God is in his holy Temple.
He is a father to orphans
,and he defends the widows.
God gives the lonely a home.
He leads prisoners out with joy,
but those who turn against God will live in a dry land.—Psalm 68:5-6
If a dam (mother cow) does not bond with her calf immediately after birth, there’s a good chance she will reject it. In the case of twins, it is not uncommon for the dam to reject one twin while bonding with the other. If this occurs, the owner usually rescues the rejected twin, removing it from the herd and placing it in the safety of a barn where the twin is then bottle fed until mature enough to be returned to the pasture.
This is what happened with a twin born earlier this year on the farm where I live.
When my daughter, Rebekah, and her two sons, my grandsons, came to visit, I told them about the rejected calf, now bottle fed by my sister-in-law Katie. Hoping to get a glimpse of the process, we walked to the barn at the time we thought the calf would be fed. Unfortunately, Katie had finished and was cleaning up, but she called the twin over to the fence so we could see her, “Come here, Terry.”
The calf moved toward Katie at the sound of her voice. Katie reached out and stroked her muzzle. It was clear that Terry had bonded with Katie; she trusted her. When we tried to do the same, Terry shied away.
We chatted while we visited. Katie told us that as soon as Terry is big enough, she will be placed in the petting zoo at a nearby farm. “How did you know the farm was looking for a cow?” I asked.
She explained that my farmer brother, her husband, also a tractor tire mechanic, had been called to repair a tire on that farm and the subject came up in conversation. We were delighted to hear of Terry’s good fortune.
As we walked away, Rebekah remarked, “Terry was abandoned and rejected by her mother, but now think of all the love and affection she will get at the petting zoo!”
I agreed.
“What would have happened to her otherwise?” Rebekah asked.
“Well, cows are raised here for beef,” I said.
“Then she cheated death twice!”
“Yes, she did,” I responded, all the while thinking about God.
How many of us have ever felt abandoned or rejected? Perhaps not by our mothers, but by others. How many have been excluded, cast aside, uninvited?
God knows our pain. He sees our broken heart.
“You have seen it; yes, you have taken note of trouble and grief and placed them under your control. The victim entrusts himself to you. You alone have been the helper of orphans” (Psalm 20:14).
We can trust God, for He loves us more than we could ever imagine. Let us draw near to Him, and He will draw near to us (James 4:8). He will rescue us and bring us comfort and nourishment.
Like the farmers who planned a promising future for Terry, God has planned one for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11). Through our acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior, we have the promise of new life here on earth and eternal life in our heavenly home. Death has lost its grip.
Dear God, thank You for seeing my pain. I submit my life to You and trust You to work all things out for my good (Romans 8:28). You are my helper and my rescue. Thank You for inviting me and including me in Your family. I rest in Your everlasting arms and am nourished by the truth of Your Word. May Your will be done in my life today. Amen.
