LightGrams
August 1, 2024
Volume 28, Number 21
Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana Sheriff Gary “Stitch” Guillory stood before TV cameras on July 9, 2024 and spoke of “The Miracle Baby”. It’s hard to argue with his assessment.
The child’s 4-year-old brother’s body had been found a day earlier in a pond of an Interstate highway rest stop. It was quickly determined that a 1-year-old child was also in the family, but the mother was nowhere nearby. Fearing the worst, a search was launched to find the 1-year-old.
A truck driver spotted a baby crawling beside the highway, and alerted authorities. The child was picked up, and appeared to be in good health, other than bug bites. This young boy had spent two days and nights beside the highway, and endured storms that passed through the area during that time. The mother was later arrested and is being held pending further investigation.
My mind immediately turns to Ezekiel 16. In that passage God describes His love for Israel. It wasn’t based on Israel’s superior qualities when compared with other nations. Here’s what the Lord said in Ezekiel 16:4,5: “On the day you were born, your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. No eye pitied you … but you were thrown out into the open field …” What a sad picture of an abandoned newborn!
God continued: “And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’” (Ezekiel 16:6). It was God’s mercy and love that rescued the newborn Israel. God has compassion on those who are unable to help themselves, and who better fits that description than a young child?
The story of the “miracle baby” also reminds me of Matthew 18:10, where Jesus said, “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” Notice that Jesus said, “their angels”. Does that mean, as we have often heard in the past, that each child is assigned their own guardian angel at birth?
Consider Hebrews 1:14 as we ponder this question of angels guarding individuals: “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” The writer of Hebrews (we’re not sure who wrote the book) had been discussing the superiority of Jesus to angels. Angels are great, the writer admitted; they are sent forth to serve God’s people, including children who have not yet sinned. But Jesus is superior to even angels.
The Bible does not teach that each person has an assigned angel that follows them wherever they go (despite what the movie, “It’s A Wonderful Life”, presented). It does, however, show that angels are “sent forth to minister” to God’s people (the righteous and the innocent) in their needs. We don’t see or hear their activity around us, but clearly, they are active, and for that we thank God.
“The Miracle Baby”? I won’t dispute that title. Clearly, someone was watching over that helpless child for those two nights. He watches over His people constantly (see Psalm 33:18).
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2024, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “[email protected]” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
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