Help

I lift my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. ->Psalm 121:1-4

Powerful!  Encouraging!  Wonderful!  The above verses are part of our theme verses for this school year.  If you don't know, I homeschool my four children.  The last couple of years I have prayerfully picked verses or a chapter of the Bible to memorize with my students and use as our theme for the year.  This year the chapter is Psalm 121.  A great passage for all of us to consider and even to memorize if it speaks to us.  There are some struggles happening in our family right now.  And we need to remember where our help comes from.  There's no doubt in these verses about where our help comes from.  It clearly states that our help comes from the Lord.  And not only did the psalmist tell us that tidbit but also that the Lord is the Maker of heaven and earth.  The Maker!  Not just an apprentice, but the head Maker himself.  Wow!  We have the Maker of heaven and earth on our side...helping us.  Us!  So cool!  Truly beyond cool!  There's more though.  That isn't the end of it.  Although it could be and it would be amazingly precious.  The next thing we learn is that the Maker isn't going to let us slip.  Now, for those in Minnesota, you might be thinking that ice is a real issue come winter.  But I think this is slightly different than that kind of slipping.  I think (I haven't done any deep digging yet so don't quote me on this) that here the reference is a bit broader than a slip on the ice.  More a reference to life's road...the path set out for us.  He isn't going to let us slip when we are focusing on Him.  And He isn't sleeping on the job either.  No slumbering, no sleeping.  Just good, old-fashioned watching.  Like the nights when you got home late from the big football game or the trip downtown to the concert you HAD to go to and mom or dad was still waiting up.  They were making sure you arrived safely.  They were a little representation of the Maker on those nights.  They had to watch out for you.  That was in the manual that arrived at your birth or adoption into the family.  Yeah, you never saw the manual, but it was there.  So when we are searching for help...lifting our eyes to the hills to find the help we are in need of, we need to remember that the Lord (the Maker of heaven and earth...the Creator of everything (including YOU)) is there watching, waiting.  He's ever ready to help you when you call upon Him.  He is your protector, your provider, your guide, your champion, your confidant.  There's no need to continue the search.  You have found the One who calms storms, heals the sick, comforts the brokenhearted.  What a divine discovery!  It's no mistake.  No mistake!  You have found the ultimate power source.  Plug into it.  Read the Bible.  Study it.  Pray the Word over yourself, your spouse, and each of your children.  Your help is there in the stories of Jonah and Sarah and Ruth and Esther and David and so many others.  The woman with the issue of blood, the blind man, the dead girl, and countless others.  Not only in the pages of the Bible, but in the testimony of friends and acquaintances that have been touched by the miracles of God...little or big.  Ask.  Listen.  Hear.  Learn.
Friends, I pray that you will look to the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, your Creator, when you are in need of help.  He loves you beyond measure.  You are one of the many amazing expressions of Himself.  You were knit together.  You are fearfully and wonderfully made.  You are NOT a mistake.  You are a blessing.  You have a gift in you given you by your Father.  Don't hide it!  Use it!  Share it!  Glorify God through the use of your gift.  Blessings, friends!