The older I get, the more I turn to God and give thanks for the things that happen in my life. When I was younger, I used to reach out to God most of the time when I needed something and asked for help. By the way, that’s okay to do… One of the simplest prayers in the Bible is from a woman whose daughter was suffering and the mother pleaded with Jesus, “Lord, help me…” Her cry was one of desperation and I have been in that place many times myself. But it shouldn’t be the only time that we reach out to the Father and His Son.
As I continue to grow in my own faith, I live my life looking for evidences of God on a daily basis. Sure, there are times, rather frequently in fact, when I face obstacle after obstacle and wonder when things are going to get better. In fact, almost a week ago, I went through one of those frustrating times. I became disheartened over something and was reaching the point of giving up on a positive outcome.
Then, yesterday, our kitchen sink got stopped up and I spend two frustrating hours trying to get water to run down the drain. It was very disconcerting. I made several calls to the hardware store and other people who I trusted to give me great advice. Well, the end of the story is that it finally all came together. The drain issue was resolved, the beef jerky I was making with our grandson, Drew, came out fine, and the other issue I had almost given up on in the beginning of the week came through in the middle of all the other trials.
There, in the midst of almost certain defeat, everything smoothly came to fruition. I immediately gave thanks to God… That’s the way I tend to do things these days. And I didn’t just thank God once – I thanked Him for each of the positive outcomes that I had experienced.
I guess that I haven’t really noticed throughout the years how subtle the change has come. I vividly remember asking for help many times; in fact, I still do. But I also used to say to God, under my breath, of course, “Thank you, Lord. I can take it from here…” I think that it must have been a control sort of thing and as I look back on it, the truth of the matter is that I can’t do anything on my own. It’s all God…
Today, by chance, I happened to be speaking to a young friend of mine who works at the local pet store. He asked about my background and I kept finding myself referencing how many times in my life I felt that God had directed my steps. It feels very natural to profess how important God is, and has been, in guiding my life.
Our verse for tonight is an entire psalm. You’ll probably recognize the opening verse or two but the psalm gives us great insight as to how God looks after us. The psalmist tells us, in Psalm 121:1-7, “I lift up 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. The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
My encouragement this evening is that God loves watching over us and being a part of our daily lives. In fact, life is so much more rewarding when we look for those evidences of God all around us – and live our lives accordingly. My prayer is that we will all invite God to be more present in our lives; and that we will celebrate and give thanks for all those times that we recognize His hand delivering our successes. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…