When A Promise of God is Revealed in a Preemie Nursery

Containing.

A phrase used by the occupational therapist in the preemie nursery where our tiny granddaughter worked hard to learn important things.

Breathing. Eating. Growing.

In order for her mind not to focus on non-essentials, the parents were instructed to hold her in such a way that she believed she was still in the womb.

Snug. Protected. Secure.

Contained.

Not only were hands positioned to hold her closely, but one hand was placed on her head with light pressure, to simulate the placement of the pelvic bone as if she was still awaiting the transition to all she had ever known to what she could not possibly imagine.

When I walked in on the parents holding their daughter for the first time, I was brought back to the psalm I had prayed when the decision was made to deliver via c-section six weeks early.

In the waiting room, I had prayed Psalm 139 to the God who creates in secret. To the One who knits together all that cannot be unraveled in the darkness of a womb. In the hidden place where only He can see.

For You formed my inward parts;

You wove me in my mother’s womb.

My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret.  Psalm 139: 13, 15.

And the fear that threatened to swallow me whole had diminished in the remembering of the promises of a God who is omniscient, but also omnipresent.

All Knowing. All Wise. All Seeing.

Yes.

But also All Present.

All present to my fear. My prayer. My longing.

In that moment, I realized my granddaughter was not the only one who was contained.

Are you transitioning from all you have known to what you cannot possibly imagine? Are you feeling lost and alone? Afraid?

Be encouraged.

You are held securely. A hand before. Behind. Above.

You are contained.

You have enclosed me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. Psalm 139:5-6b

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ABOUT LYNNE HARTKE I share stories of courage, beauty, and belonging--belonging to family, to community, and to a loving God.  I am author of Under a Desert Sky: Redefining Hope, Beauty, and Faith in the Hardest Places. I teach an online writing workshop: Reclaim Your Scattered Story: A 6-week Online Writing Workshop for Those Touched by Cancer.  Each month, I also teach in-person at Ironwood Cancer and Research Center in Chandler, AZ and at Cancer Support Community Arizona in Phoenix. If cancer has touched your life, check out a free printable: Dear Friend Who Was Diagnosed with Cancer, and a tutorial on creating courage flowers, with a download of courage paper.