A Helping Hand
Four years ago, I was at the bank transferring money to pay for an expensive drug my daughter needed the next day for her chemotherapy treatment. As I was about to drive off the lot, my phone rang. It was my brother, hysterical, explaining through sobs that our sister died.
Her death was sudden and unexpected, and the shock of it, coupled with the weight that was already on my mind, sent my emotions into a tailspin.
Forcing myself to remain calm, I assured my brother I’d be on the next flight to Pittsburgh. I hung up the phone, stared over the steering wheel into the busy street, and felt physically disabled, incapable of collecting a thought or action.
I don’t know how long I sat there, suspended in a debilitating fog, but the next thing I remember is being startled by a knock at the window. It was a man, with a compassionate smile, trying to tell me something. I put the window down to hear him.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
I became aware that I was crying and trying to catch my breath.
“Why don’t you pull over,” he suggested. I must have hesitated because he offered reassurance. “I’m here to help you, not hurt you.”
He stepped into the street, stopped traffic, and directed me to circle back into the parking lot. He returned to my car window and spoke the most comforting words: “I was driving by, and God told me to stop and help you.”
God’s love and help came to me through human hands, at the exact moment I needed it.
The man introduced himself as Shawn, and he gently coached me through breathing exercises, held my shaking hands, and patiently listened as the painful details poured out of me in jagged breaths. He found my phone, called the emergency contact number, and arranged to get me home.
This experience reminds me that we are human and have physical and emotional limitations. Our strength is not perfect. But God’s is. And we are never far from his help and comforting presence.
Are you in need of help today? Is something happening in your life that is threatening your peace of mind? Are you desperate for a rescue in some area of your life? We can depend upon God for help – he provides an untiring watch over our lives, and he promises to be our sure help in times of need.
God may not remove your troubles and suffering, but he always provides a way through them. In Isaiah 50:7, there’s a two-word prayer that I love and whisper often, and it’s easy to remember: “Help me.”
Psalm 121: 1-2: | I look up to the mountains – does my help come from there? No, my help comes from the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth.
Wanna pray?
God, when our strength fails and we are in need, we can call to you for help, and you’ll hear our voices. Thank you that we can seek you through prayer anytime, anywhere. You promise to meet us where we’re at, and walk alongside us, offering help. You are faithful and true to your promises.