Just a few weeks ago, I realised I had to submit an important document for a fast approaching deadline. Much to my horror, I had no clue where I had put away that indispensable piece of paper. Panic mode set in.
I pulled out everything from the cupboards, shook out the perfectly folded sheets, looked under the table runners, peeked into planters, pored through mountains of paper, frantically called my husband at work to convince him that he may have ‘safely put away the papers’ (he didn’t fall for that one again!), unzipped every compartment of every handbag I owned, brought out the bookshelves, decluttered my crockery cupboard - what if I tucked in that paper along with the serving platters?
I tore the house apart, all the while mentally typing out an email requesting for a duplicate copy, which was a task in itself!
After a few hours of this fruitless searching, my son reminded me,
'Amma, why don’t you pray about it?'
Ah! Why didn't I think about this earlier? And just like that - we knelt down in that mess and prayed. 'Lord, please help us find this paper, we have no idea where else to look.' It was as simple as that!
And sure enough, a few minutes later, we found it - stapled to the back of another related document in the same file! In a flash of now-forgotten brilliance, I had stapled it together, so I would not lose the papers.
If only I had prayed in the first place, I am sure I would not have had to go through that torment and would not have had a mess to clean up.
That evening at our family prayer, I shared the details of the eventful day and this topped my gratitude list!
My daughter asked me, ‘Amma, why didn't you just pray in the first place?'
Her naive question helped me realise that I expected God to step in only in the ‘big things’, in the things I considered important or worth asking for help or guidance. The rest I thought I could figure out on my own!
But He is a God who is interested in every aspect of our lives. He tells us not to lean on our own understanding but in all our ways to acknowledge Him, and He will direct our paths.
We forget that the God Almighty is also the God of every small detail and that He is our ever-present help!
Yes, He is Alpha and Omega, yet He is Abba as well!
He is God from everlasting unto everlasting, yet He is also ever-present.
The mountains quake before Him, yet He can still our quaking hearts!
The earth is His footstool, yet He keeps our feet from falling.
He is the One who counts the number of stars, yet the very hairs on our heads have been divinely numbered.
His eyes run to and fro across the world, yet He does not slumber nor sleep as He watches over us.
He scoops up the oceans in the hollow of His hand, yet our names are written on the palm of His hand.
He spoke, and there was life, yet He knows our thoughts from afar and our words before they are even formed. Truly, such knowledge is too wonderful for me!
This is not to trivialise the almightiness of God, but to be humbled that the One who put the universe together has a place for us in His heart.
I pray that we be encouraged to acknowledge Him in the everyday tasks, seek His help in the habits we are trying to break or make, be assured of His magnificence in the mess, His calm in the chaos, His wisdom in our foolishness, His almightiness in our nothingness, His ever-present presence in the ordinary and mundane.
The Bible reminds us that He is not a God far off but a God near at hand.
Just a few days ago, my husband asked me if I remembered where we had put away a bunch of papers. Before I could even reply, the children were quick to chip in,
‘Why don't we pray first?'
I pray that this will be their instinctive response throughout their lives: to have the faith to pray about anything and everything.
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Out of the mouths of babes. Kudos for humbling yourself in the face of her innocence and faith.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
Thank you @ Tim Miskimen
Truly out of the mouths, His wisdom is revealed!
Agree with you @ Lee Jiajin… this is a verse I hope to put into practice every day!