NOVEMBER 19, Psalm 56:3

Beth lay back on her inflatable raft. Her brother grinned at her. “I’m going to pop your float,” he threatened. “You’ll sink.”

“No, I won’t,” Beth said. “My life jacket will hold me up.” “What if I take the life jacket away?” Dylan teased.

“It still won’t matter,” Beth insisted boldly. “This is the shallow end and the water only reaches up to my waist.”

“I might pick you up and dunk you under,” taunted Dylan. Beth grinned and pointed to Mom sitting at the side of the pool. “With Mom there, I’ll be just fine,” she said. “Grandma’s coming to stay with you for a while,” said Mom. “You know Dad hasn’t felt very good lately. He just called from work to say he is feeling worse, so I’m going to pick him up and take him to the hospital emergency room. You be extremely good, okay?”

Beth and Dylan nodded. “Sure, Mom,” Dylan answered. “We will.” Mom was gone for quite a while, and when she returned home, Dad was not with her. He had been admitted to the hospital. “What’s wrong with Dad?” asked Beth anxiously. “We don’t know for sure yet,” replied Mom. “Hopefully, it’s nothing serious.”

“I don’t want him to be sick,” Beth whispered. “I don’t, either,” Mom said, hugging Beth. Dylan felt nervous, too. “What if it’s really serious?” he asked. “Are you scared, Mom?”

“Sometimes I am,” admitted Mom, “but I’m thankful to know that Dad – and each of us – will be okay because we’re in God’s hands. We’ll pray for Dad, and we need to trust God to take care of him.” “If something’s terribly wrong, how could that ever be okay?” asked Dylan.

“Earlier today, I heard you teasing your sister in the pool,” Mom reminded him, “but Beth knew that no matter what you did, she’d still be okay because I was there and would take care of her. However, I can’t take care of you both forever, but we can have absolute confidence that God is with us and will take care of us. No matter how hard the circumstances, or even how painful the outcome, we can trust Him. We’re safe in His hands.”

Thought: Has something happened that makes you feel sad or scared? Is someone you love very ill? Has one of your parents lost a job? Trust God – for He will provide.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please remind me that whatever my troubles are, Jesus knows all about them. He’s right there with me, and He loves me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.