A Man's Hand

 

I have set the Lord always before me:

because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. . . .

Thou wilt shew me the path of life:

in thy presence is fullness of joy;

at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

                                                  -- Psalm 16:8, 11

 

She's a beautiful woman in her mid-20s. Her two little girls are miniatures, with big, brown eyes and raven hair.

 

At first, I thought she was their babysitter, she looks so young. But now that I'm getting to know her, though, I can see the stress lines already forming on her face.

 

She was with a man for seven years. He fathered the two girls. But he won't marry her and doesn't want them.

 

Never should have gotten herself in this predicament? She knows. How well she knows! She loved him sooooo much. She thought he would take responsibility, become her husband, accept his family.

 

But he won't. He is, in the words of the ancient scholars, a poop.

 

After a recent birthday party, in all innocence, a dad who didn't know about the home situation offered a silly party hat to one of the girls. "Take this home. I bet your daddy would put it on for you!"

 

She looked up at him solemnly: "I haven't got a daddy."

 

It was heart-wrenching. But it's reality.

 

So now this single mother has full-time school and a part-time job, trying to make ends meet, with the girls in school and day care. If it weren't for her mother and several faithful friends, she could never pull it off.

 

Her mother, her friends . . . and Jesus. She's confused and afraid sometimes . . . but she has faith.

 

Every night, they have a quiet time, just Mommy and the two girls. They light a candle to make it special. They read a couple of Bible verses. They pray.

 

Privately, she is prayed out. Is He the one You have for me, Lord? Then why won't he marry me? If He's not the one, then why did You let me fall in love with him and have children with him? And if He's not the one, where IS the one? I need him. We need him!

 

So far, no answer. It's not time yet.

 

One night not long ago, during the family devotional, the older daughter asked, "Mommy? How do I know Jesus will always be with me?"

 

 "Well, Honey," she remembers saying, "I guess He'll show you."

 

They went to bed.

 

Long about dawn, the young mother was dreaming. She dreamt that she was walking down a sidewalk, and then started up some stairs. At the top of the stairs was a house. Inside the front door was the father of her two children.

 

She mounted the steps, but all of a sudden became aware that there was another man next to her, holding her hand. Her future husband? They stopped. She became aware that this was no mere man. This was Jesus Christ. She could feel His hand gently but firmly guiding her. With her hand in His, they turned and walked back down the stairs.

 

Poof! That was the end of the dream. She awoke, knowing that it was His way of showing her that He was with her. He would show her what to do. The father of her daughters was not going to be her husband. She should stop trying to make him something he was not.

 

She was free! Free to find her true love -- someone else.

 

It was 5:30 a.m., but she wasn't a bit tired. Suddenly, she heard an immense amount of singing. Angels? A heavenly chorus celebrating her revelation?

 

No. It was just birds - lots and lots of birds in the ravine behind her apartment.

 

She smiled. Angels, nonetheless. They were singing, along with her heart.

 

Just then, her older daughter rushed in.

 

"Mommy! Mommy! I dreamed that Jesus was holding me! He showed me He was real! Just like you said!"

 

They hugged. Tears flowed.

 

He had made a promise, and He had kept it. And He always would. They needed to know that, so badly.

 

Hand in hand, feeling loved, honored and cherished, they faced the new day. †