Lesson # 1 God is a very present help in trouble

Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. 

God is our shelter.  Our refuge.  Our safe-haven. He is a “place” to go to where we can breathe a sigh of relief.  Breathe.  Not anxiously await the other shoe to drop.

And where did that saying come from?  Waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I have said it and I have felt the anxiety of it. 

It seems from a little research that it dates back to the days when wooden buildings had thin ceilings and you could hear nearly everything that happened upstairs.  When someone took off a show and dropped it on the floor, it made a clunk that might startle someone, especially at night.  If you were trying to sleep, you had to wait for the other shoe to drop to feel comfortable drifting back to sleep.    It has come to mean waiting for what comes next, if it seems inevitable. 

More bad news. Inevitable. Anxiety!  It is just a matter of “when”.  What a terrible way to live!

But when you have had a huge storm hit, I must say that human nature can lead to such thoughts.  I maybe never said it out load, but my mind whispered to my heart, When do you think the other shoe will drop?  If this could happen, what else will happen?

No wonder Jesus spoke so sternly about worry.  No wonder he got demanding in the face of fear.  Do not be afraid! Do not worry, Do not be discouraged!  No wonder he kept it simple… Be courageous! Take heart!, Peace, be still. 

God spoke directly to me through Russell the radiologist.  He looked me in the eye and said, “You are here for a reason.  You are here for a reason. God has a plan here. He is with you!” 

And sweet and gentle nurse Veronica switched on her mom voice and put on her sergeant face and said, “Don’t you forget who is in charge here.  Not you!  God is in control!” 

Both Russell and Veronica spoke to me as one speaks to a child who is beginning to show signs of panic.  They allowed God to speak through them. And God was not mincing words.  He said through them:  I am your shelter.  I am your strength.  I am your help in this trouble. In this present trouble- I am here. Now!  Got it?  

Got it!

He was a very real help.  Practical as the day is long.  We sometimes get the idea that God is all harps and cloud fluff.  Or we get the feeling that He is so far “out there” that He could not possibly care about our insignificant troubles.  But when they are your troubles, they are not insignificant!  And He says He knows the number of hairs on our head!  If something were insignificant, I would think hair counting would be right up at the top of the list.  But Jesus talked about it in the Bible.  He also mentions sparrows.  And lilies.  So perhaps if flowers and birds are that important, my life matters, too.

In Hawaii and back home, all through our ‘time of trouble’, God was in the details.  

He gave me a house.  Pedar and Lona opened up their home to me.  Lona just strolls up to third floor from her second floor post as a surgical nurse and offers a room in her house.  Every night I breathed a sigh of relief as I entered that shelter. My safe-haven.  My refuge.  Every morning a thermos of coffee greeted me.  God – a very present help in times of trouble!

He gave me a car.  The rental car was costing me hundreds of dollars a week.  And I barely drove 2 miles a day.  Norman walks into intensive care and asks if I could use a car.  He has one he stores for a couple of snowbirds.  They won’t be arriving to Hawaii until January.  And Norman doesn’t just drop off a car, he gives me a first-class tour of the town and all the ocean beaches I might like to return to if I have some time.  Details.  Small stuff, like directions to the ocean. 

He fed me. Sandwiches from Trish and Becky.  Lunch dates with Sharon. Lunch voucher from Theresa. Meals back home. More meals back home.  And Joanie organizing all that.

He clothed me.  Tony, who gave me a ride from Hilo International to Hilo Medical, returned to give me a ride to Wal-Mart.  Tony thought I might need some clothes and perhaps a toothbrush…and some other shoes besides clogs.  Barbara knitted me a pair of prayer socks.  16,000 stitches of prayer.  I wear them whenever I feel the need to have extra-sound footing.  And Kaitlyn and her mom crocheted Eric and me prayer shawls. There is nothing quite like wrapping yourself in a shawl that a whole McFarland Wisconsin church congregation prayed over. 

He sent money.  You cannot get more practical than a dollar bill.  God provided our family with abundant financial assistance.  Dave paid for Joe and Lily’s school lunches for the month of November.  My family (both sides) pooled money to send Bean on an airplane over Thanksgiving to be with Eric and me.  Sandy and Randy gave all their frequent flier miles to us for a first class trip home. Pedar and Lona dropped off some travel money.  Linda P and a slew of people pooled their resources and bought my children Christmas presents.  Jerry and Maxine made sure that my kids got some additional spending money. Michelle paid my traffic ticket in time for me not to lose my license!  And that is just scraping the surface.  Dozens of people donated to the trust fund.  Many anonymously.  Runners ran. Givers gave. Cookers cooked. Prayers prayed. Visitors visited. Cleaners cleaned. And Doers did. (you know who you are!)

I would have forgotten some of those details. Like my kids back home need lunch money- forgot!  My traffic ticket is due- forgot!  We will need a handicapped bathroom-and we don’t have one…oops, how will that work?  God responded the same as always, “I’ve got that covered”

And He used the good people around us- He used whoever would respond with a loving heart.  He did that for us.  He WILL DO THAT FOR YOU!  Just ask!