March 30, 2025 Devo

I read a beautiful story this past week about a firefighter from New Mexico who desperately wanted a child. For 15 years he and his wife tried and tried, but they were unable to conceive. Then one day this past February, the alarm went off at the fire station where he worked. But it wasn’t the fire alarm. It was the alarm from the Safe Haven Baby Box—the place where someone could safely and anonymously place a child they didn’t want. The firefighter knew as soon as he saw the baby boy that he wanted to be his dad. The courts agreed. The firefighter and his wife gave the baby boy the middle name Gracen because they believed this unwanted child was a gift of God’s grace to them.
When I read our passage for today, I thought of this story and how many people I’ve talked to through the years who grew up feeling unwanted and unloved. Even if their parents never left them at a fire station, they still felt like a burden or a mistake. Maybe some of you can relate to that feeling.
But David reminds us that even though our own parents may abandon us, there is One who never will. On the day that you were born, God had the very same thought that the firefighter did. He knew He wanted to be your Father! You were the most precious thing that He had ever seen. He immediately had plans for you and dreams for you. And He wanted to hold you close to His Heart.
Unwanted. Abandoned. Alone. Are those words you’ve said or feelings you’ve had lately? It may be the way you feel, and it may even be the way that some people have treated you in your life. But don’t you dare let these words or feelings define you. You ARE wanted. You ARE desired. Let the God who created you draw you near today and remind you how precious you are and how dearly you’re loved. You are no longer unwanted, abandoned, or all alone. Let God affirm to you who you REALLY are. You’re HIS. That’s God’s Word for you today.