Friday, February 29, 2008

An Ever Present Help

"I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me." Psalm 120:1

We've been in a foul mood this week at our house. I think most of it is just the fact that it's winter, and we're at the point where we've had enough of winter, and we're ready for the rejuvenation of spring. We're ready for the new to start and not just in a weather sense. We also know that there are changes ahead for Andy's job, and for our spiritual lives as a whole. We both feel that God's been preparing us for a new challenge, and we're just ready to get to whatever it is. It was easy at the beginning of the year to look forward to getting to the point of newness. For a while we just kind of floated on that expectation, and prayed often about it, so that when the time came for change, we didn't miss the opportunity that we were waiting for.

Except that I think we got so caught up in waiting for something new that we forgot about the present. And this last week we've just been crabby in our daily selves- tired of waiting, and ready to move on already. It's so hard to wholly place ones self in God's hands and submit to His authority and His timing. We need to remember that eagerness we felt at the beginning of the year and hold to that. While we are in a state of waiting- at a plateau so to speak, we can still remember what we've learned so far. I think of those who perhaps started a diet with the beginning of the new year. By now, they may have seen a few pounds shed, but it takes time to get to one's goal. Time and persistence. In the same way, with the spiritual "diet" we've been on, we need to be persistent, or we will go back to our old ways. We began the year with vigor, and as an example, took wholeheartedly to the challenge of reading through the Bible this year. That vigor has vanished in the last few weeks.

So today, I am turning to David, and remembering what he has done in times of trouble. He simply turned to the ever-present help. He turned to God and cried out for help. And God answers. God gives us the help we need- the shot in the arm to get us through to the next stage. I need to remember that. God is there, and I can call on Him with anything, and He will help us through.

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