"My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my stronghold, my sure defense. I shall not be defeated." (Psalm 62:1-2)

Oops. You caught me at the desk in my study, shaking. At this very moment, our daughter, Jessica, is having a very difficult time with the labor and delivery of her first baby. She cried on the phone that she couldn't last any longer. It’s been 28 hours; contractions have been 1 minute apart since hour number 10. By the time you read this, we will all know the rest of the story, but right now, with the panic of a mother tiger whose cub is far away, I'm pacing. I'm biting my fingernails like I'm nibbling at corn on the cob. I'm so jittery that I can barely focus on what I'm writing. I'm angry that I can’t protect her. I'm scared that something bad will happen.

So – here’s the big question for us all: What IS God doing when we are in a bind? When the lifeboat springs a leak? When the rip cord snaps? When the last penny is gone before the last bill is paid? Well, I told you at this moment what I'm doing, and it isn't pretty.

But what does GOD do?

He fights for us. He steps into the ring and points us to our corner and takes over in our boxing match. "Remain calm; the Lord will fight for you," said Moses. (Exodus 14:14)

His job is to fight. His job is to protect our daughter and her little baby. My job is to trust. Just trust. Not direct. Or question my job is to pray and wait. (No one ever said that it would be easy to be a Christian, or a mother, for that matter, right?) But as I pause to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-18), I notice that I don’t feel quite so overwhelmed. My breathing is slowing slightly and my heart is not pounding quite so fast. Pray and wait. Trust God is fighting for us. God is fighting for you.

P. S. The rest of the story is that we now have a new baby granddaughter, Fiona Noel Cannaday. While Jessica had some medical complications, Fiona is doing well. We’re grateful for your prayers as they, Jessi, Charlie, and Fiona, come home from the hospital in a few more days.