New Article: Our Ever-present Help

After several years of cajoling, Sara and the girls got me to start watching the BBC’s remake of James Herriot’s “All Creatures Great and Small”. The story follows three veterinarians who work in rural England in the 1930s. It is very good. If you are interested, you can find it on Sunday nights on PBS.

Last week, Helen, the new wife of one of the vets was worrying about the coming war and about her husband, who seemed to be overworking himself. On top of that, she felt lost as she had left the family farm and had nothing to do in town. In short, she felt that her life was unravelling and that she had no control over it, or any way to put things back together again.

When the oldest veterinarian, Siegfried, saw her crying, he took her into the dining room and listened to her. When she was done, he said, “Helen, look at me. Everyone under this roof is in my care. Do you understand me?” She smiled, thanked him, and went on her way.

As I watched that scene, it struck me that none of Helen’s problems had changed, but she felt better because she heard the words that we all need to hear: You are not alone!

That is my greatest problem. I think and act as though I have no help and that I must handle all of my stress and trouble by myself. That is not true, though.

Psalm 46 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (verse 1). A refuge is a safe place, like a fortress. We have God’s strength within us through his Spirit. That his help is “ever-present” means that he is always watching, guiding and ready to help. There is never a moment when that is not true. To be sure, as the end of the verse says, trouble will come, but we are not alone. God knows, loves and cares about us.

The end of the Psalm says, “Be still and know that I am God” (verse 10). “Be still” does not mean “do nothing”. Rather, it means, “Calm down! Everything is being looked after”.

That is a message worth remembering and sharing.

Comments

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly. https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s

Consider This: What is so Great About Grace?

If you were to drive by our house, you would see that Sara loves plants. Our yard is full of flowers, and Sara lovingly tends every one of them. Which is why I was so afraid when she left town and put me in charge of keeping things alive. She must have been a little concerned, too, because she sent me two videos with specific instructions on how to water, when to water, and what to do. Honestly, those first two videos helped, but the third one she sent was the one I liked most. In that one, she said, “Please do your best. I want the yard to look good for the family reunion in two weeks. However, if something dies, we will dig it out and pretend that it never existed!” That is what grace looks like! Try your best, do what you can, but if it goes wrong, it will be ok. Sometimes we talk as though grace and effort are opposites. That is not true. They are partners. In one place, scripture asks, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone c...

Consider This: Press The Button!

Consider This: Press the Button! My favourite TV game show is Jeopardy. I used to like it even more when my kids were younger, because I could easily beat them and look smart. These days, after they have grown up and gone to university, it is much more difficult. However, Jeopardy is still the only game show I will watch. In a book I read, a contestant who did very well on the show shared the secret to his success. He said (and I am paraphrasing here), “You must press the button before you know the answer. Everyone on Jeopardy is smart. Everyone knows the answer. The key to winning is to act. You must jump in and press the button, assuming that your brain will catch up and supply the answer. If you wait until you are sure, you will be too late!” Press the button! Too often, we hesitate, not because we do not know what to do, but because we do not want to do it. Sometimes, we fail to act because we are not sure how the situatio...

Consider this

Subscribe

Get new posts by email:

Search This Blog