child:
noun, plural chil·dren.
a person between birth and full growth; a boy or girl:books for children.
a son or daughter:All my children are married.
a baby or infant.
a human fetus.
a childish person:He's such a child about money.
a descendant:a child of an ancient breed.
any person or thing regarded as the product or result of particular agencies, influences, etc.:Abstract art is a child of the 20th century.
a person regarded as conditioned or marked by a given circumstance, situation, etc.:a child of poverty; a child of famine.
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All different shapes and sizes. Some short; some towering. Some well fed; some hungry. Red, yellow, black, white. Some brand new; some geriatric. Some happy; some mad; some frightened; some just enjoying the moment.
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I learned something very important this week, and I actually struggle to put it into words. My grandson was upset; very upset. (Keep in mind that he's almost two, so his criteria for being upset is all over the map. I refuse to refer to that stage in life as "terrible twos"; however, we were trying to FaceTime recently and he was pre-tantrum because the view HE was seeing was not the large version of HIM. Who wants to see grandma's big face anyhow??? ) But I digress. When my grandson is sad and upset, every adult in his life is sad and upset, and we want his little world to be happy. And this time he had every reason to be sad and upset, which was really breaking this grandma's heart.
So I started trying to make some sense of the situation. I read in Genesis of the account of when Abraham, because of Sarah's wishes, had cast out Hagar and her young son (Ishmael) into the desert. Soon their water ran out, so Hagar put the child under a shrub, out of the hot sun. Then the story takes a really sad turn. Hagar distanced herself from her child because she did not want to see him die. I'm not sure of the child's age, but I can only imagine how very scared and betrayed he must have felt. But then these verses just jumped right out at me. (Genesis 21:17, 20) "God heard the voice of the lad", (verse 17; and "God was with the lad", (verse 20). This was the exact reminder that I needed; God has heard my precious grandson's voice and He is with him. And if that wasn't enough reassurance for me, Romans 8:26 says, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." My grandbaby was crying and unable to voice his fears to the adults in his life, but God knew!! And I know that God will always hear and will always help, even though sometimes it may be hard for us to see His divine plan, especially when we've been in the desert.
The story of Hagar and the child is full of all kinds of twists and turns and drama, much like our own lives sometimes. But God had a plan. An angel called out to Hagar out of Heaven and told HER not to be afraid because God had heard the voice of THE LAD. She was waiting to die; she was convinced her child would also die. The angel had delivered amazing news, just in the nick of time! The Bible does not mention any prayers that Hagar might have prayed; all we know for sure is that God heard the voice of the lad, and that God was with the lad. The angel went on to tell Hagar that God would make the child a great nation. So you see, God had a plan for this child, in spite of the actions of Abraham and Sarah and Hagar.
Sometimes we, too, feel like a child who has been cast out into the desert. As "children", our first reaction to a troubling situation might be to throw our own version of a temper tantrum. My knee-jerk reactions almost always involve tears, whether the situation is good, bad or ugly. I've watched our grandbaby in situations where the only thing he knew to do was just lay on the floor and kick. I've felt like doing that a few times. Children sometimes will tell a version of the truth that they think you want to hear. And when we really think about it, isn't this the way that we sometimes present ourselves to God? If we're in situations over our head, do we cry, or kick, or try to lie because the real truth is too ugly to take to God? Don't forget that just because we don't talk to God about our problems, He has known from the beginning of time exactly how every second of our lives would play out. And why would we not want to talk to our loving Heavenly Father about each and every detail of our lives? It would sure save us a lot of heartache. We might not hear an angel calling to us out of Heaven, but rest assured that God has a plan.
So, my friend, crawl out from underneath that bush in your desert. God has heard you and He has a plan!
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"God heard the voice of the lad."
Genesis 21:17
