Several days ago, one of the children in our church family went missing. She disappeared while playing with her kitten. She had gone outside to play; and 30 minutes later, she was gone.

The child’s older sister stayed on the phone with her grandmother as she and the grandfather sped toward the house to aid in the search. (Aren’t we grateful for cell phones?)

The police were called, and a search party was organized. The older sister was frantic because “bad things happen when little girls disappear like that.” Nothing could calm her, and nothing could convince her that her little sister would be found.

In a short time, they found the little girl. She had started toward the house of her little friend just a few doors from her own house. On the way, she encountered some dogs that ran toward her barking. Every house she attempted to approach had a dog—one that ran at her barking. The child was terrified of the dogs, so she kept running.

When the older child was told that her sister had been found, her response was profound. She said, “I just want to hug God.”

When I heard this story, I thought about how amazing this response was. It verified for me how important it is to teach children about the awesomeness of our heavenly Father.

There are those mentioned in the Bible that make me wonder if they felt the same way. One of the first stories that comes to my mind is that of Abraham. God told Abraham, “Take now thy son, thine only son Issac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Genesis 22:2).

This man had waited so long for the son God had promised him, and now he is being asked by God Himself to offer this child as a sacrifice. Don’t you know that Abraham was distraught?

If you remember the story, you know that when Abraham was ready to raise his knife to kill Isaac, an angel called to him and told him not to harm the child. Do you think Abraham wanted to hug God?

Jacob, grandson of Abraham, fathered 12 sons and a daughter. Of all his sons, Joseph was his favorite because he was the son of his old age (Genesis 37:3).

Joseph’s brothers resented him, and they devised a plan to kill him. Reuben, the oldest, talked them into putting Joseph into a pit. Soon a group of Ishmeelites came along, and Judah, another brother, talked them into selling Joseph. They told their father that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.

Joseph ended up in Egypt, and he eventually became second to Pharaoh. He saved the country from a great famine and was reunited with his brothers and his father. Do you think Jacob wanted to hug God when he discovered that the son he thought was dead was really alive?

In the book of Exodus, an Israelite woman of the house of Levi had a child and hid him 3 months because King Pharaoh had commanded that all boys born to the Israelites should be thrown in the river.

This woman put her 3-month old son into a basket and floated him in the river, hoping that in some way he would be safe. His sister watched as the basket floated along the river, and the child was finally rescued by the daughter of Pharaoh. Instead of drowning the baby, this princess of Egypt took the child into the palace and raised him as her own son. Through the providence of God, the child’s own mother was chosen to nurse and care for him.

Do you suppose that Jochebed wanted to hug God for saving her son? Do you think Miriam, his sister, wanted to hug God when she was able to convince the daughter of Pharaoh to let her find a nurse for her little brother?

I know that hugging God is not in the text of any of these stories. I know that this older sister in my story could not physically hug God. I also know that we face challenges today that seem desperate. We feel lost and alone, just as these men and women from scripture must have felt.

Abraham had faith that God would provide for their sacrifice, and He did. Jochebed had faith the Moses would be safe in the basket, and he was. Neither one could be sure that things would turn out the way they wanted.

Jacob thought his son was dead, but God had a plan. Neither Jacob nor Joseph, nor Joseph’s brothers could have anticipated the outcome of Joseph’s being sold into Egypt.

I Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.” Prayer can be our source of strength as we face the difficulties of life, just as prayer was prevalent in the lives of our Biblical examples.

Not everything is going to turn out the way we want it. Even in our sorrow, when things don’t work out, let’s hope that we will always want to hug God.

Sandra Oliver