By Chris Plekenpol

What an exciting week it has been for the Plekenpol family. Tuesday morning at 9:51am, Austin Lee Felton Plekenpol joined the land of the living! The doctor unwrapped the umbilical cord from around his neck, pulled Austin out of Adrienne and we all rejoiced. However, the morning was fraught with drama. At around 5am Adrienne’s water broke. The pain came and she cried out for the epidural. Around 8am, Baby Austin struggled as his heart rate went way down with every contraction. The nurses were frantic, thinking it was time for an emergency C-Section. As the father to be with no medical training, I just watched the nurses worry and started to mirror their concern.

But I do have training in trusting God. I have been through the school of hard knocks of watching God show up just in time, time and time again. He’s really good at that. A part of me wonders if he loves the drama just so that He can get more of the glory. It could also be that if God didn’t need to intervene, I wouldn’t see my need for God.

God knew that about me, my tendency to forget. That’s why I love this verse: “And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, ‘I have asked for him from the Lord.”(1 Samuel 1:20). Hannah had been praying. God didn’t come through for her to have a son after her first or second prayer. However, Hannah’s persistent prayer activated His will in verse 19. God remembered and answered. How many other mothers were just mothers. There was no heartache and there was no deep need for God to come through.

When Samuel was born, Hannah dedicated him to the Lord’s service and he became a great leader in Israel. I sometimes wonder if Hannah conceived like all the other mothers in Israel if there would be that same sense of dedication. If there would be that same deep gratitude to God for coming through, in due time. If Samuel would have recognized his calling.

What do you take for granted that robs you of your deep dependence on God? What in your life makes you see how great a need you have for God? Have you thanked God lately for coming through in His time? How many times did your plane land safely? Your job looked elsewhere to downsize? The cop for some reason pulled someone else over? You had a little too much to drink, but got behind the wheel anyway and made it home safe?

Are you trusting Him to come through in His time?