the SOCKLESS prophet

Last year, our youngest son was sick and my wife took him to the doctor. He has always been a “Daddy‘s boy,” wanting me close when he was sick or hurt. Unfortunately, our family had another crisis that day leaving me waiting for a repairman and unable to accompany them to the pediatrician.

At some point, my son called me from the doctor‘s office for no apparent reason. I never could understand why he called. He just chatted. When my wife picked up the phone, she said that he had insisted on “calling his daddy” for some courage before he received a shot. I later asked him what good it did to call me when I couldn‘t be there. Without looking up he said, “Hearing your voice reminds me that I will be okay…no matter what.”

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” promises God in the book of Isaiah, “and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you”(43:2). God never promises us that we will not face difficulties or hardships in life. Scripture is clear that troubles are part of life in this world. What God does promise us is that we will never be alone, and that we will not be over whelmed.

So often though we feel alone in the midst of these trials and hardships. But this Isaiah passage reminds us that God does not leave us alone. Many times we simply need to reach out and grab a hold to the extended hand of God. Remind ourselves of all the blessings God has placed in our paths, and all the promises God has kept. Sometimes we simply need to “Call our Father.”