God's Shade

“So the LORD God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant.” Jonah 4:6

It has been an extremely challenging month as caregiver to my father-in-law. As many people with Alzheimer’s suffer hallucinations, this has become the case with Bud. Along with these invisible events come anxiety, fear and frustration on the part of everyone. I believe that he fights sleep on some level to avoid dreams and the confusion of what is real and what is not. It has been exhausting, frustrating and heart-breaking to say the least. My husband and I are chronically fatigue but this week God supplied a plant to shade our discomfort.

The necessity for caregivers has certainly reached an all time high, and thanks to my father-in-law’s prudent financial decisions made many years ago we are able to employ these earthly angels. We are recipients of this comfort through no work of our own but the work of Bud’s hands many years ago. As he was growing a nest egg for his future God already knew this would be the plant that He would appoint to bring me and Bruce comfort. It would be the provision that would allow Bud to remain with us a little bit longer instead of going in a facility.

God appoints many comforts in all of our circumstances. He knows before our journey begins the calculated shade trees against which we will lean our weary bodies. We can be sure that God will equip us with everything required to get us through our seasons of suffering. He will not withhold anything from us but will supply us with everything required.

God is the source of our strength and His strength comes through many different paths. I praise God this morning for being the God of yesterday, today and every tomorrow.