Lessons From Hong Kong; Part II

Lesson #2:  My Help Comes from the Lord!  The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Peter's adoption, the whole process, has been one big cry for help.  But it wasn't until this past week that God really cemented it in my spirit.  We as a family have put Psalm 121 to music and love singing it.  God has been moving me from crying out for help to trusting in that help.  What's the origin of this help?  Who am I calling on?

So many times I cry out, "Jesus help me", and then continue to try to figure out what to do.  Somewhere along the way I missed a step.  God was again showing me something about how I see Him verses who He truly is that would radically change my life.

(Back Story 1)  Since we have met Peter, many unforeseen things have happened to us.  I have written about Thom's dad passing away prior to travel, but on the day that our family would be Celebrating Dad's life, my father would have a life altering mini-stroke.  I didn't find out until I got back into the states, turned on the cell phone and had several messages from family needing my immediate attention.  The Monday after we arrived back from Hong Kong, my daughter Emily was out running errands for us in our only car and was in an accident  (she was not injured) which totalled our vehicle.  We couldn't even get to the scene of the accident until someone came and picked us up.  Then on Thursday of our first week home, I pulled a tendon in my shoulder and couldn't even lift our son up.  We have had to borrow cars to get places and lots of decision making regarding the immediate future.   Again, I was crying out, "Jesus Help Us!"

This is not how we envisioned bringing Peter home to the states. But God had a better plan for us, for me.  I learned and am still learning it's not enough to just cry out for help.  At one point recently I was crying out for help and I heard this question resound in my mind, "Do you know who you are asking for help?"  "Do you realize that your help comes from the Maker of heaven and earth?"  I was once again stopped in my tracks with a really dumb look on my face.  Do I really know who I am asking help from?  Clearly, if I did, I would ask and then wait for the help.  Am I doing that?  So I went to the scriptures and re-read Psalm 121.  I am adding it here.

"I lift up my eyes to the hills.  From where does my help come?  My help come fro the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.  Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  The lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.  The Sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.  The Lord will keep your going our and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore."

I was stopping at the crying out and not connecting my pleas to the Source of all help, the Lord.  It was like a dark part of my mind had light pouring in to it for the first time.  And the first fruits from this revelation are refreshing. 

1. Instead of blame shifting my problems away because I can't find any good help around me, I need to lift my eyes up to the hills, to the Lord, who made me and all around me, even my circumstances and ask, mindful of who He is and who I am.
2. Asking God and then waiting on God to answer is both vulnerable and humbling but worth it.
3. God is trustworthy in His care of me.
4. God is not in the business of implementing my plans but getting me to see the goodness of His plans.

No, it's not the way we pictured Peter's introduction to our family.  No, we didn't want to be "vehicle-less" at this time.  But, Praise the Lord, it was God's plan to do it this way.  I am safe in my Father's arms.  I don't have to figure out how to help Peter attach to us, God already has His plan in play.  We don't have to figure out how or where we will get the resources for a new van, God already has one for us, will we wait?  Our bodies are outwardly wasting away, but God has called us to this life.  He will not let my foot slip, He watches my coming and going, He will be my shade, He will keep me from all evil, He will keep my life.  This God, the Maker of heaven and earth, is helping me.  What a God, and What a lesson!  So much more than I could see or imagine.