Daily Devotion
Baby Plans
By Jeanette Levellie
"I want another baby."
My boss's wife, Cindy adored their soon-to-be-teen daughter and son, but longed for a wee one to nurture. For months, Lance resisted her pleas. "Cindy, we have the perfect family: a boy and a girl. Let's be content with that. Besides, I'll be forty in a year. I don't want people thinking I'm my kid's grandfather at her high school graduation."
Cindy was undaunted. Bit by "the baby bug," she persisted in her heart's desire for one more child.
Finally, Lance concocted a plan he was sure would discourage her. "All right, we can try one last time. But it must be a girl, she must be born before my 40th birthday, and you need to have her on a Saturday, so I don't have to take off work to go to the hospital with you."
"Agreed," said Cindy, humming to herself as she thumbed through a Babies R Us catalog.
Nine months later, Lance jolted awake when a finger gouged him in the rib. "Are you ready to go have this baby?" said Cindy. That afternoon, Tiffany June made her appearance. It was a Saturday, August 12, 1999, two days before Lance's 40th birthday.
When Lance related this story to me, I asked him if Cindy had prayed that he agree to another baby, or about the timing of Tiffany's birth. "Not that I know of," he said.
What? This really messes with my theology. I want people to have exactly what they want, when they want it, only if they have asked God for it. I certainly don't believe luck had anything to do with Tiffany's birth, so that leaves only one other answer: God did this as a favor to Lance and Cindy, simply because He loves them and wanted to bless them. Period.
Why does this bother me? Because I want my teeter-totter balanced. If I obey the Lord and honor Him with my life, I can expect Him to answer outrageous prayers like a girl baby born on a certain day before her daddy's 40th birthday. But if someone who wants something a specific way gets it without even asking God, what does that tell me?
Not what you might think. Not that it doesn't pay to serve God, or that we shouldn't pray for what we want and need, but simply this: God is God—He can do whatever He wants. And I believe it tickled Him to give Lance and Cindy exactly what they wanted, because He likes to make people happy. He is a good God who does good things for everyone, not only those who ask. After all, "He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45 NIV)." In this case, the sunshine and rain were in the form of a baby!
If God gave someone the desire of their heart when they didn't even ask Him, how much more would He give us who "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16, NIV)"?
Kind of makes you want to expect a lot more out of Him, doesn't it?
Copyright © Jeanette E. Levellie, 2013, used with permission.
More on this topic ...
Related Links:
Can God change your life?
God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life.
Discover how you can find peace with God.
You can also send us your prayer requests
A spunky pastor’s wife of 30-plus years, Jeanette Levellie is a mother, grandmother, and cat lover. She authors a humor/inspirational column in her local newspaper, and is a prolific writer and speaker. Jeanette has published magazine articles, stories in anthologies, Devotions, greeting card verses, and calendar poems. Jeanette’s debut humor/inspirational book, Two Scoops of Grace with Chuckles on Top, published April, 2012, by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. Find her mirthful musings at www.jeanettelevellie.com
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
CBN IS HERE FOR YOU!
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting?
Are you facing a difficult situation?
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
|