He Knows His Children
Written by Corey Thompson
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Matthew 6:8
It was about this time last year that we got news of my mom’s cancer diagnosis. It came in slow trickles of information–bad numbers on blood tests, something strange on an ultrasound--not at all like you see in the movies where a doctor sits you down to tell you that you have stage 3c ovarian cancer. When this news came, I was devastated. I was terrified.
But as her chemotherapy started, as she underwent a twelve-hour surgery, as she spent weeks in the hospital, I suddenly found that I could not pray about any of it. Maybe it was the bigness of what I wanted to ask for in my prayers. Or maybe it was the guilt that I wanted God to save my mother when so many other people have lost theirs. Whatever the cause, for the first time in my life I had no words to offer to God. He felt very, very far away.
But my community was not. Hope came to me through text messages from friends. Peace came in photos of dogs and babies. True, bone-deep care came through meals with my roommates. I have never in my life felt so carried by the community of believers around me. During those dark months when I could not pray, they did it for me. God knew I could not do it on my own.
Months later, in the height of summer, I went home for a visit. I grew up on Catalina Island so you can imagine what a joy and privilege it is to go home. I took a trip to my favorite beach in the interior of the island. It was a perfect day, with a clear blue sky, a warm breeze, and hardly any other people. I remember thinking, “this is the first deep breath I have taken in months.”
I waded into the water and suddenly felt something grasp the back of my ankle. Initially, I thought maybe some seaweed had gotten tangled around me. While the feeling wasn’t painful or aggressive, it seemed to have intent. I looked down to see a small octopus holding onto me. It was the most pleasant surprise; a sweet “hello” from creation. To be honest, it felt holy.
I’m sure there are some reading this that will find this encounter too “woo-woo,” but I know there are others who have met God over and over again through His creation. What was impactful about this encounter for me was that it felt tailor-made. God knows I seek Him in His creation, and so he spoke to me through it.
While these snippets from the last year are quite different, their lesson was the same. Our God is a multi-dimensional God who meets his people in multi-faceted ways. Like a good parent knows the intricacies of each child, our God knew how to reach out to me when I could not reach out to Him. Through the fellowship of believers and through the wonder of creation, I pray that each of us has eyes to see the ways in which God loves us all so personally.
But as her chemotherapy started, as she underwent a twelve-hour surgery, as she spent weeks in the hospital, I suddenly found that I could not pray about any of it. Maybe it was the bigness of what I wanted to ask for in my prayers. Or maybe it was the guilt that I wanted God to save my mother when so many other people have lost theirs. Whatever the cause, for the first time in my life I had no words to offer to God. He felt very, very far away.
But my community was not. Hope came to me through text messages from friends. Peace came in photos of dogs and babies. True, bone-deep care came through meals with my roommates. I have never in my life felt so carried by the community of believers around me. During those dark months when I could not pray, they did it for me. God knew I could not do it on my own.
Months later, in the height of summer, I went home for a visit. I grew up on Catalina Island so you can imagine what a joy and privilege it is to go home. I took a trip to my favorite beach in the interior of the island. It was a perfect day, with a clear blue sky, a warm breeze, and hardly any other people. I remember thinking, “this is the first deep breath I have taken in months.”
I waded into the water and suddenly felt something grasp the back of my ankle. Initially, I thought maybe some seaweed had gotten tangled around me. While the feeling wasn’t painful or aggressive, it seemed to have intent. I looked down to see a small octopus holding onto me. It was the most pleasant surprise; a sweet “hello” from creation. To be honest, it felt holy.
I’m sure there are some reading this that will find this encounter too “woo-woo,” but I know there are others who have met God over and over again through His creation. What was impactful about this encounter for me was that it felt tailor-made. God knows I seek Him in His creation, and so he spoke to me through it.
While these snippets from the last year are quite different, their lesson was the same. Our God is a multi-dimensional God who meets his people in multi-faceted ways. Like a good parent knows the intricacies of each child, our God knew how to reach out to me when I could not reach out to Him. Through the fellowship of believers and through the wonder of creation, I pray that each of us has eyes to see the ways in which God loves us all so personally.
Reflective Question for the Day
In what surprising ways has God met your needs this year?
How does this reflect his personal knowledge of you?
Corey Thompson looks forward to baking Potato Wiggles every year at Christmas. This German pastry recipe has been passed down through her mother’s family (somewhere along the way the actual German name was lost, but Wiggles is probably better anyway). Her most memorable Christmas gift was Samantha, a coveted and pricey American Girl doll, whose bangs she promptly cut. This year she enjoyed reading Hello Beautiful, The Sea of Tranquility and Remarkably Bright Creatures (whose main protagonist is an Octopus, of course).