The Baker's Present

“He is a father to the fatherless.” — from Psalm 68

As more and more orphans came to live with George, there were more and more mouths to feed. And sometimes the food very nearly ran out.

One morning was as hard as any. There was only enough food for that single day. The kind woman who cooked for the boys had just two small coins left, and she stood there wondering: should she spend them on bread, or on meat? There wasn’t enough for both.

And right then — knock, knock — the baker came to the door. But he hadn’t come to be paid. He had come to give. He left three big loaves of fresh bread as a present, just like that!

George noticed something, looking back over all these days. He wrote it down so he wouldn’t forget: the help always came before there was real hunger. God never once let the children actually go without. He was never late.

The Bible calls God “a father to the fatherless” — which means God is like a good, loving dad to children who have no dad. Those orphans had no fathers of their own. But they had the very best Father, watching over every single meal.

God is a good Father to you too. He sees what you need, and he is never late.

Dear God, thank you for being a loving Father who never forgets me. Help me trust that you are always right on time. Amen.