her though, and I was shocked to hear she had been pregnant. I was heartbroken to hear such sad news about such sweet, godly people.

It was an honor to be present at the service. Two other co-workers and I went together. Although we were several rows back and to the right, I could see Amanda during the service. I watched her whole-heartedly sing "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" and "It Is Well With My Soul" with the rest of us. And after her husband and father-in-law spoke, I watched her sing "You Are God Alone" and "Blessed Be Your Name"; it was obvious she meant every word, even though her pain is real and great and deep.

After the first two songs, two members of the youth group read Isaiah 55:8-11 and Lamentations 3:22-24. (Charlie is the church's youth pastor.) Charlie made his way up to speak next. Even though they were about halfway through the pregnancy, their baby was not developing on schedule, and they never got to find out if they were having a boy or a girl. Charlie explained this when he explained the name they had chosen: Eliana, a girl's name, and Noah, a boy's name. Eliana means "He has answered our prayer" in Hebrew, and Noah means "comfort". What a testimony that name is! Although God did not "answer their prayer" in the way they had hoped, God still answered. In His infinite wisdom and perfect plan, He knew what He was doing when he formed Eliana Noah. He knew what He was doing when He took Eliana Noah home. And in knowing that, Amanda and Charlie are comforted.

Charlie also read a letter he had written to their baby. He spoke of all the things he wanted to teach her if she had been a girl and of all things he would have taught him if he were a boy. He also spoke of what he would have taught his child either way. He wanted to teach him/her about the goodness of our Lord, and how great He is, and how He is near to us in the good times and the hard times, and how God created everything, and how He had sent his son to die for our sins. He wanted to teach his child how he/she could depend on God for anything and everything.

Instead, Eliana Noah has reminded Charlie and Amanda of these truths because Eliana Noah knows God in a way we cannot...in a way we can only hope for...until we are there, too.