We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Eph. 6:12
Well, this is my first post baby post. After an unexpected C-section and an extended stay in NICU, I finally made it home with a healthy baby girl. I was anxious to recover, catch up on a week’s worth of lost of sleep and some uninterrupted snuggle time with my baby.
That was my expectation. However something else was on the books for me. That would be two major parenting dilemmas. Sin came to my house. To my children.
For several days I have been tormented on how to deal with it. I have been riddled with anxiety. I have lost sleep. I have been sick with worry. These are my children and they are in danger. They have been exposed to sin. They have been attacked by the enemy. They are just children and they need my help.
I have been trying to employ all the wisdom I have. I have been trying to find the right answers. I have been trying to protect, cope and reconcile all this mess on my own. And you know what- it’s not working.
It’s not working because this mess is bigger than me. I have realized in this season that I am not the first parent who has felt helpless and hopeless. Here’s a few:
- There was a government official in nearby Capernaum whose son was very sick. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son, who was about to die. John 4:46-47
- As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt before him. “My daughter has just died,” he said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her.” Mt. 9:18
- Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit, and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter. Mk. 7:25-26
- A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son.” Mt. 17:14-15
These parents were helpless and hopeless. They were overwhelmed and desperate. I am too. I am desperate. I am overwhelmed with the challenges facing my children. But there is a greater reality. Jesus is not.
So today I need to follow in the steps of those moms and dads. Their stories were preserved for a reason. In their desperation they clung to their last and only hope. Jesus. Then fell before him and called on him to do what he does. I need to drop my children at his feet and watch him heal their sickness, to cast out their demons and bring life back where there is death. He did great things when these parents stood in the gap for their children. He will do great things when I stand in the gap for mine.
Oh, and we named the new baby Amitiah “God is faithful.” She is my reminder that he is just that.
There is no greater warrior than a mother protecting her child. – N.K. Jemisin
