The Heartbeat in the NICU

In neonatal intensive care units, nurses have long observed a phenomenon they call kangaroo care. When a premature infant — tiny, struggling, hooked to monitors that beep with every irregular heartbeat — is lifted from the isolette and placed skin-to-skin against a parent's bare chest, something remarkable happens. Within minutes, the baby's erratic heart rhythm begins to steady. Breathing deepens. Temperature stabilizes. The monitors quiet down.

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center discovered that the infant's heart rate actually synchronizes with the parent's. The baby's fragile, fluttering rhythm locks onto the strong, steady beat of the one holding them close. No medication. No surgical intervention. Just proximity. Just presence. Just the warmth of someone whose love is fierce enough to hold still.

This is the picture Zephaniah paints of God. "The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love." Notice — God does not quiet us with a lecture or a list of instructions. He quiets us with His love. He draws near. He holds us to His chest. And in His presence, our erratic, anxious hearts begin to find their rhythm again.

You may feel like that premature infant today — small, struggling, monitors blaring. But the Almighty has drawn you close. And His heartbeat is steady enough for both of you.