When It Feels Like Trouble
Mornings baffle me. I stumble out of bed (eventually) confused and disoriented. It’s best to head straight to the shower or I’m likely to succumb to the temptation of my cozy bed once more.
But the other day I managed to keep moving and shortly after my triumph, I picked up my phone for the first real decision of the day: which app will be opened first?
Will it be FB? I have it ¨hidden¨ on page 2 of my phone, but does that slow me down? Rarely.
Will it be email? The number of unread messages is absurd.
What about my daily devotional? Yes, it requires two taps, but still: It’s. Right. There.
Triumph #2! Straight to the devotional and I was greeted with the verse I highlighted the day before:
God is our refuge and strength. An ever present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)
Mmmmm, a good one. The day before I had read Psalm 46 and soaked in all of the power and might of God. But today my eyes rested on that word ¨trouble.¨
Immediately I thought of my good friend and sister-in-Christ who had given birth to a baby girl just the day before. I knew she had leaned hard on the strength and help of God in the midst of her extra-eventful delivery.
Heidi had been laboring at home all morning, waiting out the early stuff until it was really time to head to the hospital. Baby #2’s early labor had lasted about 3 days (not kidding), so now with baby #3, she figured there was no need to rush. But then her labor surged ahead suddenly, and she found herself in the precarious condition of active labor right there in the hallway outside her bathroom. She was transitioning faster than the van could be packed and though she resisted the urge to push, that baby had no intentions of waiting. She cried out for help as her husband tried to ready a getaway vehicle. As she described the scene, and her panic, I could imagine her crying out to her God for the help she desperately needed. This was trouble. And He was her refuge and and strength.
It felt like trouble.
God, I cried out. You are my refuge and my strength. You are my help. I desperately need you.
In Heidi's circumstances, He delivered.
He provided her the necessary calm for her anxious racing heart;
a loving husband who kept his wits about him to deliver their baby girl at home, (right there in the hallway!);
and EMT's who arrived minutes later to relieve the overwhelmed new parents.
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| Tiny brand new baby girl and the servants God sent to help her be safe. Including Daddy (on the left) who delivered her.
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He had already provided the basic necessities I needed to function. Now I just needed to take a deep breath and consider the priorities He had led me to establish.
Yes there was a lot in front of me demanding my attention. 4 days until the start of a new school year for my kids and a new job for me.
But did that mean everything had to be done this minute?
No.
Deep breath.
Direct prayer.
And action.
This is one of the best things about our mighty but gentle, compassionate but fair, loving and gracious and merciful God: no matter how big or small our trouble, He is our ever present refuge and strength.
The help we need no matter what.
Whether you are scared to death you are about to deliver a baby in the hallway of your split-level ranch home, or you are feeling exhausted and overwhelmed with the current to-do list hovering over your calendar…
God is your refuge. You can go to Him. You can find safety and rest in His promises and His truths and His peace.
God is your strength. He can uplift you, He can enlighten you. He can provide you with professionals who can step in to bring aid.
He can build you up with His Words, His Sacraments, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
