How Can I Help?

I awoke one night recently and immediately sought the Lord. My heart was troubled and I wondered if He might use me to make some difference in the world. In my communion with Him I asked, “How can I help?” His response was clear as He assured me to simply rest in Him.

It’s been a long, hard winter, many could say. Not in temperature or weather related events, but in life itself. Difficulties have mired us down in fear, worry, and despair. We need a deep breath of fresh spring air, the sight of trees budding forth new life, and the sound of birds chirping. We need hope.

My Journey to Try to Help

It was a journey I’d taken many weeks at this point. My trips contained more than a goal, much more. Though they were to offer aid elsewhere, they provided solace, uninterrupted time to converse with God, and an open space in which to soak in His revelations.

Talking to Jesus as I went, I questioned my emotions of the previous week. I was in a funk, a sensitive pattern that was odd for me. I was hurting for others who were struggling, even though God had told me to let go. I had lifted them up in prayer and was helping where I could, but their journeys truly were between them and God. They were not mine.

The Hidden Majesty

I glanced up as I drove. The mighty and majestic snow-encrusted mountain peak of Mount Washington, the highest mountain in the Northeastern United States, was breathtaking in all its crisp, white glory. Even its ice covered buildings jutting above the rock resembled an adornment fit for royalty. However while driving east, the impressive view quickly disappeared behind a ridge closer in proximity.

Had it left? Had the mountain evaporated or disintegrated? No. Just like God, no matter what obscures our view, we must stand on faith that He is always there, whether we see Him or not. He is immovable and ever present.

My journey continued, just as God’s soothing of my spirit and encouragement persisted. Crawford Notch was busy. As the day was heading toward expected record warmth for February, many hikers and tourists were making the most of it.

It never gets old, driving through the crevice at the base of mountainous walls. The trees display twisted character born of harsh conditions, and the ice that encases the steep mountainsides on this day was melting fast.

Though Not Always Seen, God is Present and Working

As I dipped deeper into the valley, rock faces above kept me in a state of awe. They were easily viewed through the bare branches of trees that still awaited a stronger sense of spring. I realized that the views presently enjoyed would not be visible when I take this same journey a few months from now. The leaves will have pushed forth, filling in the roadsides and blocking the scene of what is not far beyond.

Again, God reminded me that no matter what obscures my view, though it may shield what is there, it cannot remove what I know. Our Lord is always there, present, and working.

Miracles Are Not the Help We Expect

Those people that I can’t seem to help: those I love who are in need, the innocent people throughout the world experiencing tragedies of their own; are in the hands of our Lord. And I surrender the worry, for such fear implies in error that God is not present.

Miracles come in the form of revelation, relationship, and the presence of God realized. Miracles are not necessarily material comforts or financial security. The things of this world are nothing compared to the glory of God touching us deep within and imparting His peace when none seems possible.

God Is The Help Needed

It is God who must be the strength of those who are being challenged. It is God who sees the future and can guide displaced footsteps. And it’s God who can comfort the frightened and distraught. His Spirit IS the miracle that can be distributed to those who seek Him.

As He has comforted me in times of tragedy and imparted to me the miracle of life in union with Him, I pray this also for you. I acknowledge now that I can be of help by resting in Him. Not only does it lift the burden from me, but the peace it fills me with may be of encouragement to someone else in need of help…His help.

God’s peace,

Rebecca