Déjà Vu
By Ruth Davidson
Just about everybody has had a déjà vu at one time or another. They come in all shapes and sizes, sometimes insignificant but sometimes very special! They often remind us of wonderful things from our past. I particularly like how they seem to come when we least expect them, and I’ve often wondered if some of my déjà vus are planted by the Lord. I’d like to think so! It makes sense to me that He would enjoy using our own experiences of things we’ve “already seen” or experienced in our past to bring something to our memory.
Recently I experienced a déjà vu, and I believe it was the Lord who engineered it. It happened as I stepped out of the shower and grazed my knee on a stool. Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t have thought much about it. I felt no pain, but the inner side of my knee started bleeding profusely and it took me some time to bandage it. It was a busy day and I had a lot to do, so scraping my knee was an inconvenience which slowed me down, and I didn’t like that.
My déjà vu began as I was calming down from this little accident. I realized my scrape wasn’t such a big deal; however, we were taking extra precautionary measures after the recent Hurricane Harvey and its contaminated waters everywhere. Even though it was an inconvenience, I was reminded to trust the Lord in all things. Right then a scripture came into my mind, almost in an audible voice, and I heard, “It is the Lord; let Him do what seemeth Him good.” My first thought was, “How could any good come out of this?” But as I repeated the first part of that scripture, “It is the Lord,” it completely calmed me and gave me reassurance.
I love how one verse in the Bible can lead down many paths and labyrinths. I like to cross-reference verses or look up the surrounding verses, and for me sometimes it’s like solving a riddle or putting the pieces of a puzzle together, or better yet, like stringing a necklace of pearls together as I search for the right application for my situation. I sat down and began searching where in the Bible that verse came from. And then I found it! It was in 1 Samuel 3:18, and as I was reading through the chapter, my déjà vu kicked in full force. I was suddenly transported to a time 47 years earlier when I not only read this same chapter, but also desperately claimed the words in these verses for my unborn child!
My husband and I were living in Los Angeles doing mission work. In our line of work, we saw answers to prayer every day, and there was no shortage of testimonies of lives changed by Jesus. One day the two of us assisted in the delivery of a baby which was so special. The atmosphere was bathed in prayer and faith, and we could almost feel the presence of angels, even though we couldn’t see them. It was such a beautiful and spiritual experience, and as I looked at my husband I knew it was his heart’s desire to have a son. However, two months prior I had suffered a miscarriage, and having already had two children, I wondered if I would be able to bear another child. My health had been somewhat destabilized from the removal of a cyst and my right ovary. For this reason, I was not sure if I was strong enough to bear another child. Nevertheless, I sent up a secret prayer and a wish to the Lord, much like Hannah in 1 Samuel, in the hopes that He would hear my plea and grant my wish in spite of this potential hindrance.
Not long after my prayer and wish came the first confirmation. I arrived early at our usual morning prayer meeting, and while sitting waiting, one of our co-workers, endowed with the gift of prophecy, came over to me, closed his eyes, gently placed his hand on my head, and said, “And thou shalt bring forth a man child.” I was stunned and pleasantly surprised! My response revealed my amazement, “You mean I’m pregnant?” Without hesitation and with conviction he answered, “That’s what the Lord said!”
From that moment on, I acted on that promise and took it as a direct communication from the Lord to me. I changed my normal fast-paced schedule and took things more in stride in preparation for the months ahead. Reflecting again on 1 Samuel 1:27, which says, “For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him,” I was infused with faith. I now had a precedent in the Bible to refer to, and my situation seemed to coincide with Hannah’s in the Bible. These verses gave me the faith to pray for a child. Our joy was indescribable when my pregnancy was confirmed!
When I was a few months into my pregnancy, I was preparing to go to the beach with a witnessing group, but I began bleeding. I quickly returned to my room, picked up one of my favorite books, The Hem of His Garment, and lay down and read it from cover to cover. The faith-building words from this little devotional book gave me an added measure of courage to believe what He had already promised. Being restricted to bed for a short while was a small price to pay for the fulfillment of our dream.
When the time came, our baby boy was born naturally, full-term and in perfect health. We named him Nathanael. He was beyond our wildest expectations… everything and more than we had hoped for!
I believe every birth is a miracle in its own way. What could be more wonderful than the birth of a child? And what can it be compared to? Only God can make a flower, a sunset, a blade of grass, and the most precious of all: a baby! I have marveled at every birth and have personally had the privilege of witnessing many a baby’s entry into the world. Babies cry when they first come into the world, but I also cried tears of joy each time I witnessed a birth, including the birth of my own children. Just think, we are made in God’s image and likeness—what else could it be but a miracle of His creation!
So, the little scrape on my knee that took me on this unexpected déjà vu back in time to remember my own personal 1 Samuel story was worth the trouble. To confirm what the poet William Cowper wrote: “God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. He plants His footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm.”
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