God’s care – Michele Huey

^“Consider the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” —Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 6:26 NIV

My son and grandson were riding along a country road one Sunday years ago when they spied a yellow-plumed bird alongside the road—a lone cockatiel, apparently abandoned. When they got home and told Rachael, she made them go back and get it. Never mind that their house was home to two dogs and two cats, not to mention the horse, pony, goat and chickens in the barn.

“How could you leave it there all by itself?” she chastised them.

And so “Lulu’ became a temporary member of the household. Fortunately (for my son, who did not want to add another member to the menagerie), Rachael found someone willing to give Lulu a permanent home.

“Aren’t you afraid it’ll fly away?” I asked when Rachael brought Lulu up for me to see.

“Her wings are clipped,” Rachael explained. “She can’t fly.”

How would she have escaped a predator if she couldn’t wing her way to safety?

The next day Rachael brought Lulu to visit again. “I found a home for her.” One of the teachers at my grandson’s school wanted her.

“But we’re going to keep her for a week.”

I could tell she wanted to keep Lulu. For a brief, shining moment I did, too.

Imagine—going from unwanted to wanted in a day.

Finding Lulu reminded me of an important truth—that God will never abandon us.

“Never will I leave you,” He promises. “Never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands,” God assures us in Isaiah 49:15–16.

There are times you may feel abandoned, alongside a lonely country road or a busy thoroughfare of life. Cars pass you, occupants glance at you. But no one stops. Even God has forsaken you, you think. He doesn’t care.

But you’re wrong. Just because you don’t sense His presence doesn’t mean God isn’t with you. Cling to the promises He gives you in His Word.

“What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin?” Jesus said. “But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows” (Matthew 10:29–31 NLT).

Repeat to yourself: “I am valuable to God.”

And never forget it.

When I feel as though You’ve abandoned me, Lord, remind me of Your promise: “Surely I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). Amen.

Read and meditate on Matthew 6:25–26.

The fruit of the Spirit is love . . . – Galatians 5:23(RSV)

We love, because He first loved us. – 1 John 4:19 (RSV)

At first I thought I had a flat tire. I was on my way to Johnstown to take my college-age son to the doctor’s. He’d called earlier, asking me what my schedule was for the day.

“I have a list of things to do,” I said. “Why?”

“Never mind,” he mumbled.

Turns out he needed a ride to the doctor’s office because he couldn’t shake a weeks-long bout with congestion and persistent coughing, and his car was in the repair shop—that is, Dad’s repair shop, with possibly a blown motor. My husband had driven to Johnstown two days earlier to bring it home and, hopefully, fix it or get it fixed. At our expense, of course. Most college kids don’t have the money it takes to fix cars. At least, ours doesn’t. He barely had enough to keep it running.

So I put aside my do-list, gathered the makings of homemade chicken soup, stuffed my checkbook in my purse, and headed for Johnstown. That’s what parents do.

It was on the other side of Northern Cambria that I heard the whoomp-whoomp-whoomp. I pulled over, put on the four-ways, and got out. None of the tires, though, were flat. But as I walked in front of my 11-year-old Explorer, which boasts nearly 164,000 miles, I heard what sounded like little stones hitting the inside of the hood. I checked the gauges—all were showing normal readings. The sound soon ceased, and, after checking the gauges again and listening to the engine, which sounded like it always does, I was on my way.

That evening, with half a tank of gas less than I had before my unexpected trip and $57 more on my credit card (for medicine—that’s what parents do), I arrived home. My husband popped the hood, examined the engine, then came and got me.

“Look.” He pointed to the belt that runs the engine and just about everything else.

It was split in half—but lengthwise. Although half the belt was twisted up and useless, the other half still held, running the engine and getting me home safely.

“You ran on prayer. He scratched his head. “I don’t know how that held.”

Or how the broken half didn’t twist around the motor, stopping everything.

I grinned.

“My Father,” I said, the warm fuzzy reaching from my heart to my lips, “takes good care of me.”

You see, that’s what parents do.

Dear God, thank You for Your awesome love for and care of me. It’s exceedingly abundantly above all I can ask or imagine. Amen.

Read and reflect on 1 John 4:7–21.

For more on God’s love, read Romans 8: 31-39; Ephesians 3:17-20; Psalm 139; Psalm 103:11; Isaiah 43:4 … gee, the entire Bible is filled with His love for us!

Michele Huey

Tag: God’s care

Finding Lulu

That’s What Parents Do

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