Who’s Crying?
While Brian and I have eight kids, his brother and sister-in-law have none. One thing my brother-in-law finds endlessly fascinating is the who’s-crying-now game. When one of our children come crying into the house, before we can even see them, we can tell who it is. My husband is particularly good at this game, but any parent knows that you become attuned to the sound of your children’s voices and even their cries. What amazes me, is it even works with twins. When one of the twins are crying, I can tell with about 80% accuracy which one it is. (Just before I wrote this, one of the twins was crawling up the stairs to me, followed by her older sister, and I could tell who it was just from the sounds of her crawling and the soft noises she was making with her voice as she crawled.)
In the Good Shepherd dialog, Jesus tells us, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me.” (John 10:27). Another passage compares our Heavenly Father with earthly fathers who know how to care for their children, “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?” (Luke 11:13) If we can learn to respond to His voice, how much better, then, can our loving Father recognize each one of our cries? I participated in the bringing forth of each of my children, but God created every cell of their bodies. Each one is completely unique, a new creation. He alone sustains their very lives, constantly keeping each one in His thoughts, without which any of us would vanish in the blink of an eye.
Isn’t it comforting that there is One who knows us so well, loves us even when we are unlovable, and wills our existence whether we please or disappoint Him? I don’t always know what He desires of me, what His plans may be for me, or even who He really created me to be. But I can trust Him, just as my children know that I know them and will only what is good for them, and depend on me to know how to care for them.
I often think of David and his angry fist raised psalms. Not only did God love him through all of that but took those words, inspired by his Holy Spirit and had them find their way into the Canon.
Yes! David, man after God’s own heart, wasn’t afraid to be honest with God about the hand he was dealt.