Monday, June 25, 2012

God Hears And Understands

But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”

-- Psalm 31:14

There’s a scene in the movie Facing the Giants where the coach is in an orchard, an open Bible in his hands. His world is crashing down around him: his football team is losing, he happens on a secret meeting to generate support to fire him, his car is falling apart and, to make it even worse, he’s found out that he’s the reason he and his wife can’t get pregnant.

“You are my God,” he says. I love that line because of the simple truth of it. Because really, when it comes down to it, there is no one else who really can help besides God.

Last week was a really tough week in a really tough year. Nothing particular happened to make it so. It’s just that sometimes the attitudes and responsibilities of being a necessary, but unwanted, caregiver just zap my emotional strength to the point where I don’t know how I’ll make it through the next five minutes, let alone the years to come.

I am not alone. In fact, I have it so much better than so many caregivers. I know that. And I rarely get mired in self-pity. But some days I just long for someone to understand, someone to see, someone to feel the insults and nasty comments that are daily parts of life. And then I remember: God understands, He sees and He feels my pain. He gives me strength to make it through to another day, a better day.

I can’t imagine how anyone goes through tough times without God. He is my anchor, a very real help in times of trouble. The Bible reminds us that we don’t have to travel this road alone. There is help available just for the asking, no matter what we face.

A dear friend lives with chronic leukemia. Oh, there’s a fancy name for it but the truth isn’t fancy or pleasant. She takes chemo pills every day and will for the rest of her life. She counts herself blessed because she is in remission. But some days are rough. She’s sick and tired and it’s hard to get up and get on with it. But she does it anyway, leaning on God for the strength to make it through another day.

Yet another friend visits her mother several times each week. Her heart breaks a little bit every time. She’s thankful that, so far, her mother still recognizes her. But she also knows that someday in the not so distant future, that won’t be true anymore. The once vital woman who lit up a room is slowing fading away, being replaced by a shell she doesn’t recognize.

“You are my God.” David’s words echo in my mind as I cry out for help, for strength, for understanding. He hears me. He hears you. We don’t have to take difficult journeys alone. God is with us if only we will cry out to Him.