Long before it's time for Michael to eat, I fill a small syringe with the
prescribed amount of the medicine he takes to help control his acid reflux.
Next, I fill a nursing bottle with a measured amount of water and set the
powdered baby formula beside it so that, when it's time for Michael to eat, all
I have to do is add the powder to the water and shake it well.
If Michael is really hungry when he wakes up from his nap, I'm sure he thinks
I'm never going to feed him. You see, I have to give him his medicine at least
15 minutes before giving him his bottle.
While we wait, I change his diaper and then carry him around the house. When we
stop to look in the mirror, he seems surprised that that baby has a Nana who
looks just like his. He likes to look out the window and watch the birds eating
from their feeders at the end of the deck. Sometimes we go outside and stroll
around on the driveway.
But as his hunger increases, he tires of all that and begins to "fuss" at me for
not getting his bottle ready. He's too young (3 months) to understand that I'm
totally aware of his needs and that I have everything all set for his feeding.
Although he may think I'm either unaware of or else unconcerned about what's
happening to him, I am neither of those. Actually, while he was still sleeping
and blissfully unaware of the hunger sensations that he would soon experience, I
had already anticipated his need and prepared to meet it.
As I reflect on that, I recall what David said to God: "O LORD, you have
examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or
stand up. You know my every thought when far away. You chart the path ahead of
me and tell me where to stop and rest. You know what I am going to say even
before I say it, LORD. You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of
blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to
know!" (Psalm 139:1-6).
That same God who knew David so intimately also knows every thing there is to
know about you and me. Again and again, He says to us, "Call to Me, and I will
answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know"
(Jeremiah 33:3, New American Standard Bible).
Those words thrill me. And I rejoice over them all the more when I read that
same promise in the Amplified Bible: "Call to Me, and I will answer you and show
you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know—do not
distinguish and recognize, [do not] have knowledge of and understand." (Although
that translation is a bit wordy, I like the shades of meaning it brings out.)
As I reflect on those words, I realize anew how much like baby Michael we adults
are. Most of the time we are completely oblivious to what God is doing,
completely oblivious to the way He watches over us, completely oblivious to how
He prepares to meet our needs even before they become apparent to us.
Because we can't figure out what's really going on, we, like Michael, often
"fuss" about God's care of us. We assume He does not love us. We assume that He
has failed to see what's going on. Sometimes we wonder if He is able to do what
we need.
But the God who lovingly and faithfully nurtures us is the same God who watched
over David. Therefore, we must learn to trust Him completely, as David did, even
when circumstances might cause us to doubt him.
Johnnie Ann Burgess Gaskill,
mailto:jgaskill@charter.net.
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.