We all need help of one kind or another at times. The older I get it seems the needier of help I have become. Needs range from information, advice and encouragement to physical aid and prayer support. Not every difficulty or trial can be overcome without help, but where can I turn for the help I need?
When I was young I would turn to the library for information and to my parents for advice and encouragement. I would consult a map for needed directions. Now we just “google it” with seemingly endless search options and let GPS guide us to our destination. Have you ever searched and found a promising website, clicked on the help icon only to be presented with a list of answers to frequently asked questions none of which pertain to your particular need? I seem to run into that a lot and have to go back and start my search from scratch.
I have a cataract that has gotten worse in my right eye. I contacted my insurance carrier for my Medicare Advantage program and was pleased to find that they will cover the procedure without deductible or copay. The surgeon, who removed a cataract from my left eye ten years ago, does not take my current insurance, so I began a search for one who does and who isn’t too far from home. I finally found a promising doctor and called his office only to find out he does take my insurance but doesn’t do cataract surgery. His receptionist kindly recommended another local surgeon. I called his office and gleefully discovered he takes my insurance. Then I was told the first open appointment is five weeks from now. My first thought was, “At this rate, I probably won’t get the surgery scheduled before the first of the year.” Then, I thought, “If he is that popular, he must be good.” The point of all of this is that help isn’t always easy to find. Sometimes it takes a lot of perseverance and patience.
What about other material needs or emergencies? To whom can I turn? I have found the first one to ask for help is the only one who knows my needs before I do. He is always willing and able to help me. Of course I’m talking about going to God in prayer. His promise to me is this; “For I hold you by your right hand – I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.’” (Isaiah 41:13) Now that is what I call a helping hand!
The Lord doesn’t always answer my call for help with a miracle. Most of the time, He prompts others with His Holy Spirit to help meet my needs. Just as I, when I was younger, was prompted to reach out a helping hand to others, now I am the recipient of such help. But there is never a doubt that the source of my help is the Lord. I could give you hundreds of examples, but I have a feeling that you already know what I mean. In a very real sense, when God uses my brothers and sisters in Christ to help me, it is still a miracle of Christian love. He continues to bless me every day and He will bless you if you come to Him for help.