I cannot speak for everyone, but I believe that all of us go through tough times. I am talking about those times that are like having the chair kicked out from under you while changing a ceiling light. The situation where you are lying on your back looking up wondering what just happened. So where do we turn during those times? Our culture would encourage us to seek a secular specialist. There is nothing wrong with that, but we often forget that they can only take us so far. The Bible reminds us that our real source of help is found in our Creator.
King David, a man that faced many of those times (and some were of his own making,) asked the same question when he was dazed and wondering just happened, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?” (Psalm 121:1) His answer reminds us that it comes from our Creator, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2) Now you need to slow down and think about what these two short verses are communicating.
I have been doing a lot of extracurricular searching in the area of Astronomy (the study of space and the universe) and the related area of Astrophysics (the study of how the universe works). The creation is beyond comprehension. It is impossible to imagine the immense size. It is estimated that the distance from one side to the other is 93 billion light years (that is 93 followed by 9 zeros)! It is 93 billion times that distance that light would travel in one 365 day earth year. Let me point out that light travels 186,000 miles per second (yes per second). It is estimated that is would take 93,000,000,000 years traveling at the speed of light to go from one end of the universe to the other. And God created it all be speaking it into existence in one literal 24 hour day!
Now, I want you to go back and reread psalm 121:2. “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2) Did you catch the significance of David’s statement? Is there anything in your life that is beyond the Creator’s ability to handle? The answer is a NO! And yet we are prone to seek out other human substitutes and ignore our greatest source of help. I am reminded of Jesus words to us, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) He is inviting you and I to turn to Him for help. The amazing thing about God is that He respects your free will. He will not force himself upon you. This means that, while He desires to help, you must ask Him.
I believe one of the reasons we do not turn to Jesus is because we want to be in control. We want to do it our way. It is easy to blame God when things do not go the way that we want, yet Jesus reminds us that that is not God’s mode of operating. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29) He is calling you to trust Him. His desire is to help you. He is not your enemy but your salvation and hope. But there is a catch, you cannot keep doing things your way. You will need to turn to Him. It is then that you will discover that He has been waiting for you all along. The result of coming to Jesus for the first time, or coming back after a period of wandering is that He is waiting to help.
So are you dazed and looking up at the ceiling wondering what is happening in your life? Remember that this is your opportunity to reach out to the one who can make a difference in your life on His terms.
-Pastor Joe Parkinson