We Are Like Babies in the Hands of God

In his regular column Fr Alvan Ibeh reflects on a tender encounter with a sleeping baby after Mass to illustrate how God invites us to rest in His loving hands with the same complete trust, peace, and dependence as a child in a parent’s arms.

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” — Isaiah 49:15

Something beautiful happened recently after one of our weekday Masses, and I would like to share it with you, as it inspired the reflection you are now reading.

On that particular morning, after I had finished celebrating Mass and was tidying up, a couple approached me to arrange their baby’s baptism. After we spoke, I asked where the baby was, and they told me she was with her grandmother, who had also attended Mass. I asked if they could bring her so I could meet her and offer a blessing. They gladly agreed and returned with the little one, who was fast asleep in her grandmother’s arms.

Much like Simeon in Luke 2:28, I gently took the child into my arms, closed my eyes, and prayed for her and her family. When I opened my eyes, I noticed that she was still sleeping peacefully — completely undisturbed, totally at rest. She hadn’t stirred once. And in that quiet moment, I sensed the Holy Spirit whispering a message to me: “This is exactly how I want you to be in My hands.”

I turned to the family and said, “You see how calm and relaxed your baby is in our arms? This is how we are in the hands of God when we trust Him completely.”

There is something profoundly comforting and deeply humbling about realising that, before God, we are like infants — helpless, dependent, and entirely in need of His care. Just as a baby relies entirely on a parent for nourishment, protection, warmth, and love, so too do we rely on God for every breath, every moment, every step.

Babies do not worry about the future. They are not anxious about the present. They simply rest, they cry, they trust — and yet they are always cared for. This is the kind of posture God desires from each of us: not childishness or ignorance, but childlike trust. Trust that is total and unwavering. Confidence not in ourselves, but in His unwavering love.

Jesus reminded us of this when He said, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). In His hands, we are safe. In His arms, we find peace — just as that baby did in mine. Even when life feels uncertain, God holds us like a loving Father, and He never lets go: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

The hands of God are both strong and tender. They formed us (Psalm 139:13), carry us (Isaiah 46:4), and hold us securely (John 10:28). As babies in His hands, we are constantly being shaped, guided, and loved — even when we don’t understand what He is doing or why.

So, like that peacefully sleeping child, may we rest today in the assurance that we are not in control — and we don’t need to be. We are held in the hands of the One who not only holds the universe but also knows and loves each one of us personally.

Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, teach me to rest in You like a baby in Your arms. Remind me daily that I am not forgotten, but cherished, nurtured, and carried by Your love. Help me to trust even when I do not understand, and to walk with You in simple, childlike faith. Amen.

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